Yab

Opera Neon vs Vivaldi

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.

Vivaldi is a Chromium browser with a setting for nearly everything, mail, calendar and feeds built in, a free Proton VPN and no AI by design, on every desktop and phone.

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 Vivaldi
  • if you want mail, calendar, feeds, notes and a VPN in the browser
  • if you want to customize nearly everything, and no AI
  • if you need one 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 Vivaldi, with Yab beside them for a Mac.

Opera Neon vs Vivaldi
WhatOpera NeonVivaldiYab
Made byOperaVivaldi TechnologiesSerafim Korablev
StatusUpdatedUpdatedUpdated
Runs onMac and WindowsMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and AndroidMac
Phone appNone yet; Opera says a mobile version will come, no date giveniPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords, history and notesNot yet
PriceFree, and free for outside agents; Opera’s own agents $19.90/monthFree; its Proton VPN is free with a Vivaldi accountFree; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
AIAn agent that works in pages, on its own AI serviceNo AIAn agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan
Driven by outside agentsMCP and a command lineNoMCP and a command line
EngineChromiumChromiumWebKit
Tabs down the sideNot statedA settingYes
SpacesYesYesYes
Split ViewNot statedYesYes
ExtensionsNot statedChrome Web StoreChrome Web Store
Ad blockerBuilt inBuilt inBuilt in
Open sourceNoNoNo

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.

AIOpera Neon leads

Only Opera Neon has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks 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. Vivaldi has no AI chat, summaries or agents, by choice.

Agents like Claude Code and CodexOpera Neon leads

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. Vivaldi has no MCP server or command line for outside agents.

Tabs and windowsVivaldi leads

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

PriceOpera Neon leads

Opera Neon: Free, and free for outside agents; Opera’s own agents $19.90/month. Vivaldi: Free; its Proton VPN is free with a Vivaldi account.

Where it runsVivaldi leads

Opera Neon runs on Mac and Windows. Vivaldi runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Vivaldi 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, Vivaldi: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords, history and notes.

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, Vivaldi from the Chrome Web Store.

Privacyeven

Both have 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. Vivaldi sends a daily ping with a unique ID, version and rough location to count users; crash logs only if you opt in.

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

Vivaldi

  • No AI assistant or agent, by design
  • Tabs down the side are a setting, not the default
  • Its interface code isn’t open source
  • Sends a daily usage ping with a unique ID

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 21, 2026Vivaldi: Vivaldi 8.0 redesigned the interface
  • May 12, 2026Opera Neon: opera-browser-cli command line released
  • March 31, 2026Opera Neon: MCP Connector lets outside AI clients act in Neon
  • January 29, 2026Vivaldi: Vivaldi 7.8 restated its no-AI stance
  • March 27, 2025Vivaldi: Proton VPN built into Vivaldi on desktop

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 Vivaldi free?

Yes. Free; its Proton VPN is free with a Vivaldi account.

Which has an AI agent, Opera Neon or Vivaldi?

Opera Neon. 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. Vivaldi has no AI chat, summaries or agents, by choice.

Do Opera Neon and Vivaldi run on Windows?

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

Do Opera Neon and Vivaldi have phone apps?

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

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 DiaOpera Neon vs CometOpera Neon vs AtlasAside vs Opera NeonOpera Neon vs ChromeOpera Neon vs SafariOpera Neon vs EdgeOpera Neon alternativesYab vs Opera NeonVivaldi vs ArcZen vs VivaldiOrion vs VivaldiSigmaOS vs VivaldiVivaldi vs ChromeVivaldi vs SafariVivaldi vs EdgeVivaldi alternativesYab vs Vivaldi
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 VivaldiDownload