BrowserOS vs Aside

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.

Aside is an AI agent browser from a Y Combinator startup, on Chromium, for Mac and Windows. Its agent does multi-step work in the sites you are signed in to, on Aside’s own models or your ChatGPT or Claude plan.

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 Aside

if you want an agent for multi-step work across your signed-in sites, on Mac or Windows
if you want a free plan with AI credits, or to bring your ChatGPT or Claude plan
if you want Claude Code or Codex to drive it over MCP or its command line

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 Aside, with Yab beside them for a Mac.

BrowserOS vs Aside
What	BrowserOS	Aside	Yab
Made by	Felafax, Inc.	Aside Computer Inc. (YC Fall 2025)	Serafim Korablev
Status	Updated	Updated	Updated
Runs on	Mac, Windows and Linux	Mac and Windows	Mac
Phone app	None; desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026	None yet; an iPhone app is in the works. Pro runs its agent from Slack or Telegram	Not yet
Price	Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider	Free with 500 AI credits a month; Pro $20/month; Max $200/month; or your own ChatGPT or Claude plan	Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
AI	An agent that works in pages, on its own AI or yours	An agent that works in pages, on its own AI or yours	An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan
Driven by outside agents	MCP and a command line	MCP and a command line	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	Built in	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.

AIa matter of taste

Both have an agent that works 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. Aside’s agent runs multi-step tasks in your signed-in sites, signs in from its own password vault without seeing the passwords, and asks before payments, posts and messages.

Agents like Claude Code and Codexeven

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. Aside can be driven over MCP and a command line, through the aside command line, with aside mcp as its MCP server.

Tabs and windowsAside leads

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

PriceBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS: Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider. Aside: Free with 500 AI credits a month; Pro $20/month; Max $200/month; or your own ChatGPT or Claude plan.

Where it runsBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Aside runs on Mac and Windows. On a Mac, Aside needs macOS 15 or later. BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. Aside has no phone app yet: an iPhone app is in the works. Pro runs its agent from Slack or Telegram.

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.

Privacyeven

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. Aside has an ad blocker built in. Aside keeps task transcripts and files on your Mac; model providers get the prompts, page snapshots and screenshots a task needs, and analytics sharing is on by default.

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

Aside

The free plan has 500 AI credits a month; more is Pro at $20 or Max at $200
Mac (macOS 15 or later) and Windows only, no phone apps
Young: first released in February 2026, on Windows since September 2026
Agents may use your saved passwords unless you change the default

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)
September 21, 2026Aside: Ad blocking with default filter lists turned on during setup
September 14, 2026Aside: Windows version officially available (release 1.0.914.1)
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)
February 25, 2026Aside: First Aside Browser release for macOS

Questions

Is BrowserOS free?

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

Is Aside free?

Yes, with limits on its AI. Free with 500 AI credits a month; Pro $20/month; Max $200/month; or your own ChatGPT or Claude plan.

Which has an AI agent, BrowserOS or Aside?

Both. BrowserOS’s agent, in the new tab and side panel, clicks, types, fills forms and pulls out data, on the AI you connect. Aside’s agent runs multi-step tasks in your signed-in sites, signs in from its own password vault without seeing the passwords, and asks before payments, posts and messages.

Do BrowserOS and Aside run on Windows?

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

Do BrowserOS and Aside have phone apps?

BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. Aside has no phone app yet: an iPhone app is in the works. Pro runs its agent from Slack or Telegram.

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 Aside vs Dia Aside vs Comet Aside vs Atlas Aside vs Opera Neon Aside vs Chrome Aside vs Safari Aside vs Edge Aside alternatives Yab vs Aside

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 Aside Download