Perplexity Launches Comet Plus for Ad-Free Premium Stories
Perplexity has launched Comet Plus, a new service that gives subscribers direct access to premium stories from top publishers without paywalls or subscription prompts. This $5 standalone subscription, included with Perplexity Pro and Max plans, aims to address declining publisher revenues due to AI-powered search features.
Comet Plus is an add-on to Perplexity's existing Comet browser, launched on July 9, 2025. It provides users and AI assistants with high-quality journalism from partners like CNN, Condé Nast, Fortune, Le Figaro, Le Monde, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post.
Perplexity's compensation model for publishers differs from traditional pageview-based advertising. Publishers earn revenue based on human readership and AI system interactions with their content. They are compensated for human engagement, AI-driven interactions, and content usage in training models.
Perplexity's advertising and monetization strategy for Disney Plus began development in 2024, with the launch of sponsored questions and side media placements. The service was announced on October 1, 2025, with initial publisher partnerships. As of October 2025, no specific publishers are publicly known to be pending or intended partners for Disney Plus.
