Arc vs Chrome

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We make Veb, the third column.facts checked Oct 9 ↓

Arc is The Browser Company’s Chromium browser for Mac and Windows, with tabs down the side, spaces, folders and Split View. Its shutdown was announced October 22, 2026: new accounts are closed, and the desktop app will stop working December 22, 2026.

Chrome is Google’s browser on every desktop and phone, with Gemini built in. Its auto browse agent works in your own signed-in Chrome on a paid Google AI plan, in the US and India.

Arc is Chromium underneath, like Chrome, with the same Chrome Web Store and a different way of keeping tabs. Chrome added Split View and tabs down the side as an option in 2026. Arc will stop working on macOS and Windows on December 22, 2026, and new accounts are already closed.

Arc shutdown update: October 22, 2026. Official dates, export instructions and what to do next. Other feature facts were checked October 9, 2026.

The short answer

Pick Arc

if you already use Arc and are preparing to move before December 22, 2026
if you need to export your Arc spaces and tabs before the desktop app stops working

Pick Chrome

if you live in Google’s apps and want Gemini across Gmail, Calendar and your tabs
if you pay for Google AI Pro and want an agent in your own signed-in browser
if you need the same browser on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android

Or Vebours

if you miss Arc and want spaces, pins and folders kept, on a Mac
if you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT and want it to work in your signed-in tabs
if you want Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to drive a real browser over MCP

At a glance

Arc and Chrome, with Veb beside them for a Mac.

Arc vs Chrome
What	Arc	Google Chrome	Veb
Made by	The Browser Company (Atlassian)	Google	Serafim Korablev
Status	Closing December 22, 2026	Updated	Updated
Runs on	Mac and Windows	Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android	Mac
Phone app	Arc Search on iOS and Android; AI, sign-in and sync end November 23, 2026	iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history	Veb for iPhone, in beta on TestFlight; syncs spaces, tabs, bookmarks, history and chats
Price	Free for existing members until the desktop app stops working December 22, 2026	Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra	Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
AI	Chat about pages, on its own AI service	An agent that works in pages, on its own AI service	An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan
Driven by outside agents	No	MCP and a command line	MCP and a command line
Engine	Chromium	Chromium	WebKit
Tabs down the side	Yes	A setting	Yes
Spaces	Yes	No	Yes
Split View	Yes	Yes	Yes
Extensions	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store
Ad blocker	No	No	Built in
Open source	No	No	No

Arc’s shutdown announcement checked October 22, 2026; other features and prices checked October 9, 2026. Prices are per month, in US dollars.

Where they differ

What separates them, area by area. Where one plainly has more, it says who; where it comes down to taste, it says so.

AIChrome leads

Only Chrome has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks in your pages. Arc Max helpers tidy tab titles and downloads, preview links and put ChatGPT in the command bar; Ask on Page was removed in August 2025, and there is no agent. Gemini chats about your tabs and sums up pages and videos; auto browse clicks, types and fills forms in your own Chrome, on Google AI Pro or Ultra, in the US and India.

Agents like Claude Code and CodexChrome leads

Arc has no MCP server or command line for outside agents. Chrome can be driven over MCP and a command line, through Google’s Chrome DevTools MCP, which starts its own profile unless you let it attach to your Chrome.

Tabs and windowsArc leads

Arc has tabs down the side, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep. Chrome has tabs down the side as a setting, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.

PriceArc leads

Arc: Free for existing members until the desktop app stops working December 22, 2026. Chrome: Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra.

Where it runsChrome leads

Arc runs on Mac and Windows. Chrome runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Arc needs macOS 13 or later and Chrome needs macOS 13 or later. On the phone, Arc: Arc Search on iOS and Android; AI, sign-in and sync end November 23, 2026. On the phone, Chrome: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.

Engine and extensionsa matter of taste

Both are built on Chromium, as Chrome is, so sites work as they do in Chrome. Both take extensions from the Chrome Web Store.

Privacyeven

Neither has an ad blocker of its own. Arc accounts will be deactivated December 22, 2026, and their personal data deleted within 30 days; export what you want to keep before then. Tabs you share with Gemini go to Google; with Keep Activity on, chats are kept 18 months by default and may be reviewed and used to train models.

