VebVeb vs Atlas
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 →
Veb, Very Expensive Browser, is a free Mac browser that keeps everything from Arc (tabs down the side, spaces, folders, Split View) and gives your Claude or ChatGPT plan an agent that works in your signed-in tabs.
ChatGPT Atlas was OpenAI’s Chromium browser for the Mac, with ChatGPT beside every page and an agent mode. OpenAI shut it down on August 9, 2026, and points people to the ChatGPT desktop app and its Chrome extension.
The short answer
- 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
- OpenAI shut Atlas down on August 9, 2026: it may not open, runs no agent tasks and gets no security updates
At a glance
Veb and Atlas, side by side.
| What | Veb | ChatGPT Atlas |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Serafim Korablev | OpenAI |
| Status | Updated | Shut down August 9, 2026 |
| Runs on | Mac | Mac |
| Phone app | Veb for iPhone, in beta on TestFlight; syncs spaces, tabs, bookmarks, history and chats | None; Atlas was Mac only and shut down on Aug 9, 2026 |
| Price | Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan | Shut down; it was free, with agent mode on paid ChatGPT plans |
| AI | An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan | An agent that works in pages, on its own AI service |
| Driven by outside agents | MCP and a command line | No |
| Engine | WebKit | Chromium |
| Tabs down the side | Yes | A setting |
| Spaces | Yes | Not stated |
| Split View | Yes | Not stated |
| Extensions | Chrome Web Store | Chrome Web Store |
| Ad blocker | Built in | Not stated |
| Open source | No | No |
Checked October 9, 2026 on each maker’s own pages, linked under Sources. 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 an agent that works in your pages. Veb’s agent works in tabs of its own beside yours, signed in as you, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan; Send, Pay and Delete wait for your yes. Atlas put ChatGPT beside every page, with optional browser memories and, on paid plans, an agent mode; it no longer works. Veb runs on the Claude or ChatGPT plan you already pay for; the other on its own AI.
Agents like Claude Code and CodexVeb leads
Veb can be driven over MCP and a command line, through yab mcp and the yab command, for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and any MCP client. Atlas has no MCP server or command line for outside agents.
Tabs and windowsVeb leads
Veb has tabs down the side, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep. Atlas has tabs down the side as a setting and folders in the sidebar.
PriceVeb leads
Veb: Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan. Atlas: Shut down; it was free, with agent mode on paid ChatGPT plans.
Where it runseven
Both run on Mac. On a Mac, Veb needs macOS 15.4 or later and Atlas needs macOS 14.2 or later. On the phone, Veb: Veb for iPhone, in beta on TestFlight; syncs spaces, tabs, bookmarks, history and chats. Atlas has no phone app: Atlas was Mac only and shut down on Aug 9, 2026.
Engine and extensionsa matter of taste
Veb is built on WebKit, the engine Safari uses; Atlas on Chromium, as Chrome is. Both take extensions from the Chrome Web Store.
PrivacyVeb leads
Veb has an ad blocker built in. Veb has no account and no server of ours between you and your sites; what your agent reads goes to Anthropic or OpenAI under your account. Atlas has no ad blocker of its own. Atlas summed up pages for browser memories and deleted the originals; training on browsing was off by default.
UpdatesVeb leads
Veb is updated as usual. Atlas: OpenAI shut Atlas down on August 9, 2026: it may not open, runs no agent tasks and gets no security updates.
Atlas is gone
OpenAI shut Atlas down on August 9, 2026: it may not open, runs no agent tasks and gets no security updates.
The catch with each
Real limits, from the makers’ own words and our own use.
ChatGPT Atlas
- Shut down on August 9, 2026, with no more security updates
- Was Mac only, on Apple silicon
- Bookmarks, tabs and history had to be exported by hand
- Agent mode needed a paid ChatGPT plan
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
- September 25, 2026Veb: First release
- August 9, 2026Atlas: Atlas shut down
- July 9, 2026Atlas: OpenAI said it will sunset Atlas for the new ChatGPT desktop app
- October 21, 2025Atlas: Launched for macOS
Questions
Is Veb free?
Yes. Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan.
Is ChatGPT Atlas free?
It no longer works. Shut down; it was free, with agent mode on paid ChatGPT plans.
Which has an AI agent, Veb or Atlas?
Both. Veb’s agent works in tabs of its own beside yours, signed in as you, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan; Send, Pay and Delete wait for your yes. Atlas put ChatGPT beside every page, with optional browser memories and, on paid plans, an agent mode; it no longer works.
Which runs on Windows, Veb or Atlas?
Neither. Veb runs on Mac; Atlas on Mac.
Do Veb and Atlas have phone apps?
On the phone, Veb: Veb for iPhone, in beta on TestFlight; syncs spaces, tabs, bookmarks, history and chats. Atlas has no phone app: Atlas was Mac only and shut down on Aug 9, 2026.
Is ChatGPT Atlas shut down?
OpenAI shut Atlas down on August 9, 2026: it may not open, runs no agent tasks and gets no security updates.
More comparisons
- 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
- OpenAI help: Evolving Atlas into ChatGPT (retirement notice)
- OpenAI help: Atlas release notes (vertical tabs, tab groups, imports, profiles)
- OpenAI help: Getting started with Atlas (macOS 14.2, Apple silicon)
- OpenAI help: Setting up Atlas (imports, password manager)
- OpenAI help: Atlas data controls and privacy
- 9to5Mac: OpenAI is discontinuing Atlas (Jul 9, 2026, James Sun quote)
- 9to5Mac: what happens when Atlas shuts down (Aug 4, 2026)
- TechRepublic: Atlas shuts down Aug 9
- TechCrunch: Atlas launch (Oct 21, 2025)
- Wikipedia: ChatGPT Atlas (Chromium, timeline)
- OpenAI Help: ChatGPT Atlas retirement
- OpenAI Help: ChatGPT release notes (Jul 9, 2026 deprecation entry)
- TechRadar: Atlas for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android ’coming soon’ (Oct 2025)
Veb, Very Expensive Browser.
Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.