AI Web Browsers Benchmark: Complete Selection Guide
We tested 7 AI web browsers, including Perplexity Comet, Arc Max, and Microsoft Edge Copilot, across key performance metrics to determine which solutions deliver practical value for different workflows.
Browser | Primary Unique Value | Best For |
|---|---|---|
Perplexity Comet | Autonomous agentic AI | Research professionals |
Arc Max | Context-only AI | Clean interface lovers |
Edge Copilot | Microsoft ecosystem | Enterprise users |
Brave Leo | Privacy + BYOM | Privacy-conscious users |
Opera Aria | Local AI models | Tech enthusiasts |
Sigma AI | Multimedia generation | Content creators |
Dia Browser | AI-first experience | Early adopters |
AI Web Browser Benchmark Results
As a result of our testing, AI browsers show significant accessibility barriers and performance gaps that limit practical adoption for most users.
- Perplexity Comet delivers agentic AI capabilities with autonomous navigation and analysis, but requires a $200 monthly subscription, limiting accessibility.
- Microsoft Edge Copilot demonstrates content processing with structured output, though it relies on Microsoft’s ecosystem integration.
- Brave Leo provides fully functional AI capabilities without subscription requirements, completing all core tasks with reliable accuracy.
- Arc Max offers context-only AI features that work well within its scope, although it lacks the versatility of traditional chat interfaces.
- Opera Aria appears to have feature capabilities on paper, but it suffers from implementation issues, resulting in frequent functionality failures.
- Strawberry Browser shows promising autonomous task execution capabilities, but it remains in early development, with subscription barriers.
- The AI browser market currently prioritizes premium features over accessibility, with most advanced capabilities locked behind paywalls.
1. AI Response Quality Testing
Task: “Summarize AIMultiple’s main page”
Perplexity Comet boasts advanced autonomous web processing capabilities, featuring AI that can independently navigate to specific websites, analyze complex technical content, and provide structured summaries with real-world examples and case studies.
Microsoft Edge Copilot: Successfully summarized AIMultiple’s homepage, accurately identifying key sections including AI benchmarks, LLM calculators, and enterprise software insights. Response demonstrated solid comprehension of the site’s business-focused content and technical offerings.
Brave Leo: Successfully provided a summary covering enterprise software insights, AI benchmarks, LLM calculators, and the site’s focus on transparency and data-driven procurement decisions. Response was accurate and well-structured.
Arc Max: Cannot perform this test due to lack of standalone chat interface. AI functionality is limited to context-specific right-click actions only, making direct webpage summarization impossible through conversational queries.
Opera Aria: Failed to summarize the current page content. Instead of analyzing the actual webpage, the system provided LLM-based suggestions and generic responses, indicating issues with page context functionality.
Sigma AI: Unable to access external websites directly. The browser explicitly states it cannot visit URLs and requires manual text input to provide summaries, severely limiting web summarization capabilities.
Strawberry Browser: Initial demonstrations suggest strong autonomous research capabilities, though comprehensive evaluation remains restricted.
Task: Long Article Analysis
Analyze article: Agentic AI for Cybersecurity: Real life Use Cases & Examples
Perplexity Comet: Delivered structured analysis with coverage of SecOps and AppSec use cases, specific company examples (University of Kansas Health System, APi Group), and detailed breakdown of benefits and challenges.
Microsoft Edge Copilot: Analyzed the cybersecurity article and organized findings into clear sections covering SecOps automation, AppSec use cases, and implementation challenges.
Brave Leo: Delivered analysis covering autonomous AI operations, SecOps/AppSec applications, automation benefits, and implementation challenges. Response demonstrated strong comprehension of technical concepts and provided additional question suggestions for deeper exploration.
Arc Max: Provided detailed but somewhat repetitive analysis across multiple interaction attempts. Successfully captured key concepts including autonomous decision-making, real-time monitoring, and SOC automation, though the multiple-paragraph format showed less conciseness than other browsers.
Opera Aria: Testing is limited due to page context functionality issues. System defaulted to generic responses rather than analyzing the specific article content.
2. Feature Accessibility Analysis
- Perplexity Comet: Requires a $200 monthly subscription with invitation-only access.
