AI browsers

After a Week with the ChatGPT Browser, I Reinstalled Chrome

Honghao Wang

— 4 min read
After a Week with the ChatGPT Browser, I Reinstalled Chrome

AI Browsers Showdown: Which One Really Delivers?

Over the past week, I explored and tested all the mainstream AI browsers making waves right now — OpenAI’s Atlas, Perplexity’s Comet, The Browser Company’s Dia, and Edge Copilot.

Each has distinctive strengths and weaknesses. Together, they suggest two very different futures for web browsing.

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Two Competing Visions of the Future Browser

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1. The Incremental Camp – AI as an Add‑On

Represented by Chrome and Edge, this approach keeps the traditional browser design intact, layering AI features on top.

  • Chrome caters to existing user habits with minimal disruption.
  • Edge Copilot integrates an AI button in the top‑right corner; click it to open a sidebar.
  • Edge leans toward voice interaction, but in Mandarin, its accent feels unnatural and less practical.

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2. The Radical Camp – AI as the Core

Exemplified by ChatGPT Atlas, this model treats AI as the browser’s very foundation — the entire UX is built around conversational AI.

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These products move beyond answering “what” and “why”, aiming to actively solve “how”.

Key Feature:

Atlas and Comet offer Agent Mode — executing tasks after receiving your command.

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Quick Verdicts

  • ChatGPT Atlas – ★ Best overall, strong execution, web automation, but security loopholes exist. Ideal for ChatGPT Plus users or heavy workflow automation.
  • Perplexity Comet – Great at aggregating information; weak, slow Agents; better for research/report work.
  • Dia – Fastest, minimal UI; weak summaries, no real execution. Great for quick reads and tech enthusiasts ($20/month).
  • Edge Copilot – Free, structured summaries; too templated, no task execution. Best for casual, non‑tweaking users.

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Test Scenarios

We ran all browsers through the same AI tasks.

1. Summarizing Articles

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  • Dia: Instant speed, but shallow.
  • Comet: Thorough summaries with most main points.
  • Edge: Clear logical structures (“advertising mechanism”, “platform shift”) but feels formulaic.
  • Atlas: Most “human” — adds insights and perspectives.
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One‑line summary: Dia → speed, Comet → completeness, Edge → structure, Atlas → depth.

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2. Summarizing Videos

Subtitles are critical — without them, performance drops.

  • Dia & Atlas: Solid timeline-based notes; Dia is faster.
  • Edge: Detects stance and tone, not just content.
  • Comet: Average — heavy processing, mediocre output.
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3. Planning a Trip

Prompt: “Plan a two-day trip to Guangzhou from Shanghai over the weekend: routes, hotels, budget.”

  • Atlas: Most comprehensive and convenient — full itineraries, budgets, and visual details.
  • Comet & Edge: Practical but templated (Edge more so).
  • Dia + Google Search: Fast but vague sources.
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Reality check: AI travel guides still require cross-verifying with real user reviews.

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4. Agent Execution Challenge

Task: “Buy an iPhone 17 Pro Max on Apple’s official site.”

  • Dia: Understands intent, gives clear guide, but no action taken.
  • Edge: Q&A mode only, no execution.
  • Comet: Physically clicks, types, navigates — but slowly.
  • Atlas: Executes clicks, tracks across pages, handles files/scripts, remembers past context.
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Winner: Atlas — truly simulates human operations.

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The Bigger Picture — From Browsing to Executing

The next browser frontier shifts from “find and display” to “find and do.”

Platforms like AiToEarn官网 are already monetizing execution — letting users:

  • Generate AI content
  • Publish to platforms like Douyin, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, X
  • Track analytics and AI model rankings

Integrating such ecosystems into AI browsers could turn them into creator monetization engines.

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Security Warning — Indirect Prompt Injection

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Risks:

Hidden malicious instructions in webpages or media can hijack AI agents.

Impacts:

From hijacking shopping behavior to data theft and malware installation.

Confirmed vulnerable:

  • Perplexity Comet
  • Fellou browser
  • ChatGPT Atlas

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OpenAI’s Countermeasures

Actions taken:

  • Rapid response system
  • Red team testing
  • Non-login mode
  • Live action review on sensitive sites

Challenge:

AI agents lack human intuition — making stealthy attacks (e.g., white-on-white commands) dangerously effective.

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Pricing Snapshot

  • Atlas: Free core; Agent Mode for ChatGPT Plus/Pro only.
  • Comet: Freemium; limited agent quota.
  • Dia: Subscription only ($20/month).
  • Chrome / Edge: Free, backed by ad/cloud revenue.

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Recommendations

  • Heavy ChatGPT users → Atlas
  • Research/fact-checking → Comet
  • Casual, free use → Chrome / Edge
  • Minimalist enthusiasts → Dia (paid)

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Final Takeaway

AI browsers are rapidly evolving from assistants to execution hubs. Security risks like prompt injection are real, but so is their potential.

For creators, combining an execution-first AI browser with a monetization platform like AiToEarn官网 could unlock both productivity and profit.

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Do you want me to also condense this into a one-page quick‑comparison table for faster side-by-side reference? That could make these differences instantly clear.

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