ChatGPT Atlas vs Comet: Which AI Browser to Use in 2026
OpenAI's retired browser against Perplexity's free one, compared on what each offered, what each cost and how each handled privacy and agent risk.
By , research by the BestBots team · Updated Oct 18, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
Comet wins. OpenAI retired ChatGPT Atlas on August 9, 2026, while Perplexity's Comet is free, still updated and runs on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. Even before the shutdown, Comet beat Atlas on platforms and price for the agent; Atlas's edge was ChatGPT memory and OpenAI's models. Former Atlas users who want OpenAI should use ChatGPT Work instead.
Side by side
| Spec | ChatGPT Atlas | Comet |
|---|---|---|
| BestBots Score | 2.9 | 4.2 |
| Starting price | $0 (retired August 9, 2026) | $0 |
| Pricing model | free | free |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Price | Free browser; agent mode needed Plus, Pro or Business | Free; Comet Plus $5 per month; Pro $17 per month billed annually |
| Platforms | macOS only (Windows, iOS and Android never shipped) | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Agent mode | Preview for Plus, Pro and Business, with logged out mode | Comet Assistant acts on sites and runs tasks in parallel tabs |
| Built on | ChatGPT with memory and ChatGPT agent | Chromium, Perplexity search and models including ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude |
| Privacy controls | Optional browser memories, per site visibility toggle, incognito, browsing not used for training by default | Browsing data stored locally by default, per site blocking, Incognito stops Assistant indexing |
| Availability | Retired August 9, 2026 | Worldwide free download since October 2, 2025 |
The short answer
- Pick Comet if you want an AI browser today. It is the closest living match to Atlas.
- Pick ChatGPT Work, not Atlas, if you want OpenAI's agent. Atlas no longer works.
- Pick neither for sensitive company use until your security team signs off; Gartner named both in its December 2025 advice to block AI browsers.
Pricing
| ChatGPT Atlas | Comet | |
|---|---|---|
| Browser | $0 (retired) | $0 |
| Sidebar assistant | Free, within your ChatGPT plan limits | Free, higher limits when signed in |
| Agent that acts on sites | Plus ($20 per month), Pro or Business | Free; advanced Assistant models on Max ($167 per month billed annually) |
| Premium content | None | Comet Plus $5 per month, included in Pro and Max |
On price, Comet was always the better deal: its agent costs nothing, while Atlas's agent needed a ChatGPT subscription. See Comet pricing and Atlas pricing.
Models and features
| ChatGPT Atlas | Comet | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS only | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Engine | Not stated in OpenAI's launch post | Chromium, Chrome extensions supported |
| Search | ChatGPT search | Perplexity search with citations |
| Models | OpenAI's ChatGPT models | Perplexity's mix, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and NVIDIA Nemotron |
| Memory | ChatGPT memory plus optional browser memories | Perplexity account memory |
| Agent | ChatGPT agent in your tabs, logged out mode, pauses on bank sites | Comet Assistant in every tab, parallel errands, per site blocking |
| Status | Retired August 9, 2026 | Active |
Atlas's standout ideas were the page visibility toggle in the address bar and optional browser memories you could view and archive. Comet's are the free agent, the Chromium extension support and the four platform reach.
Head to head scenarios
Everyday browsing with an AI sidebar
Winner: Comet. It is available and free, with Perplexity answers in the address bar and an assistant that reads any tab you mention with @.
Shopping and booking tasks
Winner: Comet. Its Assistant navigates and acts on sites at no cost. Atlas agent mode needed Plus or higher and was labeled a preview that "may make mistakes on complex workflows."
People already paying for ChatGPT
Winner: neither browser; use ChatGPT Work. OpenAI moved Atlas's agent into Work in the ChatGPT desktop app, with multi tab browsing and sign in support. Your memory and plugins stay with you.
Windows and phone users
Winner: Comet. Atlas never shipped on Windows, iOS or Android.
Privacy minded users
Winner: Comet, narrowly. Comet keeps history, cookies and passwords local and only sends what a request needs. Atlas had good controls too, including no training on browsed content by default, but it no longer receives security updates, which settles it.
Privacy
Atlas did not use browsed content for training unless you opted in through "include web browsing." Browser memories were optional, and a site toggle could hide a page from ChatGPT entirely. After retirement, OpenAI says Atlas memories and cookies are not deleted by deleting ChatGPT chats; use the Privacy Portal.
Comet stores browsing history, the full tab list, cookies, passwords and local files on your device by default. Data goes to Perplexity only when a request needs it. You can stop the Assistant from using history or acting on sites, block specific sites, and use Incognito to stop indexing.
Prompt injection. Brave showed in August 2025 that a hidden Reddit comment could make Comet steal a user's email and login code, and in October 2025 that faint text in screenshots worked too. OpenAI said Atlas's safeguards "will not stop every attack" and documented an injected email that made its agent send a resignation letter. The lesson for either: keep the agent off sites where a mistake costs money.
Moving from Atlas to Comet
Comet imports bookmarks, passwords and history from other browsers. Atlas data did not transfer automatically, so use the bookmarks HTML file and password CSV you exported before August 9, 2026, then delete the CSV. Set up Comet's site block list for banking and work email before you let the Assistant act anywhere.
Cost over a year
An Atlas user who wanted agent mode paid $240 a year for ChatGPT Plus. A Comet user pays nothing for the same kind of agent, $60 a year with Comet Plus, or $204 a year with Perplexity Pro on annual billing. Even a former Atlas user who keeps ChatGPT Plus for Work can run Comet alongside it at no extra cost, using Comet for in browser errands and Work for longer tasks that end in a document.
Verdict
Comet is the winner because it is the one still running, and it was the stronger value even when Atlas lived: a free agent, four platforms and Chrome extension support. Atlas's best ideas, such as per site visibility and opt in browser memories, survive in OpenAI's ChatGPT Work, which is where OpenAI loyalists should go. Read the full Comet review and Atlas review, or see all Atlas alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Is ChatGPT Atlas better than Comet?
Not anymore. OpenAI retired Atlas on August 9, 2026, so Comet wins by default. When both ran, Atlas had tighter OpenAI integration and Comet had more platforms and a free agent.
Which is free, Atlas or Comet?
Both browsers were free. Atlas agent mode needed a paid ChatGPT plan; Comet's assistant, which also acts on sites, is free, with advanced Assistant models on Perplexity Max.
Can I move from Atlas to Comet?
Yes, if you exported your bookmarks before the shutdown. Comet imports data from other browsers, and passwords exported to CSV can be imported too. Delete the CSV afterward.
Which was more private?
Both kept browsing data under your control. Atlas did not train on browsed content by default and had a per site visibility toggle. Comet keeps history, cookies and passwords local by default and lets you block the Assistant from chosen sites.
Were both vulnerable to prompt injection?
Both carried the risk. Brave published two Comet prompt injection attacks in 2025. OpenAI said Atlas's safeguards would not stop every attack and described an injection it found that made the agent send a resignation letter.
What should Atlas users who want OpenAI pick?
ChatGPT Work in the ChatGPT desktop app, which OpenAI says carries Atlas's browser agent ideas forward with multiple tabs and sign in support, or the ChatGPT browser extension.