Review of ChatGPT Atlas Browser — The AI Revolution Postponed Once Again

OpenAI keeps surprising the world with its new technologies. Recently, the company unveiled the revolutionary ChatGPT Atlas browser — the ultimate solution for web surfing with a constant neural network connection, and its own answer to Comet, the new "smart web browser" from Perplexity. Some journalists have already called this the beginning of a new era, but is that really the case? We installed the browser and tested it on the most basic tasks to compare it with familiar competitors — and to answer all the burning questions.

The first thing that catches your eye is the design. The browser looks so similar to ChatGPT itself that, at first, it feels like you’re using the exact same thing. Fortunately, getting your bearings isn’t too hard. As before, you type your query and see the results — but now, things are a bit more complex.

Atlas divides its responses into sections, without opening extra tabs unless you explicitly allow it. The first section contains the neural network’s own answer, followed by a "classic" search results section — though oddly, there are only a few links instead of several pages’ worth. After that come images and videos. It definitely takes some getting used to, and the approach feels unusual at first. However, there are deeper issues as well.

First, the number of links. Yes, the AI generates its own answers based on analysis, but there’s no guarantee it won’t miss something important. And if you want to read the sources yourself, your choices are suddenly much more limited than in Google, for example. Why that is remains unclear. Second, translations into other languages are not always accurate — and sometimes missing altogether — even if your query is written in your native tongue.

So, what can be said about Atlas’s main features and capabilities? The developers claim that, thanks to the neural network, online search transforms from a routine process into a dialogue. Moreover, the smart Agent mode allows the browser to perform mundane tasks, place orders, or even edit content on its own.

In reality, things are a bit more down-to-earth. Overall, the functionality is almost identical to ChatGPT’s — with the same strengths and weaknesses. We tested Atlas on several tasks: compiling a list of recent digital film releases; finding information about VGTimes; selecting and ordering food for someone on a diet from a delivery service; and editing a Google Doc. Sadly, nothing groundbreaking happened. You’ll get roughly the same results by asking the standard ChatGPT.

The movie list contained only titles, making it hard to tell what they were about — unless you were searching for something specific. More digging was required. The VGTimes summary was just a compilation of snippets from various sites, and the food-ordering task stalled after linking to a specific delivery service. Choosing from the available menu worked fine — but that’s as far as it went.

Finally, text editing deserves a special mention. You can’t just issue a simple command to edit. By default, there’s always a ChatGPT panel in the upper right corner, which you can use to ask for help or advice. However, the response appears in the same window — the text won’t be replaced automatically. Moreover, the AI applies its own formatting, which may differ drastically from yours. You can somewhat mitigate this by selecting text and using the special context menu to edit it. The edited text appears in a separate popup, and only then does the "Replace" button appear. Still, your formatting will likely change.

The only thing that truly impressed us was the new approach to search history. You can ask the AI assistant to find something specific or organize your search history by given criteria and display the result. Nothing revolutionary, but if you genuinely need to retrieve something from the archive, the process becomes noticeably faster.

When compared to its main rival, Comet (which we also recently reviewed), Atlas falls short. There are no features like automatic video transcription or email replies. The most you can do is ask the side panel for advice — such as which emails to mark as spam. The AI analyzes the information on the current page and gives a few solid recommendations, but the execution is still up to you.

Visually, Comet and Atlas look very similar. Both integrate smoothly into your system and can import bookmarks from your default browser.

Currently, Atlas is available only on macOS, while Comet also supports Windows. Both have free basic versions and more advanced paid subscriptions — which is hardly surprising. It would be strange to get a full version of ChatGPT in your browser without an official subscription.

At the moment, such browsers are more like toys than reliable daily assistants. They won’t radically simplify your established workflow, though they do add a few interesting touches. Whether these features justify switching to a new browser is up to you. It’s clear that AI-powered browsers will expand their functionality over time — but not anytime soon, and certainly not today.

All of this leads to a simple conclusion: as of today, Atlas isn’t a browser that will drastically change your daily routine. It can perform certain tasks, but the need for constant supervision cancels out most of its advantages. The machine uprising has been postponed — once again.