XDA’s piece on switching from Claude to Perplexity Comet is the sort of anecdote that used to sound like a stunt and now describes a real workflow shift. Agentic browsers, browsers that host an AI that reads pages, clicks buttons, and completes tasks inside the tab, went from prototype to shipping in about eighteen months. We tested seven of them on desktop for six weeks across research-heavy days, coding sessions, and light shopping runs, and picked the ones that hold up beyond the marketing demo.
The list mixes ground-up new browsers with Chromium and Firefox forks that added AI as a first-class feature. Two are backed by AI-first companies (Perplexity and The Browser Company). Two are indie or startup projects. Three are established browsers with strong AI integrations that don’t require a new tab habit.
What to look for in an agentic AI browser
Agentic browsers are new enough that the reviews are noisy, so a few things separate the picks that survive daily use from the ones that get uninstalled after a week.
- Real page-level control. The AI should click buttons, fill forms, and read hidden DOM, not just summarise
- Session privacy. If the browser sends your open tabs to a server, understand which ones and when
- Model routing. A pick that lets you swap Claude, GPT, and Gemini beats one locked to a single vendor
- Extension compatibility. If you rely on Bitwarden, uBlock, and Vimium, the browser has to keep them working
- Cross-device sync. The browser you use at work should be the same one you use at home
- Local model support. Nice to have. Not yet mainstream
Quick comparison
| Browser | Best for | Backing model | Base browser | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perplexity Comet | Research-heavy days with tab-first assistant | Perplexity Sonar + swap | Chromium | Assistant sits beside every tab |
| Dia | AI-native browsing on Mac | GPT / Claude / Gemini swap | Chromium | Cursor-style AI as the tab loop |
| Fellou | Autonomous multi-step workflows | Multi-model | Chromium | Runs long agent tasks in a background pane |
| Sigma AI Browser | Privacy-first Chromium fork | User-supplied API keys | Chromium | No telemetry, BYO model |
| Brave with Leo | Privacy-first mainstream | Anthropic Claude + local | Chromium | Local model support in-browser |
| Opera One with Aria | Best free AI in a mainstream browser | Multiple, Opera-hosted | Chromium | Free tier that doesn’t nag |
| Microsoft Edge with Copilot | Best-integrated for Microsoft 365 users | GPT via Copilot | Chromium | Copilot Pages inside the sidebar |
1. Perplexity Comet — Best for research-heavy days
Perplexity Comet built its assistant sidecar around Perplexity’s search and citation stack, and it shows. Ask it to compile a report across five tabs and it opens the tabs, reads the content, and returns a cited summary. Swap the backing model in settings to Claude, GPT, or Gemini if you don’t want Sonar.
Where it falls short: The privacy model relies on sending open-tab content to Perplexity for indexing.
Pricing: Free tier, Pro at around $20/month for higher usage.
Platforms: Windows, macOS.
Download: comet.perplexity.ai
Bottom line: The pick if you already pay for Perplexity Pro. Otherwise start on the free tier.
2. Dia — Best AI-native browsing on Mac
Dia is The Browser Company’s follow-up to Arc, and the AI is the tab loop rather than a sidebar bolt-on. It reads more like Cursor than Chrome, and the multi-model routing lets you swap between Claude, GPT, and Gemini per query.
Where it falls short: Windows support arrived in 2025 but the Mac build is a step ahead. Extension support is still limited.
Pricing: Free during beta, paid tier pricing not yet announced.
Platforms: macOS, Windows.
Download: diabrowser.com
Bottom line: The pick if you liked Arc and want its follow-up. Buy in early.
3. Fellou — Best autonomous multi-step workflows
Fellou ships the strongest “run this task while I do something else” agent on the list. Ask it to book flights, cross-reference calendar dates, and email the confirmation to a coworker, and it runs the whole flow in a background pane. The trust model is opt-in every step.
