BrowserOS vs Arc

We make Yab, the third column.facts checked Oct 9 ↓

BrowserOS is an open-source Chromium agent browser for Mac, Windows and Linux. Its agent runs on the AI you connect: an API key, a ChatGPT or Copilot plan, Claude Code or Codex, or a local model.

Arc is The Browser Company’s Chromium browser for Mac and Windows that put tabs down the side, with spaces, folders and Split View. It has had no new features since May 2025; it still gets security fixes, and its makers point people to Dia.

The short answer

Pick BrowserOS

if you want an open-source agent browser on your own AI keys or local models
if you want Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to drive a signed-in browser over MCP
if you use Linux

Pick Arc

if you use it today and want its sidebar, spaces and Split View exactly as they are
if you want a free browser with no paid AI plans
if you need the same layout on Windows

Or Yabours

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

BrowserOS and Arc, with Yab beside them for a Mac.

BrowserOS vs Arc
What	BrowserOS	Arc	Yab
Made by	Felafax, Inc.	The Browser Company (Atlassian)	Serafim Korablev
Status	Updated	Security fixes only	Updated
Runs on	Mac, Windows and Linux	Mac and Windows	Mac
Phone app	None; desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026	Arc Search on iPhone, iPad and Android; on iPhone it shows your desktop spaces and pins	Not yet
Price	Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider	Free; its Arc Max AI helpers are free too	Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
AI	An agent that works in pages, on its own AI or yours	Chat about pages, on its own AI service	An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan
Driven by outside agents	MCP and a command line	No	MCP and a command line
Engine	Chromium	Chromium	WebKit
Tabs down the side	Yes	Yes	Yes
Spaces	No	Yes	Yes
Split View	Yes	Yes	Yes
Extensions	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store
Ad blocker	No	No	Built in
Open source	Yes	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.

AIBrowserOS leads

Only BrowserOS has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks in your pages. BrowserOS’s agent, in the new tab and side panel, clicks, types, fills forms and pulls out data, on the AI you connect. Arc Max helpers tidy tab titles and downloads, preview links and put ChatGPT in the command bar; Ask on Page was removed in August 2025, and there is no agent.

Agents like Claude Code and CodexBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS can be driven over MCP and a command line, through a built-in MCP server with one-click setup for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor, and a command line. Arc has no MCP server or command line for outside agents.

Tabs and windowsArc leads

BrowserOS has tabs down the side, Split View and folders in the sidebar. Arc has tabs down the side, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.

Priceeven

BrowserOS: Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider. Arc: Free; its Arc Max AI helpers are free too.

Where it runsBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Arc runs on Mac and Windows. On a Mac, Arc needs macOS 13 or later. BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. On the phone, Arc: Arc Search on iPhone, iPad and Android; on iPhone it shows your desktop spaces and pins.

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.

PrivacyBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS has open code. BrowserOS sends prompts and pages only to the AI you connect, or keeps them local with Ollama or LM Studio; it sends anonymous usage analytics. Arc has no ad blocker of its own. Arc needs an account; The Browser Company says it doesn’t see which sites you visit, and Arc Max sends page data to OpenAI and Anthropic.

UpdatesBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS is updated as usual. Arc: No new features since May 2025; Chromium security updates still come, the latest on October 8, 2026.

What their pages don’t lead with

Real limits, from the makers’ own words and our own use.

BrowserOS

No built-in model since version 0.51: connect a provider before the agent works
Its own docs say local models are too weak for agent tasks
Before 1.0 and changing fast: Skills and Memory were pulled in June 2026
No phone apps

Arc

No new features since May 2025, only security updates
Needs an Arc account
No ad blocker of its own
On phones, Arc Search is a separate search app

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

October 5, 2026BrowserOS: Built-in model and account sign-in removed; Chromium 155 (0.51.0)
June 17, 2026BrowserOS: Claude Code and Codex built into the agent; Skills and Memory removed (0.46.0)
March 9, 2026BrowserOS: Vertical tabs became the default (0.42.0)
October 21, 2025Arc: Atlassian completed its purchase of The Browser Company
August 28, 2025Arc: Ask On Page removed from Arc Max
May 26, 2025Arc: The Browser Company stopped feature work on Arc to focus on Dia

Questions

Is BrowserOS free?

Yes. Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider.

Is Arc free?

Yes. Free; its Arc Max AI helpers are free too.

Which has an AI agent, BrowserOS or Arc?

BrowserOS. BrowserOS’s agent, in the new tab and side panel, clicks, types, fills forms and pulls out data, on the AI you connect. Arc Max helpers tidy tab titles and downloads, preview links and put ChatGPT in the command bar; Ask on Page was removed in August 2025, and there is no agent.

Do BrowserOS and Arc run on Windows?

Yes, both. BrowserOS runs on Mac, Windows and Linux; Arc on Mac and Windows.

Do BrowserOS and Arc have phone apps?

BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. On the phone, Arc: Arc Search on iPhone, iPad and Android; on iPhone it shows your desktop spaces and pins.

Is Arc still being updated?

No new features since May 2025; Chromium security updates still come, the latest on October 8, 2026.

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 BrowserOS; an agent in your signed-in tabs like BrowserOS’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

BrowserOS vs Dia BrowserOS vs Comet BrowserOS vs Atlas BrowserOS vs Opera Neon BrowserOS vs Chrome BrowserOS vs Safari BrowserOS vs Edge BrowserOS alternatives Yab vs BrowserOS Vivaldi vs Arc Zen vs Arc Orion vs Arc SigmaOS vs Arc Arc vs Chrome Arc vs Safari Arc vs Edge Arc alternatives Yab vs Arc

Sources, read October 9, 2026. Something out of date? Write to hello@serafimlabs.io and we fix it.

Yab, Yet Another Browser.

Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.

it’s freeMove from Arc Download