BrowserOS vs Arc

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 ↓

BrowserOS is an open-source Chromium agent browser for Mac, Windows and Linux. Its agent runs on the AI you connect: an API key, a ChatGPT or Copilot plan, Claude Code or Codex, or a local model.

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.

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 BrowserOS

if you want an open-source agent browser on your own AI keys or local models
if you want Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to drive a signed-in browser over MCP
if you use Linux

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

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

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

BrowserOS vs Arc
What	BrowserOS	Arc	Veb
Made by	Felafax, Inc.	The Browser Company (Atlassian)	Serafim Korablev
Status	Updated	Closing December 22, 2026	Updated
Runs on	Mac, Windows and Linux	Mac and Windows	Mac
Phone app	None; desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026	Arc Search on iOS and Android; AI, sign-in and sync end November 23, 2026	Veb for iPhone, in beta on TestFlight; syncs spaces, tabs, bookmarks, history and chats
Price	Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider	Free for existing members until the desktop app stops working December 22, 2026	Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
AI	An agent that works in pages, on its own AI or yours	Chat about pages, on its own AI service	An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan
Driven by outside agents	MCP and a command line	No	MCP and a command line
Engine	Chromium	Chromium	WebKit
Tabs down the side	Yes	Yes	Yes
Spaces	No	Yes	Yes
Split View	Yes	Yes	Yes
Extensions	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store
Ad blocker	No	No	Built in
Open source	Yes	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.

AIBrowserOS leads

Only BrowserOS has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks in your pages. BrowserOS’s agent, in the new tab and side panel, clicks, types, fills forms and pulls out data, on the AI you connect. 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.

Agents like Claude Code and CodexBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS can be driven over MCP and a command line, through a built-in MCP server with one-click setup for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor, and a command line. Arc has no MCP server or command line for outside agents.

Tabs and windowsArc leads

BrowserOS has tabs down the side, Split View and folders in the sidebar. Arc has tabs down the side, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.

Priceeven

BrowserOS: Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider. Arc: Free for existing members until the desktop app stops working December 22, 2026.

Where it runsBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Arc runs on Mac and Windows. On a Mac, Arc needs macOS 13 or later. BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. On the phone, Arc: Arc Search on iOS and Android; AI, sign-in and sync end November 23, 2026.

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.

PrivacyBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS has open code. BrowserOS sends prompts and pages only to the AI you connect, or keeps them local with Ollama or LM Studio; it sends anonymous usage analytics. 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.

UpdatesBrowserOS leads

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

What their pages don’t lead with

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

BrowserOS

No built-in model since version 0.51: connect a provider before the agent works
Its own docs say local models are too weak for agent tasks
Before 1.0 and changing fast: Skills and Memory were pulled in June 2026
No phone apps

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

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
October 5, 2026BrowserOS: Built-in model and account sign-in removed; Chromium 155 (0.51.0)
June 17, 2026BrowserOS: Claude Code and Codex built into the agent; Skills and Memory removed (0.46.0)
March 9, 2026BrowserOS: Vertical tabs became the default (0.42.0)
October 21, 2025Arc: Atlassian completed its purchase of The Browser Company
August 28, 2025Arc: Ask On Page removed from Arc Max

Questions

Is BrowserOS free?

Yes. Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider.

Is Arc free?

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

Which has an AI agent, BrowserOS or Arc?

BrowserOS. BrowserOS’s agent, in the new tab and side panel, clicks, types, fills forms and pulls out data, on the AI you connect. 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.

Do BrowserOS and Arc run on Windows?

Yes, both. BrowserOS runs on Mac, Windows and Linux; Arc on Mac and Windows.

Do BrowserOS and Arc have phone apps?

BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. On the phone, Arc: Arc Search on iOS and Android; AI, sign-in and sync end November 23, 2026.

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 BrowserOS; an agent in your signed-in tabs like BrowserOS’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

BrowserOS vs Dia BrowserOS vs Comet BrowserOS vs Atlas BrowserOS vs Opera Neon BrowserOS vs Chrome BrowserOS vs Safari BrowserOS vs Edge BrowserOS alternatives Veb vs BrowserOS 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

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