SigmaOS vs Chrome

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

SigmaOS is a Mac browser on WebKit that treats tabs like a to-do list, in workspaces down the side, with an AI assistant called Airis.

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 SigmaOS

if you want workspaces and tabs you mark done, on a Mac
if you browse by keyboard, with single-key shortcuts
if you prefer WebKit to Chromium and want spaces

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

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

SigmaOS vs Chrome
What	SigmaOS	Google Chrome	Yab
Made by	SigmaOS Inc. (London)	Google	Serafim Korablev
Status	No release notes since February 2025	Updated	Updated
Runs on	Mac	Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android	Mac
Phone app	None; Mac only. iOS has been on its roadmap since 2021	iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history	Not yet
Price	Free; Personal Pro $20/month or Personal Max $30/month for more AI	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	Yes	A setting	Yes
Spaces	Yes	No	Yes
Split View	Yes	Yes	Yes
Extensions	Chrome Web Store	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. Airis chats about the page you are on, sums it up, looks things up and translates; 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

SigmaOS 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 windowsSigmaOS leads

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

Priceeven

SigmaOS: Free; Personal Pro $20/month or Personal Max $30/month for more AI. Chrome: Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra.

Where it runsChrome leads

SigmaOS runs on Mac. Chrome runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, SigmaOS needs macOS 12 or later and Chrome needs macOS 13 or later. SigmaOS has no phone app: Mac only. iOS has been on its roadmap since 2021. On the phone, Chrome: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.

Engine and extensionsa matter of taste

SigmaOS is built on WebKit, the engine Safari uses; Chrome on Chromium, as Chrome is. Both take extensions from the Chrome Web Store.

PrivacySigmaOS leads

SigmaOS has an ad blocker built in. SigmaOS keeps history and cookies on your Mac unless you turn on sync, stored encrypted on AWS; its privacy policy doesn’t say where Airis requests go. 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.

UpdatesChrome leads

SigmaOS: Still downloadable, with no public release notes since version 1.19 in February 2025. Chrome is updated as usual.

What their pages don’t lead with

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

SigmaOS

Mac only
No public release notes since version 1.19 in February 2025
Chrome extensions only partly work, behind its WebKit+ option
Its AI is an assistant, and regular use needs the $20 or $30 plans

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

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
February 4, 2025SigmaOS: Version 1.19.0, a performance update, the last release with public notes

Questions

Is SigmaOS free?

Yes, with limits on its AI. Free; Personal Pro $20/month or Personal Max $30/month for more AI.

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, SigmaOS or Chrome?

Chrome. Airis chats about the page you are on, sums it up, looks things up and translates; 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, SigmaOS or Chrome?

Chrome does. SigmaOS runs on Mac.

Do SigmaOS and Chrome have phone apps?

Chrome does. SigmaOS has no phone app: Mac only. iOS has been on its roadmap since 2021. On the phone, Chrome: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.

Can I move from Chrome to SigmaOS?

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

Is SigmaOS still being updated?

Still downloadable, with no public release notes since version 1.19 in February 2025.

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 SigmaOS; 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

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