YabZen vs Vivaldi
Zen is a free, open-source browser built on Firefox that brings Arc’s layout, tabs down the side with spaces, folders and Split View, to Mac, Windows and Linux.
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
- if you want Arc’s layout, free and open source
- if you prefer Firefox’s engine and its add-ons
- if you want no AI in your browser at all
- 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
- 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
At a glance
Zen and Vivaldi, with Yab beside them for a Mac.
| What | Zen Browser | Vivaldi | Yab |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | Zen Browser team (open-source community project) | Vivaldi Technologies | Serafim Korablev |
| Status | Updated | Updated | Updated |
| Runs on | Mac, Windows and Linux | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android | Mac |
| Phone app | None; Zen says it has no plans for a mobile version | iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords, history and notes | Not yet |
| Price | Free and open source | Free; its Proton VPN is free with a Vivaldi account | Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan |
| AI | No AI | No AI | An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan |
| Driven by outside agents | No | No | MCP and a command line |
| Engine | Gecko | Chromium | WebKit |
| Tabs down the side | Yes | A setting | Yes |
| Spaces | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Split View | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extensions | Firefox add-ons | Chrome Web Store | Chrome Web Store |
| Ad blocker | No | Built in | Built in |
| Open source | Yes | 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.
AIeven
Neither has AI built in. Zen has no AI: Firefox’s AI features are switched off by default. Vivaldi has no AI chat, summaries or agents, by choice.
Tabs and windowsZen leads
Zen has tabs down the side, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep. Vivaldi has tabs down the side as a setting, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.
Priceeven
Zen: Free and open source. Vivaldi: Free; its Proton VPN is free with a Vivaldi account.
Where it runsVivaldi leads
Zen runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Vivaldi runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Zen needs macOS 10.15 or later and Vivaldi needs macOS 13 or later. Zen has no phone app: Zen says it has no plans for a mobile version. On the phone, Vivaldi: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords, history and notes.
Engine and extensionsa matter of taste
Zen is built on Gecko, Firefox’s engine; Vivaldi on Chromium, as Chrome is. Zen takes extensions from Firefox’s add-ons, Vivaldi from the Chrome Web Store.
PrivacyVivaldi leads
Zen has open code. Zen sends no telemetry or crash reports, by its privacy policy; optional sync keeps encrypted data on Mozilla’s servers. Vivaldi has an ad blocker built in and a VPN. 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.
Zen Browser
- Releases are still labeled beta
- No phone app, and none planned
- Firefox add-ons only, not the Chrome Web Store
- No ad blocker of its own beyond Firefox’s tracking protection
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
- September 5, 2026Zen: Spaces, folders and tabs sync between devices with a Mozilla account (1.22b)
- May 21, 2026Vivaldi: Vivaldi 8.0 redesigned the interface
- February 28, 2026Zen: Live folders for GitHub issues, pull requests and RSS (1.19b)
- January 29, 2026Vivaldi: Vivaldi 7.8 restated its no-AI stance
- August 27, 2025Zen: Tab folders added (1.15b)
- March 27, 2025Vivaldi: Proton VPN built into Vivaldi on desktop
Questions
Is Zen Browser free?
Yes. Free and open source.
Is Vivaldi free?
Yes. Free; its Proton VPN is free with a Vivaldi account.
Which has an AI agent, Zen or Vivaldi?
Neither has an agent that does tasks in your pages. Zen has no AI: Firefox’s AI features are switched off by default. Vivaldi has no AI chat, summaries or agents, by choice.
Do Zen and Vivaldi run on Windows?
Yes, both. Zen runs on Mac, Windows and Linux; Vivaldi on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android.
Do Zen and Vivaldi have phone apps?
Vivaldi does. Zen has no phone app: Zen says it has no plans for a mobile version. 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 Zen; an agent that works in your signed-in tabs, 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
- Zen home page
- Zen download page (macOS universal, Windows, Linux; beta)
- Zen 1.23.2b release (macOS universal dmg; Info.plist minimum 10.15)
- Zen 1.23.1b release (Firefox 157.0.1)
- Zen license (MPL-2.0)
- Zen AI preferences (all off)
- Zen welcome flow (Firefox import wizard)
- Firefox import from another browser
- Zen 1.15b release (folders)
- Zen 1.19b release (live folders)
- Zen 1.22b release (sync)
- Zen 1.12.9b release (tab unloader uses Firefox tab discarding)
- Zen FAQ (no mobile plans, donations)
- Zen Workspaces
- Zen Split View
- Zen Extensions (addons.mozilla.org)
- Zen Privacy and Security (Firefox password manager, tracking protection)
- Zen privacy policy
- Firefox 157 system requirements
- Vivaldi features
- Vivaldi download (macOS 13+, universal; Windows, Linux, Android, iOS)
- Vivaldi macOS update feed (8.2.4133.84, minimum 13.0)
- Vivaldi desktop releases
- Vivaldi 8.2 release
- Vivaldi 8.0 release
- Vivaldi 7.8 release (no AI)
- Proton VPN built into Vivaldi, 2025-03-27
- Proton VPN for Vivaldi help
- Vivaldi tracker and ad blocker
- Vivaldi Memory Saver (automatic tab hibernation)
- Vivaldi Workspaces
- Vivaldi Tab Tiling
- Vivaldi Tab Stacks
- Vivaldi Tab Bar position
- Vivaldi import and export
- Is Vivaldi open source?
- Vivaldi browser privacy policy
- Vivaldi Help: Sync browser data on iOS
- Vivaldi Help: Sync browser data on Android
- Vivaldi blog: Introducing Vivaldi on iOS (Sep 28, 2023)
- Vivaldi on the App Store (iPhone and iPad)
- Vivaldi on Google Play
- 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
Yab, Yet Another Browser.
Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.