VebComet vs Arc
Reference archive: this page documents the original Yab browser. Features, platforms and release dates here do not describe the current Veb prototype. Veb release plans →
Comet is Perplexity’s free Chromium browser for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with Perplexity’s search and an assistant that can act on pages for you.
Arc is The Browser Company’s Chromium browser for Mac and Windows, with tabs down the side, spaces, folders and Split View. Its shutdown was announced October 22, 2026: new accounts are closed, and the desktop app will stop working December 22, 2026.
Arc shutdown update: October 22, 2026. Official dates, export instructions and what to do next. Other feature facts were checked October 9, 2026.
The short answer
- if you use Perplexity and want its search and agent in the browser
- if you want one AI browser on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android
- if you want a free Chromium browser with an ad blocker built in
- if you already use Arc and are preparing to move before December 22, 2026
- if you need to export your Arc spaces and tabs before the desktop app stops working
- if you miss Arc and want spaces, pins and folders kept, on a Mac
- if you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT and want it to work in your signed-in tabs
At a glance
Comet and Arc, with Veb beside them for a Mac.
| What | Perplexity Comet | Arc | Veb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | Perplexity | The Browser Company (Atlassian) | Serafim Korablev |
| Status | Updated | Closing December 22, 2026 | Updated |
| Runs on | Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android | Mac and Windows | Mac |
| Phone app | iPhone, iPad and Android; on iPhone it syncs bookmarks and history with desktop Comet | Arc Search on iOS and Android; AI, sign-in and sync end November 23, 2026 | Veb for iPhone, in beta on TestFlight; syncs spaces, tabs, bookmarks, history and chats |
| Price | Free; Comet Plus $5/month; Perplexity Pro $20/month or Max $200/month for more AI and agent use | Free for existing members until the desktop app stops working December 22, 2026 | Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan |
| AI | An agent that works in pages, on its own AI service | Chat about pages, on its own AI service | An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan |
| Driven by outside agents | No | No | MCP and a command line |
| Engine | Chromium | Chromium | WebKit |
| Tabs down the side | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| Spaces | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| Split View | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extensions | Chrome Web Store | Chrome Web Store | Chrome Web Store |
| Ad blocker | Built in | No | Built in |
| Open source | No | No | No |
Arc’s shutdown announcement checked October 22, 2026; other features and prices checked October 9, 2026. Prices are per month, in US dollars.
Where they differ
What separates them, area by area. Where one plainly has more, it says who; where it comes down to taste, it says so.
AIComet leads
Only Comet has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks in your pages. Comet’s assistant answers about pages and open tabs and can click, fill forms and navigate for you, asking before it acts. Arc Max helpers tidy tab titles and downloads, preview links and put ChatGPT in the command bar; Ask on Page was removed in August 2025, and there is no agent.
Tabs and windowsArc leads
Comet has Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep. Arc has tabs down the side, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.
PriceArc leads
Comet: Free; Comet Plus $5/month; Perplexity Pro $20/month or Max $200/month for more AI and agent use. Arc: Free for existing members until the desktop app stops working December 22, 2026.
Where it runsComet leads
Comet runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Arc runs on Mac and Windows. On a Mac, Comet needs macOS 13 or later and Arc needs macOS 13 or later. On the phone, Comet: iPhone, iPad and Android; on iPhone it syncs bookmarks and history with desktop Comet. On the phone, Arc: Arc Search on iOS and Android; AI, sign-in and sync end November 23, 2026.
Engine and extensionsa matter of taste
Both are built on Chromium, as Chrome is, so sites work as they do in Chrome. Both take extensions from the Chrome Web Store.
PrivacyComet leads
Comet has an ad blocker built in. Comet keeps history, cookies and passwords on your device unless you sync; the assistant sends the page it needs to Perplexity, kept up to 30 days. Arc has no ad blocker of its own. Arc accounts will be deactivated December 22, 2026, and their personal data deleted within 30 days; export what you want to keep before then.
UpdatesComet leads
Comet is updated as usual. Arc: Shutdown announced October 22, 2026: new accounts are closed, and Arc for macOS and Windows stops working December 22, 2026.
What their pages don’t lead with
Real limits, from the makers’ own words and our own use.
Perplexity Comet
- Free use of the assistant is limited; more agent use is Pro at $20 or Max at $200
- No MCP server or command line from Perplexity for coding agents
- Researchers showed prompt-injection attacks on its agent in 2025 (CometJacking)
Arc
- New Arc accounts closed October 22, 2026
- Arc for macOS and Windows stops working December 22, 2026
- Arc Search loses AI, sign-in and sync November 23, 2026; iOS keeps basic browsing
- Arc accounts deactivate December 22, 2026; their personal data is deleted within 30 days
- Arc says Arc Search for Android will be fully deprecated and removed from Google Play and installed devices December 22, 2026
- No ad blocker of its own
Veb, honestly
- Mac only for now: macOS 15.4 or later; the iPhone app is in beta, and there is no Windows or Android
- New: first released in September 2026
- Its AI needs a Claude or ChatGPT plan; ChatGPT’s free plan may work with low limits
- WebKit, as in Safari: a site tested only in Chrome can misbehave
- Closed source
What changed lately
- October 22, 2026Arc: Shutdown announced: new accounts closed, mobile AI and sync end November 23, and Arc for macOS and Windows stops working December 22, 2026
- August 4, 2026Comet: Ninth Circuit vacated the injunction Amazon won against Comet’s shopping agent
- March 18, 2026Comet: Comet for iPhone released
- October 21, 2025Arc: Atlassian completed its purchase of The Browser Company
- October 2, 2025Comet: Browser made free for everyone worldwide
- August 28, 2025Arc: Ask On Page removed from Arc Max
Questions
Is Perplexity Comet free?
