Perplexity introduced Comet Plus, a subscription designed to bring quality journalism directly into AI assistants and the Comet browser. What does this change for you as a reader, creator, or AI entrepreneur? Here I explain it clearly and practically. (perplexity.ai)

What is Comet Plus

Comet Plus is a standalone $5 subscription that gives direct access to premium journalistic content inside Perplexity's browsing experience and AI assistants. It's also included at no extra cost for people who already pay for Perplexity Pro or Max. (perplexity.ai)

The central idea is simple: assistant answers shouldn't be limited to low-quality free snippets. Instead, when appropriate, they can rely on verified reporting and deep analysis.

Perplexity says participating publishers will be compensated for the ways their content adds value in the AI era. (perplexity.ai)

Launch partners

Perplexity kicks off Comet Plus with several well-known outlets. Among the launch partners are:

• CNN
• Condé Nast (The New Yorker, Wired, Vanity Fair and other titles)
• Fortune
• Le Figaro
• Le Monde
• The Los Angeles Times
• The Washington Post

Having these mastheads from day one means the queries you make can draw on trusted reports and columns without extra friction for you. (perplexity.ai)

Why it matters (and why you should pay attention)

Worried about the quality of AI assistant answers? This aims to add a layer of verification and direct sourcing that helps both the asker and the content creator.

Instead of prioritizing "pageviews" and click-friendly headlines, the model intends to reward informational quality and a direct relationship with the reader. (perplexity.ai)

For readers, this can mean more reliable answers and direct links to full articles. For publishers, it opens a new revenue stream when assistants use their content. For product teams and AI founders, it's a signal that models and browsers can integrate licensed, compensated content—not just scrape the web for free.

A practical example

Imagine your assistant summarizes a study on climate change and, instead of pulling scattered paragraphs from low-quality sites, offers an authorized excerpt from a Washington Post report with a link and access options. You get dependable context; the publisher gets paid for that use.

Doesn't that sound better than guessing which result is most trustworthy?

What you can do now

• If you use AI assistants: try how answers change with Comet Plus and judge whether the improved quality is worth the price.
• If you're a creator or editor: study the proposal to see how it can strengthen your direct relationship with the audience and open new revenue streams.
• If you work in product or AI: consider integrating licensed sources as part of the experience—users will start expecting verifiable sourcing.

If you want to read the original announcement and official details, Perplexity published the note on October 1, 2025 with the full list of partners and an explanation of the model. You can read Perplexity's announcement for full accuracy. (perplexity.ai)

Final reflection

Comet Plus isn't just another subscription: it's a bet on making AI-delivered information verifiable and on having publishers paid for that use. Will this be enough to improve online information quality? It's a clear first step, and as a user it's worth watching how the experience evolves in the coming months.