YabBrowserOS vs Opera Neon
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.
Opera Neon is Opera’s agent browser for Mac and Windows. Its own agents act in your live session on a $19.90 plan, and since August 2026 outside agents like Claude Code can use it free through its MCP Connector.
The short answer
- 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
- if you want Claude Code or another MCP client to use a real signed-in browser, free
- if you want one plan for an in-browser agent, deep research and making apps and media
- if you want a VPN and an ad blocker built in
- 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 Opera Neon, with Yab beside them for a Mac.
| What | BrowserOS | Opera Neon | Yab |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | Felafax, Inc. | Opera | 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; Opera says a mobile version will come, no date given | Not yet |
| Price | Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider | Free, and free for outside agents; Opera’s own agents $19.90/month | 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 service | 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 | Not stated | Yes |
| Spaces | No | Yes | Yes |
| Split View | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| Extensions | Chrome Web Store | Not stated | 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. Neon Chat talks about your tabs, Neon Do acts in your live session, research agents dig, and Make builds apps and media on Opera’s servers.
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. Opera Neon can be driven over MCP and a command line, through its MCP Connector, read-only unless you allow more, and opera-browser-cli.
Tabs and windowsBrowserOS leads
BrowserOS has tabs down the side, Split View and folders in the sidebar. Opera Neon has spaces.
PriceBrowserOS leads
BrowserOS: Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider. Opera Neon: Free, and free for outside agents; Opera’s own agents $19.90/month.
Where it runsBrowserOS leads
BrowserOS runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Opera Neon runs on Mac and Windows. BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. Opera Neon has no phone app yet: Opera says a mobile version will come, no date given.
Engine and extensionsa matter of taste
Both are built on Chromium, as Chrome is, so sites work as they do in Chrome. BrowserOS takes extensions from the Chrome Web Store, Opera Neon none.
PrivacyOpera Neon 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. Opera Neon has an ad blocker built in and a VPN. Page content used with Neon’s AI goes to Opera’s and OpenAI’s servers, kept up to 365 days; passwords, cards and cookies stay on your device.
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
Opera Neon
- Opera’s own agents need the $19.90 a month plan
- Mac and Windows only; the phone version isn’t out
- Its AI and the MCP Connector need an Opera account
- Page content used with its AI goes to Opera’s and OpenAI’s servers, kept up to 365 days
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)
- August 12, 2026Opera Neon: Free plan: outside agents can use Neon without a subscription
- June 17, 2026BrowserOS: Claude Code and Codex built into the agent; Skills and Memory removed (0.46.0)
- May 12, 2026Opera Neon: opera-browser-cli command line released
- March 31, 2026Opera Neon: MCP Connector lets outside AI clients act in Neon
- March 9, 2026BrowserOS: Vertical tabs became the default (0.42.0)
Questions
Is BrowserOS free?
Yes. Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider.
Is Opera Neon free?
Yes, with limits on its AI. Free, and free for outside agents; Opera’s own agents $19.90/month.
Which has an AI agent, BrowserOS or Opera Neon?
Both. BrowserOS’s agent, in the new tab and side panel, clicks, types, fills forms and pulls out data, on the AI you connect. Neon Chat talks about your tabs, Neon Do acts in your live session, research agents dig, and Make builds apps and media on Opera’s servers.
Do BrowserOS and Opera Neon run on Windows?
Yes, both. BrowserOS runs on Mac, Windows and Linux; Opera Neon on Mac and Windows.
Do BrowserOS and Opera Neon have phone apps?
BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. Opera Neon has no phone app yet: Opera says a mobile version will come, no date given.
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 GitHub repo (README)
- BrowserOS README (browser for humans)
- BrowserOS v0.51.0 release notes
- BrowserOS changelog
- BrowserOS docs: vertical tabs
- BrowserOS docs: ad blocking
- BrowserOS docs: getting started
- BrowserOS docs: MCP clients
- BrowserOS site FAQ
- BrowserOS privacy policy (updated 2026-03-13)
- BrowserOS site: macOS, Windows, Linux
- GitHub issue #1030 (May 25, 2026): maintainer says no plans to add Android support
- BrowserOS docs, Sync to Cloud: chats, model settings, schedules and profile sync between desktops
- Opera Neon home page
- Opera Neon subscription and plan comparison
- Opera Neon FAQ (platforms, models, MCP, privacy, retention)
- Opera Neon news index
- Your AI agents can use Opera Neon free of charge (Aug 12, 2026)
- Opera Neon adds MCP Connector (Mar 31, 2026)
- Introducing opera-browser-cli (May 12, 2026)
- opera-browser-cli README (profile behavior)
- opera-devtools-mcp README (Chromium-based, Claude Code and Cursor setup)
- Opera Neon ships (Sep 30, 2025; Tasks, Do, Make, ad blocker, VPN)
- Opera Neon public early access (Dec 11, 2025)
- Opera press release: MCP Connector
- Prompt injection in Opera Neon: rapid response (Oct 23, 2025)
- 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.