Same schedule. Different machine.
Where each one stops.
| Capability | Aera | Perplexity Comet |
|---|---|---|
| Executes tasks on real websites | ||
| Plain language, no code | ||
| Recurring scheduled tasks | ||
| Runs when the browser is closed | ||
| Unattended tasks run on your own machine, in your session | No | |
| In-browser code execution | No | |
| Persistent files & workspace | ◐ | |
| Browsing data stored locally | ||
| Browsing history never sent to the browser's maker | No | |
| No model lock-in (use any model) | ◐ | |
| Full browser on mobile | No | |
| Free to use | ||
| Unattended tasks included on the free tier | No |
◐ = limited or partial
Where Comet is genuinely good.
Comet is the front-runner for a reason. If these are what you need, it's a great choice.
Research and citations
Comet's answer engine is genuinely excellent at replacing search with synthesized, cited answers across sources. For fast research, it's one of the best in the category.
Free, polished, everywhere
Comet is free, cross-platform, and well-designed, with full browsers on iOS and Android. If you want an AI browser on your phone today, Comet has one and Aera doesn't.
Voice and momentum
A strong voice mode and the largest adoption among AI-native browsers. It's the front-runner, and it shows in the polish.
Built to do the work, not narrate it.
The agentic browser's biggest complaint is that the agent is slow and you have to babysit it. Aera answers that with unattended execution, local-first data, and a real toolchain.
The work happens on your machine
Both browsers can run a task on a schedule without you. The difference is where. Comet's Background Assistant runs in Perplexity's cloud, which means handing a vendor standing access to the accounts it works in. Aera runs the task in your own browser, in the session you are already signed into, and the pages it touches never leave your machine.
Your browsing never reaches us
Comet stores its browsing data on your device too, and says so plainly. The difference is what leaves: Perplexity's own privacy FAQ says a personal search sends the open tab and relevant browsing history to Perplexity, and that browsing data may be used to improve Comet. Aera runs no server that receives your browsing activity, and nothing you send trains a model.
An automation runtime, not a sidebar
Files and a per-task workspace, in-browser code execution for the jobs a browser can't do, local long-term memory, and MCP so your own tools can drive it. Work accumulates across runs instead of vanishing with the chat.
Which should you use?
You mainly want fast, cited research on your phone too.
Comet is the better pick for citation-backed research, a polished consumer experience, and a full mobile browser, and if you're comfortable with a cloud-based model handling your browsing.
You want recurring work done for you privately, on a schedule.
Aera is the better pick when you'd rather describe a task once and have it run unattended on your own machine rather than in a vendor's cloud, keep your data local, and use files, code, and your own tools through MCP. Desktop-first, on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
An agent is only as trustworthy as the browser it lives in.
Every agentic browser inherits your logged-in sessions, so where your data goes and how the agent is kept from being misled by a malicious page matter more than any feature. Aera keeps your browsing data on your device by default and never trains on your prompts. If data residency and agent safety are part of your decision, start with our Trust & Security page.
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