Comet vs Waterfox

Comet is Perplexity’s AI browser, with an assistant built into browsing. The assistant can answer questions about open tabs, search the web and interact with websites on the user’s behalf. Examples include summarizing or explaining content, comparing tabs, drafting emails, scheduling meetings and making purchases. Perplexity is the default search engine, and Comet uses Chromium. It is free to download at free for Android, iOS, macOS and Windows. Comet supports most Chrome extensions, though users must install and configure them again because extension data does not transfer from Chrome. The browser stores URLs, searches, cookies, open tabs and site permissions locally. Website credentials are kept in the device’s secure vault, not on Perplexity’s servers. Privacy settings allow deletion of browsing and search history, cookies and cached data. However, some queries may involve sending page context, including text or email, to Perplexity’s servers. Email or schedule tasks may require opting in to Perplexity Connector access; those permissions can later be changed or revoked. Comet says users can stop the agent and should review actions before confirming them.

Waterfox is a free, open-source web browser built around privacy and customisation. It uses the Gecko engine and is listed for Android, browser extensions, Linux, macOS and Windows. On desktop, it blocks ads, trackers, pop-ups and overlays by default; filter lists and site exceptions can be adjusted. Private tabs use their own container, and Waterfox removes that container’s site data when the final private tab closes. DNS requests are encrypted and passed through an Oblivious HTTP relay; users can change or disable the default Fastly-operated relay and Cloudflare-operated resolver. Tree tabs nest pages under the page that opened them, with branches that can be collapsed or moved together. Firefox WebExtensions work, but Chrome-only extensions do not transfer automatically. Regular updates incorporate Mozilla security fixes using the Firefox ESR model. Waterfox says telemetry, health reports and crash reports are disabled at build time. Sync is off until Mozilla-account sign-in, and synced data is end-to-end encrypted. The browser plan is free, with no premium tier or required payment.