FILE PHOTO: A smartphone with the PayPal logo is placed on a laptop in this illustration taken on July 14, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo
(Reuters) -PayPal and Venmo users in the U.S. and some global markets will receive early access to Perplexity's new AI-powered Comet browser through a 12-month trial of the startup's Pro subscription, the digital payments company said on Wednesday.
The Nvidia-backed startup provides artificial intelligence search tools that deliver information summaries to users, looking to take on OpenAI and Google in the AI-powered search industry.
The Perplexity Pro subscription is worth $200 a year or $20 a month. It is one of the first offers now available to customers in PayPal's new subscriptions hub, which helps users view and manage recurring subscription payments, the company said.
The offer also provides Perplexity access to Paypal's more than 430 million users, as of the second quarter, enabling easy onboarding into a 12‑month Pro trial.
The AI startup launched Comet in early July and made it available to a wider set of users last month. The browser integrates Perplexity's AI tools directly into web browsing, allowing users to ask questions about personal data like emails, calendars, or browsing history, and perform tasks such as scheduling meetings or summarizing webpages.
Users in the U.S. can sign up for Perplexity Pro directly in the PayPal app starting Wednesday, while global customers in select markets can activate the offer by selecting PayPal at checkout when signing up for Perplexity online.
Perplexity is also working on a mobile version of Comet and the company was in talks with smartphone makers to distribute the browser on mobile devices, Perplexity CEO told Reuters in July.
Comet is available to Perplexity Max and Pro subscribers, with broader access rolling out and Comet Plus features included for paying tiers.
Perplexity first partnered with PayPal in May to enable direct purchases within its chat interface, strengthening its agentic commerce offering.
(Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City and Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)