Where it falls short: Multi-step agent latency is real. Long tasks take five to ten minutes.
Pricing: Free tier, Pro at around $15/month.
Platforms: Windows, macOS.
Download: fellou.ai
Bottom line: The pick if your workflow includes multi-step tasks that a person would delegate to an assistant.
4. Sigma AI Browser — Best privacy-first Chromium fork
Sigma AI Browser ships without telemetry, requires you to bring your own model API keys, and treats every AI feature as user-controlled. That is a smaller feature set than Comet or Fellou, but it is the pick for anyone who wants an AI browser that does not phone home.
Where it falls short: Fewer features. You do more setup for less magic.
Pricing: Free, open-source.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: sigmabrowser.com
Bottom line: The pick if you already have OpenAI or Anthropic API credit and want a clean browser.
5. Brave with Leo — Best privacy-first mainstream browser
Brave with Leo ships Leo as the sidebar assistant, backed by Claude, Llama, or a local model. The Bring Your Own Model support means you can point it at Ollama on localhost and never send a query outside your machine.
Where it falls short: Leo is a sidebar assistant, not a full agent. It doesn’t autonomously click.
Pricing: Free for basic use, Leo Premium around $15/month.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: brave.com
Bottom line: The right pick if you already run Brave and want an AI assistant that respects your local-first stance.
6. Opera One with Aria — Best free AI in a mainstream browser
Opera One’s Aria is the strongest free AI integration in a mainstream browser. It doesn’t require an account, doesn’t rate-limit aggressively, and its Tabs Islands feature groups AI conversations by topic.
Where it falls short: Not a full agent. Aria is a chat sidebar and page assistant.
Pricing: Free.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: opera.com
Bottom line: The pick if you want AI in your browser and $0 in your budget.
7. Microsoft Edge with Copilot — Best for Microsoft 365 workflows
Microsoft Edge with Copilot integrates Copilot in the sidebar, and Copilot Pages inside the sidebar acts as a persistent notepad tied to your Microsoft 365 account. For anyone already on Microsoft 365, that integration is worth the switch.
Where it falls short: Non-Microsoft 365 users get a smaller feature set. Bing branding intrudes.
Pricing: Free with a Microsoft account, Copilot Pro around $20/month.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: microsoft.com/edge
Bottom line: The pick if your work runs on Outlook, Word, and Teams.
How to pick the right one
If your day is research-heavy and you want a tab-first AI, buy in on Perplexity Comet. It is the most complete implementation in the sub-genre.
If you want the AI to run tasks autonomously in the background, Fellou is the pick. If you liked Arc and are mourning its sunset, Dia is where the Browser Company went next. If you want AI in your browser without leaving your privacy stance, Brave with Leo plus a local Ollama backend is the setup.
Sigma is for the BYO-model crowd. Opera One is for the free-tier crowd. Edge with Copilot is for the Microsoft 365 crowd. Skip a switch if your daily driver already does 80 percent of what these do via extensions.
FAQ
What is the best free agentic AI browser?
Opera One with Aria for pure browsing, Brave with Leo for privacy-first, Sigma for BYO API keys. Comet has a free tier that is generous but caps daily agent runs.
Do agentic AI browsers work on Linux?
Sigma, Brave, Opera One, and Edge run on Linux. Comet, Dia, and Fellou are Windows and macOS only as of mid-2026.
Are agentic AI browsers safe?
Depends on the browser. Comet and Fellou send open-tab content to their servers. Sigma and Brave send only what you explicitly send. Read the privacy policy and adjust settings.
Can I use Perplexity Comet with Claude instead of Sonar?
Yes. Comet settings let you route queries through Claude, GPT, or Gemini instead of Sonar. Pro subscription unlocks the multi-model swap.
Which agentic browser has the best extension support?
Edge, Opera One, and Brave keep full Chromium extension compatibility. Comet and Dia support the essentials. Fellou and Sigma are more limited.
