BrowserOS vs Orion

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.

Orion is Kagi’s browser for Mac, iPhone and iPad, on WebKit, the engine Safari uses, that also runs many Chrome and Firefox extensions. It has no telemetry and blocks ads by default.

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 Orion

if you want Safari’s engine with Chrome and Firefox extensions, on Mac and iPhone
if you want ads blocked and no telemetry from the start
if you pay for Kagi Search

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 Orion, with Yab beside them for a Mac.

BrowserOS vs Orion
What	BrowserOS	Orion	Yab
Made by	Felafax, Inc.	Kagi	Serafim Korablev
Status	Updated	Updated	Updated
Runs on	Mac, Windows and Linux	Mac and iPhone	Mac
Phone app	None; desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026	iPhone and iPad; syncs tabs, bookmarks and passwords with your Mac through iCloud	Not yet
Price	Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider	Free; Orion+ supporter plan $5/month, $50/year or $150 once	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	WebKit	WebKit
Tabs down the side	Yes	A setting	Yes
Spaces	No	Yes	Yes
Split View	Yes	No	Yes
Extensions	Chrome Web Store	Chrome and Firefox stores	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.

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. Orion sums up pages and videos through Kagi’s Summarizer, with a paid Kagi plan; no chat and 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. Orion has no MCP server or command line for outside agents.

Tabs and windowsBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS has tabs down the side, Split View and folders in the sidebar. Orion has tabs down the side as a setting, spaces, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.

PriceBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS: Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider. Orion: Free; Orion+ supporter plan $5/month, $50/year or $150 once.

Where it runsBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Orion runs on Mac and iPhone. On a Mac, Orion needs macOS 10.14 or later. BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. On the phone, Orion: iPhone and iPad; syncs tabs, bookmarks and passwords with your Mac through iCloud.

Engine and extensionsa matter of taste

BrowserOS is built on Chromium, as Chrome is; Orion on WebKit, the engine Safari uses. BrowserOS takes extensions from the Chrome Web Store, Orion from both Chrome’s and Firefox’s stores.

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. Orion has an ad blocker built in. Orion has no telemetry, Kagi says; page summaries and translations go to Kagi’s servers.

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

Orion

Apple only: the Windows and Linux versions stopped on October 2, 2026
Not every extension works: support is partial
No Split View of two tabs
Closed source, and page summaries need a paid Kagi plan

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)
October 2, 2026Orion: Kagi ended Orion for Linux and Windows to focus on Mac and iOS
June 23, 2026Orion: Orion 1.1 added per-tab containers and page translation
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)
November 25, 2025Orion: Orion 1.0 for Mac left beta

Questions

Is BrowserOS free?

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

Is Orion free?

The browser is; its AI isn’t. Free; Orion+ supporter plan $5/month, $50/year or $150 once.

Which has an AI agent, BrowserOS or Orion?

BrowserOS. BrowserOS’s agent, in the new tab and side panel, clicks, types, fills forms and pulls out data, on the AI you connect. Orion sums up pages and videos through Kagi’s Summarizer, with a paid Kagi plan; no chat and no agent.

Which runs on Windows, BrowserOS or Orion?

BrowserOS does. Orion runs on Mac and iPhone.

Do BrowserOS and Orion have phone apps?

Orion does. BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. On the phone, Orion: iPhone and iPad; syncs tabs, bookmarks and passwords with your Mac through iCloud.

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 Orion vs Arc Orion vs Vivaldi Orion vs Zen SigmaOS vs Orion Orion vs Chrome Orion vs Safari Orion vs Edge Orion alternatives Yab vs Orion

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 freeDownload