In a deep-dive review, a16z Partner Olivia Moore tests the two newest AI-native browsers, Dia and Comet, to see if they deliver on the promise of an agentic web experience. This analysis pits Dia’s workflow automation against Comet’s action-oriented integrations to determine which product currently leads the charge.
The Agentic Browser: AI Baked-In, Not Bolted-On
"The promise of an AI browser is that it bakes the power of AI into everything you do. You don't have to navigate somewhere to use it, but it works alongside you to make everything a little bit easier and more delightful."
Unlike standalone AI tools like ChatGPT, which require a separate interface, agentic browsers integrate AI directly into the user’s environment. This makes AI usage more casual and frequent for tasks like summarizing articles, comparing products, or drafting content. Both Dia and Comet feature a side-panel assistant that uses on-page context, but they diverge significantly in their core strengths and user experience.
Dia: The Workflow Automation Powerhouse
"I've actually found myself using Dia more like a ChatGPT replacement with a focus on workflows than a true browser."
Dia shines by allowing users to build personalized, reusable “Skills” that automate complex tasks. For example, a creator can build a skill that researches a brand's website, identifies key contacts, and drafts a personalized outreach email, all triggered with a single command. Dia also excels at handling multi-tab context, effortlessly summarizing ten articles on a single topic or creating a comparison table for five different Airbnb listings open in separate tabs.
Comet: The True Agent for Taking Action
"Where Perplexity's Comet shines, in my opinion, is actually in driving action across core apps. It's a real agent."
Comet’s killer feature is its deep integration with apps like Google Calendar, Drive, and WhatsApp. It moves beyond search to execution, allowing users to schedule meetings, send emails, and find flight information from old records directly within the browser. It streamlines e-commerce by completing one-click purchases using saved payment info and even supports recurring tasks and collaborative “Spaces” for long-term projects, making it a powerful central hub for personal productivity.
Key Takeaways:
- While both browsers are impressive, the verdict hinges on the user’s primary need. Comet currently wins as the superior day-to-day browser for its ability to take real-world action, but Dia’s powerful, customizable workflows make it an indispensable tool for specific, repeatable tasks. The battle is far from over, as the biggest players have yet to show their hand.
- 1. Comet is the agent, Dia is the assistant. Comet acts on your behalf across your digital life (scheduling, buying, emailing), while Dia excels as a hyper-competent assistant for automating complex research and content creation.
- 2. The killer app is integration, not just chat. The browser that wins will be the one that most seamlessly orchestrates a user's entire digital ecosystem. Comet’s ability to connect and push tasks to core apps gives it the current edge.
- 3. The sleeping giants are waking up. With vast user data and powerful proprietary models, Google and OpenAI’s eventual entry into the agentic browser market will be the next major catalyst, likely redefining the competitive landscape.
For further insights and detailed discussions, watch the full demo: Link
This episode dissects the emerging battle of the AI-native browsers, revealing how agentic AI is moving from a standalone tool to a deeply integrated co-pilot for daily work and life.
The Dawn of the Agentic Browser
- An agentic browser is a web browser with artificial intelligence fundamentally integrated into its core. It doesn't just search for information but can understand context, make decisions, and perform tasks on the user's behalf.
- The promise is to bake AI into every user action, making workflows easier and more intuitive without needing to switch contexts.
- Olivia evaluates two new contenders, Dia from The Browser Company and Comet from Perplexity, to determine if they fulfill this AI-native vision.
Head-to-Head: Core Features and Search
- Common Ground: Both Dia and Comet feature an AI chat assistant in a side panel that uses on-page context (text, highlights, screenshots) for tasks like summarizing articles or finding product alternatives. This low-friction access encourages more frequent, casual AI use.
- Search and Summarization: Olivia gives Perplexity's Comet the edge. Its search results and sourcing are cleaner and better formatted.
- Advanced Search: Comet also wins on complex queries. It leverages Perplexity's deep research function, allowing for more in-depth searches without requiring sophisticated user prompts.
Dia's Strength: Hyper-Personalized Workflows
- Dia’s standout feature is "Skills," which are personalized tasks that a user can build and run with a single command. Olivia notes, "I've actually found myself using DIA more like a chat GBT replacement with a focus on workflows than a true browser."
- Example Use Case: A creator can build a "Skill" for brand outreach. The skill template includes information about the creator and leaves placeholders for brand-specific details. When prompted with a brand's website, Dia researches the company and drafts a personalized outreach email automatically.
- Context Management: Dia is particularly effective at managing shared context across many open tabs. It can, for instance, analyze ten different articles on a single topic to provide a comprehensive summary or compare features across multiple Airbnb listings in a table.
Comet's Power: A True Agent for Action and Integration
- Deep App Integration: Upon setup, Comet authenticates with Google Calendar, Google Drive, Dropbox, and WhatsApp. This allows it to not only search across these platforms but also execute commands like sending an email or scheduling a meeting directly from the browser interface.
- Action-Oriented Tasks: Olivia provides a powerful example of scheduling a meeting, which Comet completes in 30 seconds—finding the last meeting date, scheduling a new one, and sending a confirmation email.
- Automated Execution: Comet can perform recurring tasks and push notifications back to the user, a key advantage of its browser-based nature. It also facilitates one-click purchases by saving billing and shipping info, a feature currently lacking in competitors like Operator.
Collaboration and the Final Verdict
- Collaboration: Perplexity's Comet wins on collaboration with its "Spaces" feature, which functions like a shared Google Folder with built-in AI search, ideal for long-term projects like trip planning.
- The Winner: For Olivia, Comet is the superior core browser due to its powerful agentic capabilities and app integrations.
- The Caveat: Despite Comet's win, she finds herself returning to Dia daily for the specific, powerful "Skills" she has built, highlighting its value for users willing to invest time in setup.
Strategic Outlook: The Incumbent Counter-Attack
- Olivia expresses surprise that Google, with its vast user data and powerful models, has not yet released a more advanced agentic browser.
- Strategic Implication: The emergence of Dia and Comet puts pressure on incumbents like Google and OpenAI. Investors should anticipate a strong response, as control over the browser interface is a strategic chokepoint for user data and AI interaction.
- Availability: Access to Dia requires an Arc browser account or joining a waitlist. Comet is available via an invite code or a Perplexity Max subscription ($200/month), with a free version planned for the future.
Conclusion
The rise of agentic browsers signals a market shift from information retrieval to integrated task execution. For investors and researchers, the key battleground is no longer just model performance but deep application integration and control over user workflows, defining the next generation of AI platforms.
