Orion vs Chrome

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

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.

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 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

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

Orion and Chrome, with Yab beside them for a Mac.

Orion vs Chrome
What	Orion	Google Chrome	Yab
Made by	Kagi	Google	Serafim Korablev
Status	Updated	Updated	Updated
Runs on	Mac and iPhone	Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android	Mac
Phone app	iPhone and iPad; syncs tabs, bookmarks and passwords with your Mac through iCloud	iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history	Not yet
Price	Free; Orion+ supporter plan $5/month, $50/year or $150 once	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	Chat about 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	No	MCP and a command line	MCP and a command line
Engine	WebKit	Chromium	WebKit
Tabs down the side	A setting	A setting	Yes
Spaces	Yes	No	Yes
Split View	No	Yes	Yes
Extensions	Chrome and Firefox stores	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.

AIChrome leads

Only Chrome has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks in your pages. Orion sums up pages and videos through Kagi’s Summarizer, with a paid Kagi plan; no chat and no agent. 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 CodexChrome leads

Orion has no MCP server or command line for outside agents. 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 windowseven

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

PriceChrome leads

Orion: Free; Orion+ supporter plan $5/month, $50/year or $150 once. Chrome: Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra.

Where it runsChrome leads

Orion runs on Mac and iPhone. Chrome runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Orion needs macOS 10.14 or later and Chrome needs macOS 13 or later. On the phone, Orion: iPhone and iPad; syncs tabs, bookmarks and passwords with your Mac through iCloud. On the phone, Chrome: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.

Engine and extensionsa matter of taste

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

PrivacyOrion leads

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

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

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

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
April 7, 2026Chrome: Vertical tabs began rolling out as an option
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
November 25, 2025Orion: Orion 1.0 for Mac left beta

Questions

Is Orion free?

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

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, Orion or Chrome?

Chrome. Orion sums up pages and videos through Kagi’s Summarizer, with a paid Kagi plan; no chat and no agent. 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.

Which runs on Windows, Orion or Chrome?

Chrome does. Orion runs on Mac and iPhone.

Do Orion and Chrome have phone apps?

Both do. On the phone, Orion: iPhone and iPad; syncs tabs, bookmarks and passwords with your Mac through iCloud. On the phone, Chrome: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.

Can I move from Chrome to Orion?

Yes: Orion’s own help says it brings in from Chrome.

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 Orion; an agent in your signed-in tabs like Chrome’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

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