VebVeb 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 →
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.
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.
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 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
At a glance
Veb and Firefox, side by side.
| What | Veb | Firefox |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Serafim Korablev | Mozilla |
| Status | Updated | Updated |
| Runs on | Mac | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android |
| Phone app | Veb for iPhone, in beta on TestFlight; syncs spaces, tabs, bookmarks, history and chats | iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history |
| Price | Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan | Free; its built-in VPN is free up to 50 GB a month |
| AI | An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan | Chat about pages, on its own AI or yours |
| Driven by outside agents | MCP and a command line | MCP |
| Engine | WebKit | Gecko |
| Tabs down the side | Yes | A setting |
| Spaces | Yes | No |
| Split View | Yes | Yes |
| Extensions | Chrome Web Store | Firefox add-ons |
| Ad blocker | Built in | No |
| Open source | No | Yes |
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. 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 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. Firefox can be driven over MCP, through Mozilla’s Firefox DevTools MCP, which starts its own Firefox.
Tabs and windowsVeb leads
Veb 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.
PriceFirefox leads
Veb: Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan. Firefox: Free; its built-in VPN is free up to 50 GB a month.
Where it runsFirefox leads
Veb runs on Mac. Firefox runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Veb needs macOS 15.4 or later and Firefox needs macOS 10.15 or later. On the phone, Veb: Veb for iPhone, in beta on TestFlight; syncs spaces, tabs, bookmarks, history and chats. On the phone, Firefox: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.
Engine and extensionsa matter of taste
Veb is built on WebKit, the engine Safari uses; Firefox on Gecko, Firefox’s engine. Veb takes extensions from the Chrome Web Store, Firefox from Firefox’s add-ons.
PrivacyFirefox 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. 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.
Where Firefox is better
Firefox comes out ahead on price, where it runs, privacy. It is also the better pick if you:
- Want an open-source browser that isn’t Chromium
- Want AI off by default, or gone with one switch
- Want a free browser VPN, where it is offered
The catch with each
Real limits, from the makers’ own words and our own use.
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
- September 25, 2026Veb: First release
- 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
Moving from Firefox to Veb
Veb takes Firefox’s bookmarks from an exported HTML file and its passwords from a CSV file. It reads Firefox’s files on your Mac; nothing goes through a server, and Firefox stays as it was.
Questions
Is Veb free?
Yes. Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan.
Is Firefox free?
Yes. Free; its built-in VPN is free up to 50 GB a month.
Which has an AI agent, Veb or Firefox?
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. 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.
Which runs on Windows, Veb or Firefox?
Firefox does. Veb runs on Mac.
Do Veb and Firefox have phone apps?
Firefox does. On the phone, Veb: Veb for iPhone, in beta on TestFlight; syncs spaces, tabs, bookmarks, history and chats. On the phone, Firefox: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.
Can I move from Firefox to Veb?
Yes. Veb takes Firefox’s bookmarks from an exported HTML file and its passwords from a CSV file.
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
- Mozilla blog: Smart Window
- Mozilla Support: get started with Smart Window
- Mozilla Support: model choices in Smart Window
- Smart Window privacy notice
- Firefox.com: Smart Window
- Mozilla blog: window types (2026-09-24)
- Mozilla blog: AI on your terms (AI controls)
- Firefox 148 release notes
- Firefox 149 release notes (split view, VPN)
- Mozilla blog: free built-in VPN
- Firefox 136 release notes (vertical tabs)
- Firefox 138 release notes (tab groups)
- Bugzilla 1730066: tab unloading enabled on macOS (Firefox 95)
- Firefox system requirements
- Firefox ESR 115 release notes (import sources)
- Firefox DevTools MCP (Mozilla)
- Firefox.com: Firefox browser sync
- Firefox on the App Store (iPhone and iPad)
- Firefox on Google Play
- Mozilla Support: Sync Firefox data
Veb, Very Expensive Browser.
Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.