More web browsers are adding built-in AI to challenge Chrome and Safari

In short: More companies are building or updating web browsers with built-in AI features, aiming to pull users away from Google Chrome and Apple Safari.

What's going on

Web browsers are shifting from being just a tool for opening websites to acting more like a helper that can do things for you. Think of it like moving from a simple TV remote to a personal assistant that can also find the show and press play.

TechCrunch reports that Chrome and Safari still lead the market, but 2026 has brought more alternatives that focus on AI inside the browser. These tools often work like a chatbot (a text box you can talk to) that can summarize what you are reading, answer questions about a page, and sometimes take actions like sending a calendar invite.

Examples include Perplexity’s Comet, which can summarize emails and web pages but is currently tied to a $200 per month plan. The Browser Company’s Dia is in invite-only testing and is designed to use your browsing context to help find information and complete tasks. Opera’s Neon is a paid browser that can research, shop, and write small bits of code, and OpenAI’s Atlas lets people browse and ask ChatGPT questions, with a mode that can try to complete tasks on a user’s behalf.

Not every alternative is AI-first. Some focus on privacy, like Brave and DuckDuckGo, and others focus on user habits and focus, like Opera Air with break reminders.

What to watch

Many of these AI features require access to your browsing history, logins, or open tabs, which can raise privacy questions. It is also worth watching which of these browsers move out of waitlists and paid tiers, since price and availability will affect how many people try them.

Source: TechCrunch AI