VebTabbit 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 →
Tabbit is a free Chromium AI browser for Mac and Windows from Lumina Lab in Singapore, with chat, an agent mode and a choice of many vendors’ models.
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
- if you want a free agent browser with a wide choice of models, Chinese ones included
- if you want the same AI browser on Windows and Mac
- if you want Codex or Claude Code to use your signed-in sessions through its command line
- 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
- 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
Tabbit and Arc, with Veb beside them for a Mac.
| What | Tabbit | Arc | Veb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | Lumina Lab (LUMINALAB PTE. LTD., Singapore) | The Browser Company (Atlassian) | Serafim Korablev |
| Status | Updated | Closing December 22, 2026 | Updated |
| Runs on | Mac and Windows | Mac and Windows | Mac |
| Phone app | Only for its Chinese edition, in Chinese; tabbit.ai lists mobile as planned | 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 with a weekly AI allowance; Pro $30/month | 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 service | Chat about pages, on its own AI service | An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan |
| Driven by outside agents | a command line | No | MCP and a command line |
| Engine | Chromium | Chromium | WebKit |
| Tabs down the side | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Spaces | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| Split View | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extensions | Chrome Web Store | Chrome Web Store | Chrome Web Store |
| Ad blocker | Built in | 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.
AITabbit leads
Only Tabbit has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks in your pages. Tabbit chats with your tabs, files and screenshots, and its agent mode runs multi-step tasks in tab groups of its own, on GPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi, Qwen or GLM. 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 CodexTabbit leads
Tabbit can be driven over a command line, through the Tabbit command line, with a skill for Codex, Claude Code and Cursor. Arc has no MCP server or command line for outside agents.
Tabs and windowsArc leads
Tabbit 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.
PriceArc leads
Tabbit: Free with a weekly AI allowance; Pro $30/month. Arc: Free for existing members until the desktop app stops working December 22, 2026.
Where it runseven
Both run on Mac and Windows. On a Mac, Tabbit needs macOS 13 or later and Arc needs macOS 13 or later. On the phone, Tabbit: only for its Chinese edition, in Chinese; tabbit.ai lists mobile as planned. 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.
PrivacyTabbit leads
Tabbit has an ad blocker built in. Tabbit sends prompts and pages you share to the model vendor you pick, on servers in Singapore or your region; its maker says it doesn’t train on your data. 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.
UpdatesTabbit leads
Tabbit 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.
Tabbit
- Top models and heavy agent use need Pro at $30 a month
- The free AI is a weekly allowance, larger only if Tabbit is your default browser
- No Linux or phone apps yet
- No MCP server documented, only its command line
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
- September 8, 2026Tabbit: Tabbit CLI lets coding agents drive the browser with your logins
- August 21, 2026Tabbit: Version 1.11 dropped macOS 12; macOS 13 or later required
- June 9, 2026Tabbit: Version 1.0 released after a 100-day public beta
- October 21, 2025Arc: Atlassian completed its purchase of The Browser Company
- August 28, 2025Arc: Ask On Page removed from Arc Max
Questions
Is Tabbit free?
Yes, with limits on its AI. Free with a weekly AI allowance; Pro $30/month.
Is Arc free?
Yes. Free for existing members until the desktop app stops working December 22, 2026.
Which has an AI agent, Tabbit or Arc?
Tabbit. Tabbit chats with your tabs, files and screenshots, and its agent mode runs multi-step tasks in tab groups of its own, on GPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi, Qwen or GLM. 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 Tabbit and Arc run on Windows?
Yes, both. Tabbit runs on Mac and Windows; Arc on Mac and Windows.
Do Tabbit and Arc have phone apps?
On the phone, Tabbit: only for its Chinese edition, in Chinese; tabbit.ai lists mobile as planned. On the phone, Arc: Arc Search on iOS and Android; AI, sign-in and sync end November 23, 2026.
Can I move from Arc to Tabbit?
Yes: Tabbit’s own help says it brings in from Arc.
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 Tabbit; an agent in your signed-in tabs like Tabbit’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
- Tabbit home page and FAQ
- Tabbit membership plans
- Tabbit release notes (What’s New)
- Tabbit CLI quick start (2026-09-18)
- Tabbit quick start guide
- Tabbit privacy policy
- App Store: Tabbit by Beijing KuXun Interactive Technology, universal iPhone and iPad, Simplified Chinese only, first released Jun 5, 2026
- Xiaomi App Store: Tabbit Android app, com.tabbit.ai, v0.52.9, updated Oct 9, 2026
- Tabbit China site, mobile download page (links the App Store app)
- Tabbit China membership page: bookmarks, passwords and chats sync on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, HarmonyOS
- Beijing News (Jun 9, 2026): Tabbit 1.0 launch, mobile testing begun
- A farewell to Arc: official shutdown timeline and export instructions (October 22, 2026)
- Letter to Arc members, 2025-05-26
- Arc for macOS release notes
- Arc for Windows release notes
- Arc macOS update feed (minimum macOS 13.0; universal binary)
- Arc unsupported devices
- Arc Max help article
- Arc import help article
- Arc ad blocking and Manifest V3
- Arc saved passwords
- Why Arc needs an account
- Arc Spaces
- Arc Split View
- Arc Folders
- Arc Search for iOS and Android
- Arc Search on the App Store (1.48.0, 2026-08-12)
- Arc Search for Android release notes
- Arc privacy policy
- Atlassian completes acquisition of The Browser Company (Business Wire)
- Arc Help: Arc Sync (what syncs, not on Android)
- Google Play: Arc Search (updated Sep 1, 2026)
- Arc Help: Arc Search for iOS release notes (iPad layout, June 20, 2024)
- TidBITS: Arc Search iPhone app now syncs Arc sidebar tabs (2024-04-29)
- Veb Manual: Bringing in from another browser
- Veb Manual: Connecting Claude or ChatGPT
- Veb Manual: Extensions
- Veb Manual: Veb’s tools over MCP
- Veb Manual: Privacy
- Mobile plans
Veb, Very Expensive Browser.
Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.