UpdatesChrome leads

Arc: Shutdown announced October 22, 2026: new accounts are closed, and Arc for macOS and Windows stops working December 22, 2026. Chrome is updated as usual.

What their pages don’t lead with

Real limits, from the makers’ own words and our own use.

Arc

New Arc accounts closed October 22, 2026
Arc for macOS and Windows stops working December 22, 2026
Arc Search loses AI, sign-in and sync November 23, 2026; iOS keeps basic browsing
Arc accounts deactivate December 22, 2026; their personal data is deleted within 30 days
Arc says Arc Search for Android will be fully deprecated and removed from Google Play and installed devices December 22, 2026
No ad blocker of its own

Google Chrome

Auto browse needs Google AI Pro ($19.99 a month) or Ultra, in the US and India only
Gemini needs a signed-in Google account
With Keep Activity on, people may review your Gemini chats and Google may train on them
No ad blocker of its own

Veb, honestly

Mac only for now: macOS 15.4 or later; the iPhone app is in beta, and there is no Windows or Android
New: first released in September 2026
Its AI needs a Claude or ChatGPT plan; ChatGPT’s free plan may work with low limits
WebKit, as in Safari: a site tested only in Chrome can misbehave
Closed source

What changed lately

October 22, 2026Arc: Shutdown announced: new accounts closed, mobile AI and sync end November 23, and Arc for macOS and Windows stops working December 22, 2026
April 7, 2026Chrome: Vertical tabs began rolling out as an option
February 19, 2026Chrome: Split view for two tabs in one window
January 28, 2026Chrome: Auto browse agent launched in preview for Google AI Pro and Ultra in the US
October 21, 2025Arc: Atlassian completed its purchase of The Browser Company
August 28, 2025Arc: Ask On Page removed from Arc Max

Questions

Is Arc free?

Yes. Free for existing members until the desktop app stops working December 22, 2026.

Is Google Chrome free?

Yes, with limits on its AI. Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra.

Which has an AI agent, Arc or Chrome?

Chrome. Arc Max helpers tidy tab titles and downloads, preview links and put ChatGPT in the command bar; Ask on Page was removed in August 2025, and there is no agent. Gemini chats about your tabs and sums up pages and videos; auto browse clicks, types and fills forms in your own Chrome, on Google AI Pro or Ultra, in the US and India.

Do Arc and Chrome run on Windows?

Yes, both. Arc runs on Mac and Windows; Chrome on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android.

Do Arc and Chrome have phone apps?

On the phone, Arc: Arc Search on iOS and Android; AI, sign-in and sync end November 23, 2026. On the phone, Chrome: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.

Can I move from Chrome to Arc?

Yes: Arc’s own help says it brings in from Chrome.

Is Arc still being updated?

Shutdown announced October 22, 2026: new accounts are closed, and Arc for macOS and Windows stops working December 22, 2026.

Is there a third option on a Mac?

Veb, Very Expensive Browser, is free for the Mac: tabs down the side with spaces, folders and Split View, as in Arc; an agent in your signed-in tabs like Chrome’s, on the Claude or ChatGPT plan you already pay for. Claude Code, Codex and any MCP client can drive it too. It runs on WebKit, the engine Safari uses, and takes Chrome extensions. It is new, and its iPhone app is in beta.

More comparisons

Vivaldi vs Arc Zen vs Arc Orion vs Arc SigmaOS vs Arc Arc vs Safari Arc vs Edge Arc vs Firefox Arc alternatives Veb vs Arc Safari vs Chrome Edge vs Chrome Firefox vs Chrome Brave vs Chrome Opera vs Chrome Dia vs Chrome Comet vs Chrome Chrome alternatives Veb vs Chrome

Sources. Arc’s shutdown announcement read October 22, 2026; other sources read October 9, 2026. Something out of date? Write to hello@serafimlabs.io and we fix it.

Veb, Very Expensive Browser.

Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.

it’s freeMove from Arc Release status