- Microsoft Edge Copilot: Available through Edge browser installation, enhanced functionality requires Microsoft 365 integration.
- Brave Leo: Provides comprehensive functionality immediately without subscription requirements.
- Arc Max: Offers unrestricted access but restricts interactions to contextual features.
- Opera Aria: Available without payment.
- Sigma AI: Provides a functional chat interface but lacks essential website accessibility capabilities.
3. Web Content Processing Capabilities
- Perplexity Comet navigates websites autonomously and completes tasks across multiple applications, but requires extensive access to data.
- Microsoft Edge Copilot effectively analyzed our cybersecurity article, organizing the content into structured sections with specific examples.
- Brave Leo successfully summarized webpages and analyzed technical articles consistently across all our tests, providing relevant follow-up questions without requiring any sign-up.
- Arc Max offers innovative right-click AI features that work well for quick tasks.
- Sigma AI provides capable AI chat functionality, but it cannot access external websites.
- Strawberry Browser demonstrates promising automation capabilities for research across multiple sites.
4. Privacy and Access Trade-offs
- Microsoft Edge Copilot integrates with Microsoft services and provides clear data handling policies for cloud processing.
- Brave Leo maintains user privacy by storing conversations locally and processing requests without collecting personal data.
- Arc Max implements transparent data sharing with AI partners while using zero retention policies for user interactions.
- Opera Aria adheres to GDPR compliance standards but frequently experiences failures in implementing its privacy features.
- Sigma AI encrypts conversations end-to-end but lacks website access capabilities for practical browsing tasks.
- Strawberry Browser emphasizes local storage with user-controlled API access and temporary cloud processing for AI operations.
Testing Methodology
Products tested
- Perplexity Comet (December/2024)
- Arc Max (January/2025)
- Microsoft Edge Copilot (November/2024)
- Brave Leo (October/2024)
- Opera Aria (September/2024)
- Sigma AI (August/2024)
- Strawberry Browser (January/2025)
Test Categories and Objectives
Our evaluation utilized three distinct testing scenarios designed to assess core AI browser capabilities:
Webpage Summarization Tasks Purpose: Evaluate content processing accuracy
- Simple page analysis: Basic webpage content extraction and summarization
- Technical article processing: Complex multi-section document analysis Test focus: AI’s ability to understand and synthesize web content accurately.
Interactive Feature Testing Purpose: Assess user interface functionality
- Chat interface responsiveness
- Context-aware assistance capabilities
- Navigation and task completion accuracy Test focus: AI’s ability to provide practical browsing assistance through intuitive interactions.
Real-world Usage Scenarios Purpose: Test practical application performance
- Cross-tab functionality and context retention
- Privacy protection during AI interactions
- Integration with existing browser workflows
- Accessibility without premium requirements Test focus: AI’s capability to enhance daily browsing activities while maintaining user control and privacy.
The best AI web browsers of 2025
Tools | Price | Free Trial | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
Perplexity Comet | $200/month | ❌ (Invite-only or subscription) | ~150 |
Arc Max | Free (No paid plans currently) | ✅ | ~50 |
Microsoft Edge Copilot | Free with Windows/Office 365 subscriptions | ✅ | ~220,000 |
Brave Leo | $14.99/month (Premium) | ✅ (Full free tier available) | ~200 |
Opera Aria | Free / Enhanced features with account | ✅ | ~400 |
Sigma AI | Free | ✅ | ~15 |
Dia Browser | Not shared | ❌ | ~50 |
Strawberry | $30/month | ✅ | ~15 |
Top AI Browsers Compared
AI Agents Browsing vs Smart Assistance
The AI browsers we tested fall into two camps:
- Smart helpers: These add AI features like chat and summarization, but you still do the browsing (Arc Max, Brave Leo, Microsoft Edge Copilot)
- AI agents browsing: These AI agents can browse and work on their own, making decisions without constant guidance (Perplexity Comet, Strawberry Browser)
Whether you need agentic browsing capabilities or smart assistance depends on what you want the AI to do for you.
