VebVeb vs Dia
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.
Dia is the AI browser The Browser Company builds now instead of Arc. It is Chromium-based, for Macs with Apple silicon and, since October 2026, Windows, and its AI chats with your tabs and the tools you connect.
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
- if you want the current browser from Arc’s makers, with Arc import and tabs down the side as a setting
- if you want AI that chats across your tabs, Gmail, Slack and Notion, and will pay for it
- if you want a free browser with an ad blocker and no AI
At a glance
Veb and Dia, side by side.
| What | Veb | Dia |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Serafim Korablev | The Browser Company (Atlassian) |
| Status | Updated | Updated |
| Runs on | Mac | Mac and Windows |
| Phone app | Veb for iPhone, in beta on TestFlight; syncs spaces, tabs, bookmarks, history and chats | None |
| Price | Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan | Browser free; AI on Better Answers $20/month or Better Days $100/month |
| AI | An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan | Chat about 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 | Yes |
| Split View | Yes | Yes |
| Extensions | Chrome Web Store | Chrome Web Store |
| Ad blocker | Built in | Built in |
| 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.
AIVeb leads
Only Veb has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks 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. Dia chats with your tabs and the tools you connect, like Gmail, Slack and Notion, and drafts mail and invites; there is no documented agent that works through sites. 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. Dia 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. Dia has tabs down the side as a setting, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.
PriceVeb leads
Veb: Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan. Dia: Browser free; AI on Better Answers $20/month or Better Days $100/month.
Where it runsDia leads
Veb runs on Mac. Dia runs on Mac and Windows. On a Mac, Veb needs macOS 15.4 or later and Dia needs macOS 14 or later. On the phone, Veb: Veb for iPhone, in beta on TestFlight; syncs spaces, tabs, bookmarks, history and chats. Dia has no phone app.
Engine and extensionsa matter of taste
Veb is built on WebKit, the engine Safari uses; Dia on Chromium, as Chrome is. Both take extensions from the Chrome Web Store.
Privacyeven
Both have 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. Dia’s chat goes through its servers to Anthropic, OpenAI and Google; chats and history stay on your Mac, and content sharing is on by default, kept 30 days.
Where Dia is better
Dia comes out ahead on where it runs. It is also the better pick if you:
- Want the current browser from Arc’s makers, with Arc import and tabs down the side as a setting
- Want AI that chats across your tabs, Gmail, Slack and Notion, and will pay for it
- Want a free browser with an ad blocker and no AI
The catch with each
Real limits, from the makers’ own words and our own use.
Dia
- AI costs $20 or $100 a month for new users; the free plan has none after a 14-day trial
- On a Mac it needs Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later
- Its AI chats and drafts, but there is no documented agent that works through sites
- No MCP server or command line for outside agents
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 6, 2026Dia: Dia 1.0 for Windows released
- September 25, 2026Veb: First release
- August 17, 2026Dia: Paid AI plans started rolling out to new Mac users
- October 21, 2025Dia: Atlassian completed its acquisition of The Browser Company
Moving from Dia to Veb
Veb brings Dia’s pinned and open tabs, passwords, cards, bookmarks, history, extensions and your sign-ins, from every profile. It reads Dia’s files on your Mac; nothing goes through a server, and Dia stays as it was.
Questions
Is Veb free?
Yes. Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan.
Is Dia free?
The browser is; its AI isn’t. Browser free; AI on Better Answers $20/month or Better Days $100/month.
Which has an AI agent, Veb or Dia?
Veb. 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. Dia chats with your tabs and the tools you connect, like Gmail, Slack and Notion, and drafts mail and invites; there is no documented agent that works through sites.
Which runs on Windows, Veb or Dia?
Dia does. Veb runs on Mac.
Do Veb and Dia have phone apps?
On the phone, Veb: Veb for iPhone, in beta on TestFlight; syncs spaces, tabs, bookmarks, history and chats. Dia has no phone app.
Can I move from Dia to Veb?
Yes. Veb brings Dia’s pinned and open tabs, passwords, cards, bookmarks, history, extensions and your sign-ins, from every profile.
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
- Dia plans and pricing FAQ
- Dia home page (macOS and Windows, ad and tracker blocking)
- Dia changelog (Chromium M155, Windows 1.0, tab sleep, sidebar or top tabs, AppleScript, memory retired)
- Dia release notes 1.52.0 (Oct 8, 2026)
- Dia download FAQ (import from Chrome, Safari, Edge, Arc)
- Dia security (AI providers, retention, local storage)
- MacRumors: Dia generally available, macOS 14 and Apple silicon
- PiunikaWeb: Dia $20 and $100 plans (Aug 18, 2026)
- Atlassian completes acquisition (Oct 21, 2025)
- Dia home page: ’Available for macOS and Windows’
- PiunikaWeb: Dia ’iPhone Tabs’ menu spotted, no public app (2026-08-25)
Veb, Very Expensive Browser.
Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.