YabYab vs Opera Neon
Yab, Yet Another Browser, is a free Mac browser that keeps everything from Arc (tabs down the side, spaces, folders, Split View) and gives your Claude or ChatGPT plan an agent that works in your signed-in tabs.
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.
The short answer
- 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
- 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
At a glance
Yab and Opera Neon, side by side.
| What | Yab | Opera Neon |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Serafim Korablev | Opera |
| Status | Updated | Updated |
| Runs on | Mac | Mac and Windows |
| Phone app | Not yet | None yet; Opera says a mobile version will come, no date given |
| Price | Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan | Free, and free for outside agents; Opera’s own agents $19.90/month |
| AI | An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan | An agent that works in pages, on its own AI service |
| Driven by outside agents | MCP and a command line | MCP and a command line |
| Engine | WebKit | Chromium |
| Tabs down the side | Yes | Not stated |
| Spaces | Yes | Yes |
| Split View | Yes | Not stated |
| Extensions | Chrome Web Store | Not stated |
| Ad blocker | Built in | Built in |
| Open source | 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. Yab’s agent works in tabs of its own beside yours, signed in as you, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan; Send, Pay and Delete wait for your yes. 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. Yab runs on the Claude or ChatGPT plan you already pay for; the other on its own AI.
Agents like Claude Code and Codexeven
Yab can be driven over MCP and a command line, through yab mcp and the yab command, for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and any MCP client. 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.
Tabs and windowsYab leads
Yab has tabs down the side, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep. Opera Neon has spaces.
Priceeven
Yab: Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan. Opera Neon: Free, and free for outside agents; Opera’s own agents $19.90/month.
Where it runsOpera Neon leads
Yab runs on Mac. Opera Neon runs on Mac and Windows. On a Mac, Yab needs macOS 15.4 or later. Yab has no phone app yet. Opera Neon has no phone app yet: Opera says a mobile version will come, no date given.
Engine and extensionsa matter of taste
Yab is built on WebKit, the engine Safari uses; Opera Neon on Chromium, as Chrome is. Yab takes extensions from the Chrome Web Store, Opera Neon none.
PrivacyOpera Neon leads
Yab has an ad blocker built in. Yab has no account and no server of ours between you and your sites; what your agent reads goes to Anthropic or OpenAI under your account. 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.
Where Opera Neon is better
Opera Neon comes out ahead on where it runs, privacy. It is also the better pick if you:
- Want Claude Code or another MCP client to use a real signed-in browser, free
- Want one plan for an in-browser agent, deep research and making apps and media
- Want a VPN and an ad blocker built in
The catch with each
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
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
- September 25, 2026Yab: First release
- August 12, 2026Opera Neon: Free plan: outside agents can use Neon without a subscription
- May 12, 2026Opera Neon: opera-browser-cli command line released
- March 31, 2026Opera Neon: MCP Connector lets outside AI clients act in Neon
Questions
Is Yab free?
Yes. Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan.
Is Opera Neon free?
Yes, with limits on its AI. Free, and free for outside agents; Opera’s own agents $19.90/month.
Which has an AI agent, Yab or Opera Neon?
Both. Yab’s agent works in tabs of its own beside yours, signed in as you, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan; Send, Pay and Delete wait for your yes. 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.
Which runs on Windows, Yab or Opera Neon?
Opera Neon does. Yab runs on Mac.
Do Yab and Opera Neon have phone apps?
Yab has no phone app yet. Opera Neon has no phone app yet: Opera says a mobile version will come, no date given.
More comparisons
- Yab Manual: Bringing in from another browser
- Yab Manual: Connecting Claude or ChatGPT
- Yab Manual: Extensions
- Yab Manual: Yab’s tools over MCP
- Yab Manual: Privacy
- Opera Neon home page
- Opera Neon subscription and plan comparison
- Opera Neon FAQ (platforms, models, MCP, privacy, retention)
- Opera Neon news index
- Your AI agents can use Opera Neon free of charge (Aug 12, 2026)
- Opera Neon adds MCP Connector (Mar 31, 2026)
- Introducing opera-browser-cli (May 12, 2026)
- opera-browser-cli README (profile behavior)
- opera-devtools-mcp README (Chromium-based, Claude Code and Cursor setup)
- Opera Neon ships (Sep 30, 2025; Tasks, Do, Make, ad blocker, VPN)
- Opera Neon public early access (Dec 11, 2025)
- Opera press release: MCP Connector
- Prompt injection in Opera Neon: rapid response (Oct 23, 2025)
Yab, Yet Another Browser.
Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.