Yes, with limits on its AI. Free; Comet Plus $5/month; Perplexity Pro $20/month or Max $200/month for more AI and agent use.
Is Arc free?
Yes. Free for existing members until the desktop app stops working December 22, 2026.
Which has an AI agent, Comet or Arc?
Comet. Comet’s assistant answers about pages and open tabs and can click, fill forms and navigate for you, asking before it acts. Arc Max helpers tidy tab titles and downloads, preview links and put ChatGPT in the command bar; Ask on Page was removed in August 2025, and there is no agent.
Do Comet and Arc run on Windows?
Yes, both. Comet runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android; Arc on Mac and Windows.
Do Comet and Arc have phone apps?
On the phone, Comet: iPhone, iPad and Android; on iPhone it syncs bookmarks and history with desktop Comet. On the phone, Arc: Arc Search on iOS and Android; AI, sign-in and sync end November 23, 2026.
Is Arc still being updated?
Shutdown announced October 22, 2026: new accounts are closed, and Arc for macOS and Windows stops working December 22, 2026.
Is there a third option on a Mac?
Veb, Very Expensive Browser, is free for the Mac: tabs down the side with spaces, folders and Split View, as in Arc; an agent in your signed-in tabs like Comet’s, on the Claude or ChatGPT plan you already pay for. Claude Code, Codex and any MCP client can drive it too. It runs on WebKit, the engine Safari uses, and takes Chrome extensions. It is new, and its iPhone app is in beta.
More comparisons
- Comet help: Operating System Requirements
- Comet help: What is Comet’s browser engine?
- Comet help: Browser features (split view, ad block, extensions, profiles)
- Comet help: Import data
- Comet help: Key settings (memory saver, tab groups)
- Comet help: Built-in password manager
- Comet help: Local data and device storage
- Comet help: Assistant privacy and data use
- Comet Quick Start Guide (Chrome import)
- Comet Assistant vs Agent
- Perplexity changelog Nov 14, 2025 (assistant asks approval before acting)
- Perplexity blog: Introducing Comet Plus ($5)
- Perplexity help: Perplexity Max
- Perplexity help: Local and remote MCPs
- App Store listing (iOS 18+, Pro $20, Max $200)
- TechCrunch: Comet now free (Oct 2, 2025)
- TechCrunch: Comet on Android (Nov 20, 2025)
- MacRumors: Comet on iPhone (Mar 18, 2026)
- Jones Day: Ninth Circuit vacates injunction (Aug 4, 2026)
- LayerX: CometJacking
- Community comet-mcp (not by Perplexity)
- Google Play: Comet: AI Browser & Assistant (updated Sep 24, 2026)
- Comet Help Center: Sync Between Devices
- Perplexity changelog: Comet iOS launch, pair mobile and desktop with device sync (Mar 27, 2026)
- Perplexity blog: Comet is now available on iOS
- Perplexity blog: Comet for Android is here
- MacStories: Comet for iOS review (sync chain, iPad version)
- A farewell to Arc: official shutdown timeline and export instructions (October 22, 2026)
- Letter to Arc members, 2025-05-26
- Arc for macOS release notes
- Arc for Windows release notes
- Arc macOS update feed (minimum macOS 13.0; universal binary)
- Arc unsupported devices
- Arc Max help article
- Arc import help article
- Arc ad blocking and Manifest V3
- Arc saved passwords
- Why Arc needs an account
- Arc Spaces
- Arc Split View
- Arc Folders
- Arc Search for iOS and Android
- Arc Search on the App Store (1.48.0, 2026-08-12)
- Arc Search for Android release notes
- Arc privacy policy
- Atlassian completes acquisition of The Browser Company (Business Wire)
- Arc Help: Arc Sync (what syncs, not on Android)
- Google Play: Arc Search (updated Sep 1, 2026)
- Arc Help: Arc Search for iOS release notes (iPad layout, June 20, 2024)
- TidBITS: Arc Search iPhone app now syncs Arc sidebar tabs (2024-04-29)
- Veb Manual: Bringing in from another browser
- Veb Manual: Connecting Claude or ChatGPT
- Veb Manual: Extensions
- Veb Manual: Veb’s tools over MCP
- Veb Manual: Privacy
- Mobile plans
Veb, Very Expensive Browser.
Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.