Invite-only preview for $200/month subscribers. Public release October 2. Legal challenges from Amazon and CNN cloud the rollout. NVDA investor exposed.
Perplexity AI launched its Comet browser on July 9, 2025, with an invite-only preview reserved for Perplexity Max subscribers who pay $200 per month. One day later, on July 10, the company announced a partnership with Coinbase that pipes real-time crypto market data directly into the browser. The move turns a Chromium-based web tool into a potential all-in-one workspace for crypto traders. It also introduces a set of risks tied to monetisation, legal friction, and competitive response.
Comet is built on the Chromium framework, the same open-source foundation behind Chrome, Brave, and Edge. What distinguishes it is Perplexity’s conversational AI as the default search engine. Users can summarise pages, navigate via natural language, and manage tasks like email from the browser. The Coinbase integration adds a crypto-specific layer: real-time prices, trading volumes, and market trend data appear without switching tabs or opening separate apps.
The partnership positions Comet as a tool for crypto market participants who currently patch together bookmarks, extensions, and standalone apps. For Coinbase, the deal extends its data distribution footprint beyond its own app and website. Every Comet user checking a token price through the browser engages with Coinbase’s data infrastructure, even if they never open the Coinbase app itself.
The $200 monthly price tag for early access raises questions about Comet’s eventual business model. Perplexity plans to open Comet to the broader public on October 2, 2025, removing the paywall and making the browser free worldwide. After that date, the company must generate revenue through advertising, premium tiers, or partnerships like the Coinbase deal. If those channels underperform, the browser’s long-term viability becomes uncertain. No clear monetisation plan has been disclosed beyond the Coinbase agreement.
A March 2026 court order obtained by Amazon restricts Comet’s agentic shopping capabilities. The ruling essentially bars the browser from autonomously executing purchase-related tasks on Amazon’s platform. That precedent could encourage other e-commerce platforms to limit Comet’s functionality, narrowing the browser’s utility for users who expected full integration.
CNN has also initiated copyright disputes over how Comet handles content usage. The outcome could force Perplexity to alter its AI summarisation features or pay licensing fees. These legal challenges introduce execution risk before the product reaches a broad audience.
A cascade of court orders could cripple key browser features. If publishers block Comet from scraping or summarising content, the browsing experience degrades. The Amazon ruling already signals that major platforms view Comet’s agentic features as a threat to their control over user sessions. Traders who plan to rely on Comet for research should monitor legal developments closely. Any escalation would reduce the browser’s value proposition.
The primary exposure falls on crypto traders and investors who rely on real-time data feeds. If the Coinbase integration becomes a default research tool, any disruption – whether from a technical outage, a data licensing disagreement, or regulatory action – would affect the workflow of those users.
Perplexity AI itself faces exposure from its pricing model. The transition from $200/month to free creates a monetisation gap. The company also depends on the stability of the Coinbase data feed. A reputation hit from data reliability issues at public launch could undo early momentum.
Coinbase faces indirect exposure. As the data provider, any criticism of data reliability or latency will reflect on the exchange. The partnership also expands Coinbase’s antitrust exposure if regulators view the integration as anti-competitive, though that remains a low-probability scenario.
Nvidia, a notable investor in Perplexity, has a stake in the browser’s success. AlphaScala’s proprietary scoring gives NVDA an Alpha Score of 73/100, labelled Moderate, with a current price of $211.14, down 1.45% today. While Nvidia is not directly exposed to Comet’s operational risk, negative headlines could weigh on sentiment among traders who view the investment as a signal of Nvidia’s AI ecosystem ambitions. For more on Nvidia, see the NVDA stock page.
The compressed schedule between the private preview and public launch leaves little room for iterative feedback. Any bugs in the Coinbase data integration discovered after October 2 could erode trust quickly, especially among crypto traders who demand low-latency data. The legal timeline also runs parallel to the product launch, with the Amazon ruling arriving before the mobile releases.
Crypto data feeds are the most directly affected asset. Real-time prices, trading volumes, and trend data are commodities. The integration’s value depends on reliability and speed. If the data lags or suffers errors, users will revert to dedicated platforms like TradingView or CoinMarketCap. The partnership loses its edge.
The browser market sees a new entrant that combines AI search with crypto data. OpenAI is reportedly developing its own browser technology, setting up a direct competitive race. Comet’s early-mover advantage could be significant if it captures the crypto-niche audience before OpenAI launches. Perplexity also benefits from Nvidia’s backing, which lends credibility to its AI infrastructure.
Because Comet is built on Chromium, it inherits the same performance and security characteristics as other Chromium-based browsers. Differentiation comes from the AI layer and the Coinbase integration. If OpenAI’s browser offers a similar or better combination, Comet’s niche appeal could fade. The open-source foundation means switching costs for users are low; they can move to another Chromium browser quickly.
Bottom line for traders: The Comet browser’s value hinges on data reliability and the outcome of pending legal disputes. Until those variables clarify, the product remains a speculative tool rather than a core research platform.
Perplexity’s Comet browser lands at a moment when both AI and crypto are chasing adoption catalysts. The Coinbase integration is a pragmatic move to differentiate from generic browsers. It also ties the product’s fate to the stability of crypto data and the evolving legal landscape around AI agents. Traders who plan to rely on Comet for research should watch the October public launch closely and have fallback tools ready. For a broader perspective on crypto market catalysts, see the crypto market analysis page.
Prepared with AlphaScala research tooling and grounded in primary market data: live prices, fundamentals, SEC filings, hedge-fund holdings, and insider activity. Each story is checked against AlphaScala publishing rules before release. Educational coverage, not personalized advice.