VebVeb vs Safari
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.
Safari is Apple’s browser for Mac, iPhone and iPad, on WebKit, with Apple Intelligence for summaries and tab topics. Safari 27 also lets outside agents like Claude Code drive it over MCP.
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 use a Mac and an iPhone and want your tabs and passwords on both
- if you want AI that runs on your Mac or on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute
- if you build sites and want Claude Code or Codex to test them in WebKit
At a glance
Veb and Safari, side by side.
| What | Veb | Safari |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Serafim Korablev | Apple |
| Status | Updated | Updated |
| Runs on | Mac | Mac and iPhone |
| Phone app | Veb for iPhone, in beta on TestFlight; syncs spaces, tabs, bookmarks, history and chats | Built into iPhone and iPad; syncs tabs, bookmarks, history and passwords via iCloud |
| Price | Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan | Free with macOS; Apple Intelligence is free on Macs with M1 or later |
| 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 | MCP |
| Engine | WebKit | WebKit |
| Tabs down the side | Yes | No |
| Spaces | Yes | Yes |
| Split View | Yes | No |
| Extensions | Chrome Web Store | Safari’s, from the App Store |
| Ad blocker | Built in | No |
| 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. Apple Intelligence sums up pages, sorts tabs into topics and watches a page for price drops, and the Passwords app can change weak passwords for you; no 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. Safari can be driven over MCP, through safaridriver --mcp in Safari 27, once you allow remote automation and outside agents.
Tabs and windowsVeb leads
Veb has tabs down the side, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep. Safari has spaces.
PriceSafari leads
Veb: Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan. Safari: Free with macOS; Apple Intelligence is free on Macs with M1 or later.
Where it runsSafari leads
Veb runs on Mac. Safari runs on Mac and iPhone. On a Mac, Veb needs macOS 15.4 or later and Safari needs macOS 15 or later. On the phone, Veb: Veb for iPhone, in beta on TestFlight; syncs spaces, tabs, bookmarks, history and chats. On the phone, Safari: built into iPhone and iPad; syncs tabs, bookmarks, history and passwords via iCloud.
Engine and extensionsa matter of taste
Both are built on WebKit, the engine Safari uses. Veb takes extensions from the Chrome Web Store, Safari from the App Store, as Safari extensions.
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. Safari has no ad blocker of its own. Apple Intelligence runs on the Mac or on Private Cloud Compute, which Apple says doesn’t store what you ask or make it accessible to Apple.
Where Safari is better
Safari comes out ahead on price, where it runs. It is also the better pick if you:
- Use a Mac and an iPhone and want your tabs and passwords on both
- Want AI that runs on your Mac or on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute
- Build sites and want Claude Code or Codex to test them in WebKit
The catch with each
Real limits, from the makers’ own words and our own use.
Safari
- Apple devices only
- Tabs only across the top, and no Split View of two tabs
- Extensions only from the App Store, in Safari’s format
- Its AI needs a Mac with M1 or later and macOS 27
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 17, 2026Safari: Apple documented Safari 27’s MCP server for outside AI agents
- September 14, 2026Safari: Safari 27 shipped with AI tab topics, Notify Me and Describe an Extension
Moving from Safari to Veb
Veb takes Safari’s passwords, cards, bookmarks and history through Safari’s own export. It reads Safari’s files on your Mac; nothing goes through a server, and Safari stays as it was.
Questions
Is Veb free?
Yes. Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan.
Is Safari free?
Yes. Free with macOS; Apple Intelligence is free on Macs with M1 or later.
Which has an AI agent, Veb or Safari?
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. Apple Intelligence sums up pages, sorts tabs into topics and watches a page for price drops, and the Passwords app can change weak passwords for you; no agent that works through sites.
Which runs on Windows, Veb or Safari?
Neither. Veb runs on Mac; Safari on Mac and iPhone.
Do Veb and Safari have phone apps?
Safari does. On the phone, Veb: Veb for iPhone, in beta on TestFlight; syncs spaces, tabs, bookmarks, history and chats. On the phone, Safari: built into iPhone and iPad; syncs tabs, bookmarks, history and passwords via iCloud.
Can I move from Safari to Veb?
Yes. Veb takes Safari’s passwords, cards, bookmarks and history through Safari’s own export.
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
- Apple Support: what’s new in macOS 27 Golden Gate
- Apple Newsroom: software updates available (2026-09-14)
- Apple Newsroom: Apple Intelligence at WWDC26 (requirements, Passwords)
- WebKit: features for Safari 27.0 (Safari MCP server)
- Apple Support: security content of Safari 27 (release date, macOS versions)
- Safari User Guide: Tabs settings (tab layout, organize tabs)
- Safari User Guide: group tabs (Tab Groups, topics)
- Safari User Guide: get extensions
- Safari User Guide: import from Chrome or Firefox
- Mac User Guide: Apple Intelligence summaries in Safari
- Apple Support: Apple Intelligence and privacy on iPhone (Private Cloud Compute)
- iCloud User Guide: Safari data in iCloud
- Apple Support: Set up iCloud Keychain
Veb, Very Expensive Browser.
Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.