YabAtlas vs Edge
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.
Edge is Microsoft’s Chromium browser on every desktop and phone, with Copilot built in. Since Copilot Mode was retired in May 2026, its agent, Browse with Copilot, comes with Microsoft 365 Premium in the US.
The short answer
- OpenAI shut Atlas down on August 9, 2026: it may not open, runs no agent tasks and gets no security updates
- if you use Microsoft 365 and want Copilot in the browser
- if you want tabs down the side, workspaces, split screen and sleeping tabs built in
- if you work on Windows with Edge set up by your company
- 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
Atlas and Edge, with Yab beside them for a Mac.
| What | ChatGPT Atlas | Microsoft Edge | Yab |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | OpenAI | Microsoft | Serafim Korablev |
| Status | Shut down August 9, 2026 | Updated | Updated |
| Runs on | Mac | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android | Mac |
| Phone app | None; Atlas was Mac only and shut down on Aug 9, 2026 | iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, favorites, passwords and history | Not yet |
| Price | Shut down; it was free, with agent mode on paid ChatGPT plans | Free, with Copilot; Browse with Copilot needs Microsoft 365 Premium $19.99/month (US) | Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan |
| AI | An agent that works in pages, on its own AI service | An agent that works in pages, on its own AI service | An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan |
| Driven by outside agents | No | MCP and a command line | MCP and a command line |
| Engine | Chromium | Chromium | WebKit |
| Tabs down the side | A setting | A setting | Yes |
| Spaces | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| Split View | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| Extensions | Chrome Web Store | Chrome Web Store | Chrome Web Store |
| Ad blocker | Not stated | No | Built in |
| Open source | No | 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. Atlas put ChatGPT beside every page, with optional browser memories and, on paid plans, an agent mode; it no longer works. Copilot reads the page, your tabs and history and sums up videos and PDFs; Browse with Copilot scrolls and types in pages for you, signed in, on Microsoft 365 Premium in the US.
Agents like Claude Code and CodexEdge leads
Atlas has no MCP server or command line for outside agents. Edge can be driven over MCP and a command line, through Microsoft’s Playwright MCP, which can launch Edge or attach to your running Edge.
Tabs and windowsEdge leads
Atlas has tabs down the side as a setting and folders in the sidebar. Edge has tabs down the side as a setting, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.
PriceEdge leads
Atlas: Shut down; it was free, with agent mode on paid ChatGPT plans. Edge: Free, with Copilot; Browse with Copilot needs Microsoft 365 Premium $19.99/month (US).
Where it runsEdge leads
Atlas runs on Mac. Edge runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Atlas needs macOS 14.2 or later and Edge needs macOS 13 or later. Atlas has no phone app: Atlas was Mac only and shut down on Aug 9, 2026. On the phone, Edge: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, favorites, passwords and history.
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.
PrivacyEdge leads
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. Edge has a VPN. Copilot may use your question, the page, your open tabs and history; Browse with Copilot keeps screenshots up to 30 days, not for training, Microsoft says.
UpdatesEdge leads
Atlas: OpenAI shut Atlas down on August 9, 2026: it may not open, runs no agent tasks and gets no security updates. Edge is updated as usual.
What their pages don’t lead with
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
Microsoft Edge
- Browse with Copilot needs Microsoft 365 Premium ($19.99 a month) and is US only
- Copilot reads pages, tabs and history unless you turn it off
- Workspaces lost sharing in 2026, and Collections were removed
- No ad blocker of its own
Yab, honestly
- Mac only: macOS 15.4 or later, no Windows, iPhone 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
- August 9, 2026Atlas: Atlas shut down
- July 9, 2026Atlas: OpenAI said it will sunset Atlas for the new ChatGPT desktop app
- June 4, 2026Edge: Collections removed in Edge 149
- May 13, 2026Edge: Copilot Mode retired; its features moved into Edge, and Copilot Actions became Browse with Copilot for Microsoft 365 Premium (US)
- October 21, 2025Atlas: Launched for macOS
Questions
Is ChatGPT Atlas free?
It no longer works. Shut down; it was free, with agent mode on paid ChatGPT plans.
Is Microsoft Edge free?
Yes, with limits on its AI. Free, with Copilot; Browse with Copilot needs Microsoft 365 Premium $19.99/month (US).
Which has an AI agent, Atlas or Edge?
Both. Atlas put ChatGPT beside every page, with optional browser memories and, on paid plans, an agent mode; it no longer works. Copilot reads the page, your tabs and history and sums up videos and PDFs; Browse with Copilot scrolls and types in pages for you, signed in, on Microsoft 365 Premium in the US.
Which runs on Windows, Atlas or Edge?
Edge does. Atlas runs on Mac.
Do Atlas and Edge have phone apps?
Edge does. Atlas has no phone app: Atlas was Mac only and shut down on Aug 9, 2026. On the phone, Edge: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, favorites, passwords and history.
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.
Is there a third option on a Mac?
Yab, Yet Another Browser, is free for the Mac: tabs down the side with spaces, folders and Split View, as in Edge; an agent in your signed-in tabs like Atlas’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 Mac only, and new.
More comparisons
- 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)
- Edge blog: new updates, Copilot Mode retired (2026-05-13)
- Microsoft Support: Browse with Copilot
- Edge policy: AllowBrowsingWithCopilot (macOS 148+)
- Microsoft Support: getting started with Copilot in Edge
- Copilot in Edge page (free limits, upgrade)
- Microsoft 365 plans compared (US prices)
- Edge supported operating systems
- Edge vertical tabs (Windows and macOS)
- Edge policy: SplitScreenEnabled (macOS 117+)
- Edge policy: SleepingTabsEnabled
- Microsoft Support: getting started with Edge Workspaces
- Microsoft Support: Collections retirement
- Edge Secure Network VPN
- Edge for Mac page (Secure Network, password management, sleeping tabs)
- Microsoft Support: Chrome extensions in Edge
- Microsoft Support: what’s imported to Edge (Chrome)
- Microsoft Support: import from Safari on macOS
- Microsoft Learn: Chrome DevTools MCP with Edge
- Playwright MCP (Microsoft, --browser msedge, --extension)
- Playwright CLI (Microsoft)
- Microsoft Support: Sign in to sync Microsoft Edge across devices
- Microsoft Learn: Configure Microsoft Edge enterprise sync
- Microsoft Edge on the App Store (iPhone and iPad)
- Microsoft Edge on Google Play
- Yab Manual: Bringing in from another browser
- Yab Manual: Connecting Claude or ChatGPT
- Yab Manual: Extensions
- Yab Manual: Yab’s tools over MCP
- Yab Manual: Privacy
Yab, Yet Another Browser.
Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.