Opera Neon vs Chrome

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

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.

Chrome is Google’s browser on every desktop and phone, with Gemini built in. Its auto browse agent works in your own signed-in Chrome on a paid Google AI plan, in the US and India.

The short answer

Pick Opera Neon

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

Pick Chrome

if you live in Google’s apps and want Gemini across Gmail, Calendar and your tabs
if you pay for Google AI Pro and want an agent in your own signed-in browser
if you need the same browser on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android

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

Opera Neon and Chrome, with Yab beside them for a Mac.

Opera Neon vs Chrome
What	Opera Neon	Google Chrome	Yab
Made by	Opera	Google	Serafim Korablev
Status	Updated	Updated	Updated
Runs on	Mac and Windows	Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android	Mac
Phone app	None yet; Opera says a mobile version will come, no date given	iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history	Not yet
Price	Free, and free for outside agents; Opera’s own agents $19.90/month	Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra	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	MCP and a command line	MCP and a command line	MCP and a command line
Engine	Chromium	Chromium	WebKit
Tabs down the side	Not stated	A setting	Yes
Spaces	Yes	No	Yes
Split View	Not stated	Yes	Yes
Extensions	Not stated	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store
Ad blocker	Built in	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. 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. Gemini chats about your tabs and sums up pages and videos; auto browse clicks, types and fills forms in your own Chrome, on Google AI Pro or Ultra, in the US and India.

Agents like Claude Code and Codexeven

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. Chrome can be driven over MCP and a command line, through Google’s Chrome DevTools MCP, which starts its own profile unless you let it attach to your Chrome.

Tabs and windowsChrome leads

Opera Neon has spaces. Chrome has tabs down the side as a setting, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.

Priceeven

Opera Neon: Free, and free for outside agents; Opera’s own agents $19.90/month. Chrome: Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra.

Where it runsChrome leads

Opera Neon runs on Mac and Windows. Chrome runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Chrome needs macOS 13 or later. Opera Neon has no phone app yet: Opera says a mobile version will come, no date given. On the phone, Chrome: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, 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. Opera Neon takes no extensions, Chrome from the Chrome Web Store.

PrivacyOpera Neon leads

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. Chrome has no ad blocker of its own. Tabs you share with Gemini go to Google; with Keep Activity on, chats are kept 18 months by default and may be reviewed and used to train models.

What their pages don’t lead with

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

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

Google Chrome

Auto browse needs Google AI Pro ($19.99 a month) or Ultra, in the US and India only
Gemini needs a signed-in Google account
With Keep Activity on, people may review your Gemini chats and Google may train on them
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 12, 2026Opera Neon: Free plan: outside agents can use Neon without a subscription
May 12, 2026Opera Neon: opera-browser-cli command line released
April 7, 2026Chrome: Vertical tabs began rolling out as an option
March 31, 2026Opera Neon: MCP Connector lets outside AI clients act in Neon
February 19, 2026Chrome: Split view for two tabs in one window
January 28, 2026Chrome: Auto browse agent launched in preview for Google AI Pro and Ultra in the US

Questions

Is Opera Neon free?

Yes, with limits on its AI. Free, and free for outside agents; Opera’s own agents $19.90/month.

Is Google Chrome free?

Yes, with limits on its AI. Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra.

Which has an AI agent, Opera Neon or Chrome?

Both. 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. Gemini chats about your tabs and sums up pages and videos; auto browse clicks, types and fills forms in your own Chrome, on Google AI Pro or Ultra, in the US and India.

Do Opera Neon and Chrome run on Windows?

Yes, both. Opera Neon runs on Mac and Windows; Chrome on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android.

Do Opera Neon and Chrome have phone apps?

Chrome does. Opera Neon has no phone app yet: Opera says a mobile version will come, no date given. On the phone, Chrome: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.

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 Opera Neon; an agent in your signed-in tabs like Opera Neon’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

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

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 Chrome Download