Comet is Perplexity's browser with an assistant built in. Its page calls it "the AI browser that acts as a personal assistant". To use it, you move your browsing into Comet. And your prompts go to Perplexity. Comet's privacy notice says it collects "what you type as a prompt".
Off Grid AI Desktop (OGAD) takes the other road. You keep Chrome. The Off Grid AI extension puts the assistant beside your page, and the model runs on your own computer. With a local model selected, the page and your question stay on your machine.
Get Pro for $79.99 once · Download Off Grid AI
Off Grid AI and Comet side by side
| Off Grid AI | Perplexity Comet | |
|---|---|---|
| Browser | The Chrome you already use (extension) | Comet, a new browser |
| Where the assistant's model runs | On your computer, with a local model | Perplexity's service |
| Your prompts | Stay on your computer with a local model | Collected by Perplexity |
| Data used for AI models | No | Used to improve services, "including our AI models" |
| Actions that send, create or delete | Wait for your yes in OGAD | Comet shows a control to pause the assistant |
| Price | Chat free; Pro $79.99 once, or $7.99 a month | Comet is free; Perplexity Pro $17 a month billed yearly |
| Computers | Mac (Apple silicon), Windows, Linux | Mac, Windows |
| Phones | iPhone and Android, with Sync | iOS, Android |
Checked 30 October 2026 against Comet's page, its privacy notice (updated 23 October 2026), Perplexity's launch post and pricing. Off Grid AI's price is a limited-time lifetime offer, down from $119.
What it costs over three years
Comet itself is free. Perplexity's launch post says so. Its pricing page lists "advanced models powering Comet Assistant" as a plan feature. Pro is $17 a month and Max is $167 a month, both billed yearly.
| 1 year | 3 years | |
|---|---|---|
| Perplexity Pro, billed yearly | $204 | $612 |
| Perplexity Max, billed yearly | $2,004 | $6,012 |
| Off Grid AI Pro, lifetime | $79.99 | $79.99 |
Off Grid AI has no usage meter. The model runs on hardware you already own, so a long task costs the same as a short one.
How a browser task runs on your computer
- Install the Off Grid AI extension in Chrome and keep OGAD running.
- In the extension, open Settings > Desktop and choose Pair with desktop. Check that the six words match, then approve in OGAD.
- Ask about the page you have open. Plain chat gets read-only tools, so it reads and answers.
- Turn on Agent when you want it to click and move through pages. It uses your signed-in session, so you do not log in again somewhere new.
- When a task wants to send, create or delete something, OGAD shows the action. You approve it or reject it.
The extension refuses one-time codes, card numbers and CAPTCHAs in code. Sign-ins come from your Vault or from you. The websites still use the internet as normal. The thinking happens on your machine.
For a full walk-through, see how to automate tasks in your signed-in browser with local AI.
The browser is one part of Pro
Comet is a browser. Off Grid AI Pro is your whole working day, on your own hardware:
- Memory. Your screens, meetings, mail and documents become one local memory you can search and ask. A browser task can use it too.
- Meetings without a bot. Calls are recorded, transcribed and summarised on your computer.
- Actions you approve. It drafts replies and issues through Gmail, Linear, Jira and Notion. Nothing goes out without your yes.
- God, your chief of staff. A morning brief, meeting prep with notes from last time, and the to-dos people owe you.
- Reflect, Vault, Clipboard and Sync. Where your day went, passwords encrypted on your disk, every copy searchable, and your phone and computer in sync, device to device.
All of it is in the same $79.99, on up to 5 devices.
When Comet is the better pick
Comet is a full browser with Perplexity's search built in. If you want answers from the open web with citations, that is Perplexity's strength. Comet also has its own phone apps on iOS and Android. And it runs on any laptop, because the heavy work happens on Perplexity's servers. OGAD needs a computer that can run a local model. Most Apple silicon Macs and recent PCs can, and the app shows which models fit.
Off Grid AI's extension is on Chrome today. If you live in Brave, Edge, Arc or Firefox, join the waitlist. If your work pages hold client, legal or deal details, keep the model on your own machine.
Switch in ten minutes
- Download OGAD for Mac, Windows or Linux.
- In Models, download a text model that can use tools. The app shows which fit your computer.
- Add the Off Grid AI extension to Chrome and pair it with the desktop.
- Ask a question about the page you have open.
- Get Pro when you want browser tasks, desktop tools and the Vault.
FAQ
Is there a Perplexity Comet alternative that runs locally?
Yes. Off Grid AI Desktop runs the model on your Mac, Windows or Linux computer. Its extension brings that model into Chrome, beside the page you have open. With a local model selected, your prompt and the page go to your own computer, not to a cloud AI.
Does Comet send my prompts to Perplexity?
Yes. Comet's privacy notice says Perplexity collects what you type as a prompt and which links you click. It also says Perplexity uses data to improve its services, including its AI models.
Do I have to switch browsers to use Off Grid AI?
No. The Off Grid AI extension is on the Chrome Web Store today. Edge, Brave, Arc and Firefox have a waitlist. Your logins, tabs and bookmarks stay where they are.
Is Off Grid AI free?
Chat in the browser is free. Browser tasks, desktop tools and the Vault need Pro, which costs $79.99 once for lifetime access on 30 October 2026, a limited-time price.
Does Off Grid AI act without asking?
Not for sends, creates and deletes. Those wait for your approval in Off Grid AI Desktop. Plain browser chat only gets read-only tools.
Get Off Grid AI Pro and keep your browser, with the AI on your own computer.
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