Feature Comparison Matrix
Tool | Voice Input | Search Integration | Tab Management | Multiple LLMs | Shopping Assistance | Coding Assistance | Image Generation | Local Model Support | Agentic AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Perplexity Comet | ✅ | Perplexity default | ✅ (Intelligent tabs) | Perplexity only | Product booking | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Comet Assistant |
Arc Max | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ (Tidy Tabs) | GPT-3.5, Anthropic | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Tidy features |
Microsoft Edge Copilot | ✅ | Bing | ✅ | GPT-4 | NA | ✅ | DALL-E | ❌ | Copilot actions |
Brave Leo | ✅ (Mobile) | Brave Search | ✅ (Multi-tab context) | Mixtral, Claude, Llama | Product analysis | ✅ | ❌ | BYOM with Ollama | ❌ |
Opera Aria | ✅ (TTS) | Real-time web | ✅ (Tab Commands) | GPT, Gemini, Local | ❌ | ✅ | Google Imagen | 150+ models | Tab automation |
Sigma AI | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | GPT-4.1, Gemini 2.5 | ❌ | ✅ | Sigma AI | ❌ | ❌ |
Dia Browser | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | AI first design |
Strawberry | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Google, OpenAI, Anthropic | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Laura Companion |
1. Perplexity Comet – AI Browser
Currently available to Perplexity Max subscribers, Comet will be rolled out by invitation only, according to their website, with priority given to those on a growing waitlist.
Perplexity Comet showcases true AI agents browsing capabilities that most AI browsers can’t match. Instead of waiting for you to tell it exactly what to do, Comet’s AI figures out how to navigate sites, analyzes what it finds, and completes tasks independently.
Comet Assistant (AI Agents)
- Cross-tab Context: Maintains conversation context across different tabs and websites
- Web Actions: Can book restaurants, make purchases, and schedule meetings autonomously
- Screen Awareness: AI can see what you’re looking at without needing screenshots or copy-paste
Search Integration
- Perplexity AI Search: Pre-installed as default search engine
- AI-generated summaries of search results with source citations
- Sidebar Integration: Perplexity search panel accessible on all websites
- Contextual Queries: Can ask questions about current page content
2. Arc Max
AI Assistant Capabilities
- Ask on Page: Use Command-F/Control-F to ask questions about webpage content and get AI answers
- 5-Second Previews: Hover and press Shift over links to generate webpage summaries instantly (macOS only)
Unique Interaction Model
- No Chat Interface: AI functionality limited to context-specific right-click actions
- 5-Second Previews: Hover + Shift over links for instant webpage summaries (macOS only)
- Command-F AI: Use search function to ask questions about webpage content
Browser Automation & Organization
- Tidy Tab Titles: Automatically rename pinned tabs with tidier, shorter titles
- Tidy Downloads: Smart file renaming for downloads based on content and context
- Tidy Tabs: Auto-organize Today Tabs when you have more than six tabs
- Data Sharing Transparency: Max features require sending data to AI partners with clear disclosure
- Zero Data Retention: Browse for Me feature uses OpenAI’s API with zero data retention (ZDR)
- Context-Aware Processing: AI features work within specific webpage contexts
- Selective Activation: Users can activate entire bundle or choose specific Max features
- Native Browser Integration: Built into Arc sidebar and command interface
- Cross-Platform: macOS and Windows support (some features macOS-only)
3. Microsoft Edge Copilot
Copilot Integration
- Native AI Assistant: Built-in Copilot sidebar in Edge browser
- Voice Commands: Voice-activated AI interactions
- Page Analysis: Can analyze current webpage content and provide insights
- Content Generation: Compose emails, documents, and summaries within the browser
Microsoft Ecosystem Integration
- Office 365 Connectivity: Direct integration with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook
- Microsoft Graph Access: Can access calendar, emails, documents across Microsoft services
- Teams Integration: Meeting scheduling and collaboration features
- OneDrive Integration: Document access and sharing capabilities
Productivity Features
- Shopping Assistant: Price tracking, coupon finding, product comparisons
- Travel Planning: Itinerary creation, booking assistance
- Reading Mode: Enhanced with AI summarization
Search & Browse
- Bing Chat Integration: AI-powered search results with a conversation interface
- Web Compose: Generate content directly in web forms
- Page Summarization: Instant webpage and PDF summarization
- Translation: Real-time webpage translation
4. Brave Leo
AI Assistant Capabilities
- Coding Assistance: Provide code suggestions and programming help
- Voice Input: Voice-to-text queries available on iOS and Android
- Real-time Search Integration: Incorporates live Brave Search results for current information
Privacy-First Design
