Arc vs Firefox

Reference archive: this page documents the original Yab browser. Features, platforms and release dates here do not describe the current Veb prototype. Veb release plans →

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.

Firefox is Mozilla’s open-source browser on its own engine, Gecko, on every desktop and phone. Its AI is optional: a Smart Window beta and a sidebar chatbot, all behind one switch.

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 Firefox

if you want an open-source browser that isn’t Chromium
if you want AI off by default, or gone with one switch
if you want a free browser VPN, where it is offered

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 Firefox, with Veb beside them for a Mac.

Arc vs Firefox
What	Arc	Firefox	Veb
Made by	The Browser Company (Atlassian)	Mozilla	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; its built-in VPN is free up to 50 GB a month	Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
AI	Chat about pages, on its own AI service	Chat about pages, on its own AI or yours	An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan
Driven by outside agents	No	MCP	MCP and a command line
Engine	Chromium	Gecko	WebKit
Tabs down the side	Yes	A setting	Yes
Spaces	Yes	No	Yes
Split View	Yes	Yes	Yes
Extensions	Chrome Web Store	Firefox add-ons	Chrome Web Store
Ad blocker	No	No	Built in
Open source	No	Yes	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.

AIa matter of taste

Both have AI to ask about pages, and neither does the clicking for you. 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. Firefox’s Smart Window beta chats with tabs you share and groups them, and a sidebar chatbot can use Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Le Chat or Copilot; it can’t click or fill forms, and one switch turns all AI off.

Agents like Claude Code and CodexFirefox leads

Arc has no MCP server or command line for outside agents. Firefox can be driven over MCP, through Mozilla’s Firefox DevTools MCP, which starts its own Firefox.

Tabs and windowsArc leads

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

Priceeven

Arc: Free for existing members until the desktop app stops working December 22, 2026. Firefox: Free; its built-in VPN is free up to 50 GB a month.

Where it runsFirefox leads

Arc runs on Mac and Windows. Firefox runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Arc needs macOS 13 or later and Firefox needs macOS 10.15 or later. On the phone, Arc: Arc Search on iOS and Android; AI, sign-in and sync end November 23, 2026. On the phone, Firefox: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.

Engine and extensionsa matter of taste

Arc is built on Chromium, as Chrome is; Firefox on Gecko, Firefox’s engine. Arc takes extensions from the Chrome Web Store, Firefox from Firefox’s add-ons.

PrivacyFirefox leads

Arc has no 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. Firefox has a VPN and open code. Smart Window sends prompts and what you share through Mozilla’s servers to partner models; Mozilla says it keeps no chat logs without permission and doesn’t train on them.

UpdatesFirefox leads

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

Firefox

Its Smart Window AI is a beta in the US, Canada and France and needs a Mozilla account
Its AI can’t click, fill forms or buy for you
The free VPN covers the browser only, up to 50 GB a month, in a few countries
Firefox add-ons only, not the Chrome Web Store

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
September 16, 2026Firefox: Smart Window beta expanded from the US and Canada to France
March 24, 2026Firefox: Firefox 149 added split view and a free built-in VPN
February 24, 2026Firefox: Firefox 148 added AI Controls with a switch that blocks all AI features
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 Firefox free?

Yes. Free; its built-in VPN is free up to 50 GB a month.

Which has an AI agent, Arc or Firefox?

Neither has an agent that does 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. Firefox’s Smart Window beta chats with tabs you share and groups them, and a sidebar chatbot can use Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Le Chat or Copilot; it can’t click or fill forms, and one switch turns all AI off.

Do Arc and Firefox run on Windows?

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

Do Arc and Firefox 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, Firefox: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.

Can I move from Firefox to Arc?

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

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 that works in your signed-in tabs, 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 Chrome Arc vs Safari Arc vs Edge Arc alternatives Veb vs Arc Firefox vs Chrome Firefox vs Safari Firefox vs Edge Brave vs Firefox Opera vs Firefox Dia vs Firefox Comet vs Firefox Firefox alternatives Veb vs Firefox

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