- No Account Required: Use Leo without signup or login for free version
- Brave-Hosted Models: All models hosted through Brave’s secure infrastructure
- Local Chat History: Conversations stored locally on device, not on servers
- No Data Retention: Responses discarded after generation, not used for training
- Anonymous Usage: Reverse proxy ensures requests cannot be linked to users
- No IP Logging: No server-side records of Leo usage retained
- Multiple LLMs: Mixtral 8x7B, Claude Instant (Anthropic), Llama 2 13B (Meta)
- Bring Your Own Model (BYOM): Connect local models via Ollama or third-party APIs like GPT-4, Grok
- Model Choice Control: Users can switch between available models at any time
- Automatic Mode: System determines best model for current context
- Data Handling Transparency: Clear policies on local vs cloud processing per model type
- Browser Integration: Built into Brave sidebar, address bar, and full-page mode at brave://leo-ai
- Cross-Platform: Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
- Page Context Awareness: Can analyze current webpage content, PDFs, YouTube videos seamlessly
- Multi-Tab Context: Advanced feature for working across multiple browser tabs
- Right-click Integration: Contextual menu options for quick access to Leo capabilities
- Tab Focus Mode: Requires explicit opt-in for enhanced tab-specific processing
5. Opera Aria
AI Assistant Capabilities
- 150+ Local Models: Largest selection of local LLM variants from 50 model families
- Built-in Model Management: Download and delete local models directly in browser
- Local Storage: 2-10 GB storage per local model variant
- Supported Models: Llama, Phi-2, Gemma, Vicuna, Mixtral and others
- Image Generation: Text-to-image creation using Google’s Imagen technology
- Image Analysis: Upload up to 3 images with OCR and visual understanding
Integration & Access
- Browser Integration: Built into Opera sidebar and address bar
- Cross-Platform: macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS support
- Page Context Awareness: Can analyze current webpage content
- Command Line: Quick access via Ctrl+/ or Cmd+/
6. Sigma AI
AI Assistant Capabilities
- AI Chat: Built-in AI Chat available for free with multiple conversation modes
- Image Generation: AI Image Generator for multimedia content creation
- Compose Feature: Sigma Compose for content creation
- SEO Content: SEO-friendly content creation for blogs and marketing
Model Selection & Flexibility
- Multiple AI Models: GPT-5.1, GPT-O3, Gemini 2.5 Flash, Gemini 2.5 Pro
- Multimedia Generation: Generate pictures, videos, music and other multimedia content
- Model Variety: Access to latest OpenAI and Google AI models
Integration & Access
- Built-in Extensions: Pre-installed SigmaGPT extension ready to use
- Cross-Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS support
- Dual Search Mode: Choose between traditional search or interactive AI conversations
- Crypto Integration: Built-in secure crypto wallet
7.Dia Browser
AI Assistant Capabilities
- AI-First Architecture: Built from the ground up as an AI-native browsing experience rather than an AI-enhanced traditional browser
- Conversational Interface: Full AI chat interface for natural language web interaction
- Intelligent Navigation: AI understands and navigates web content autonomously based on user intent
- Context-Aware Assistance: Deep understanding of browsing context across sessions and workflows
- Advanced Task Automation: AI performs complex multi-step web tasks without manual intervention
- Content Synthesis: Combines information from multiple sources into unified responses
Integration & Features
- Arc Ecosystem: Part of The Browser Company’s broader AI browsing strategy
- Advanced Context Understanding: Deeper AI integration than Arc Max’s contextual features
- Task-Oriented Design: Optimized for completing complex web-based workflows
- Cross-Session Memory: AI remembers and builds upon previous browsing sessions
- Collaborative AI: AI acts as an active browsing partner rather than a passive assistant
8. Strawberry Browser
AI Assistant Capabilities
- AI Companions: Autonomous AI assistants that work across websites
- Screen Recording Learning: AI learns by observing user actions
- Cross-website automation: Works behind login pages and across multiple sites
- Approval-based actions: Always ask permission before executing tasks
Advanced Features:
- Multi-site research: Gathers information from hundreds of websites simultaneously
- Data organization: Compiles research into spreadsheets automatically
- Content generation: Learns the user’s writing style and voice
- Form automation: Handles data entry and repetitive tasks
Positioning:
- $30/month after free trial (mid-range pricing)
- Alpha/Beta status – still in early development
- Focus on workflow automation and task execution
Security Risks in AI Agents’ Browsers
Security researchers at Brave discovered a significant security flaw in Perplexity Comet’s implementation that allows attackers to manipulate AI actions through malicious web content1 .
Attack mechanism:
- Attackers embed hidden instructions in web content (invisible text, HTML comments, social media posts)
- Users request innocent AI assistance like “summarize this page”
- AI processes malicious instructions without distinguishing them from legitimate content
- AI executes unauthorized actions with full user privileges
High Risk – Advanced Agentic Browsers:
- Perplexity Comet: Documented vulnerabilities with partial mitigation
- Strawberry Browser: Early development with extensive autonomous capabilities
Medium Risk – Limited Agentic Features:
- Microsoft Edge Copilot, Arc Max: Reduced attack surface due to limited automation
Lower Risk – Assistant-Only Browsers:
- Brave Leo, Opera Aria, Sigma AI: Focus on content analysis rather than autonomous actions
Selection Guide by Use Case
Choose Perplexity Comet if:
- You need advanced task automation capabilities
- Budget allows for premium subscription ($200/month)
- You work with multiple web applications requiring integration
- Research and analysis tasks form a significant part of your workflow
Choose Arc Max if:
- You want productivity enhancement without full automation
- You prefer free solutions during beta testing
- You need excellent performance with minimal system impact
- You value clean interface design and organization features
Choose Microsoft Edge Copilot if:
- You work primarily within Microsoft’s business ecosystem
- You need enterprise-grade security and compliance
- You require Office 365 integration for document workflows
- You prefer established vendor support and reliability
Choose Brave Leo if:
- Privacy is your primary concern over advanced features
- You want local AI processing options
- You need basic AI assistance without complex automation
- You prefer open-source and privacy-focused solutions
Shared Features Across AI Browsers
Core AI Capabilities
- Content Generation: All browsers offer text creation, writing assistance, and document generation
- Webpage Summarization: Universal ability to summarize articles, pages, and web content
- Translation Services: Multi-language translation capabilities across all platforms
- Question Answering: Conversational AI for general queries and information requests
- Content Analysis: Ability to analyze and extract insights from webpage content
Common Privacy Features
- Data Handling Policies: All browsers have stated privacy policies
- Optional Premium Tiers: Enhanced features available with subscriptions/accounts
Standard Integration
- Cross-Platform Support: Most browsers support Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
- Browser-Native Integration: AI features built directly into the browser interface
FAQ
External Links
- Android Authority. (2025). “Comet browser is quietly revolutionizing how I watch YouTube.”
- Arc Browser. (2025). “Arc Max – Browse the web with AI.”
- Perplexity AI. (2025). “Introducing Comet: Browse at the speed of thought.“
Reference Links
Cem's work has been cited by leading global publications including Business Insider, Forbes, Washington Post, global firms like Deloitte, HPE and NGOs like World Economic Forum and supranational organizations like European Commission. You can see more reputable companies and resources that referenced AIMultiple.
Throughout his career, Cem served as a tech consultant, tech buyer and tech entrepreneur. He advised enterprises on their technology decisions at McKinsey & Company and Altman Solon for more than a decade. He also published a McKinsey report on digitalization.
He led technology strategy and procurement of a telco while reporting to the CEO. He has also led commercial growth of deep tech company Hypatos that reached a 7 digit annual recurring revenue and a 9 digit valuation from 0 within 2 years. Cem's work in Hypatos was covered by leading technology publications like TechCrunch and Business Insider.
Cem regularly speaks at international technology conferences. He graduated from Bogazici University as a computer engineer and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.
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