Arc

A new web browser with a ton of personality

4.8•237 reviews•

4.6K followers

A new web browser with a ton of personality

4.8•237 reviews•

4.6K followers

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Web browsers

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Safety and Privacy platforms

A browser that promotes organization and concentration. It is flexible and able to adapt to the most specific individual needs.

The Best Arc Alternatives

The best Arc alternatives are Safari, Brave Private Browser, Zen Browser, Sidekick Browser, and Vivaldi.

Safari

4.9 ·

Choose Safari if...

✓you want best battery life on Mac
✓you rely on iCloud Keychain and Apple continuity
✓you prefer a simple, reliable default browser

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Brave Private Browser

4.7 ·

Choose Brave Private Browser if...

✓you want built-in ad and tracker blocking
✓you need Chromium compatibility without Google services
✓you want privacy without installing extensions

See details ↓

Zen Browser

4.8 ·

Choose Zen Browser if...

✓you want Arc-like workspaces without Chromium
✓you prefer open-source and community-driven development
✓you want split view and vertical tabs built-in

See details ↓

Sidekick Browser

4.1 ·

Choose Sidekick Browser if...

✓you want sessions to tame massive tab overload
✓you juggle multiple accounts across the same apps
✓you want an app sidebar for SaaS work

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Vivaldi

4.3 ·

Choose Vivaldi if...

✓you want extreme UI customization and shortcuts
✓you prefer built-in notes, panels, and gestures
✓you want a feature-packed power user browser

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What to Consider

Arc has built a reputation as a productivity-first browser, leaning into spaces, workflow-oriented tab management, and a more “operating system for the web” feel than traditional browsers. The alternatives landscape splits into a few clear camps: Safari prioritizes lightweight performance and deep Apple ecosystem continuity, Brave focuses on privacy-by-default with aggressive built-in blocking on a Chromium base, Zen brings Arc-like workspaces and vertical tabs to an open-source Firefox foundation, and Sidekick/Vivaldi push the “power user” angle with sessions, app sidebars, and heavy customization.

In evaluating these options, we weighed everyday speed and resource use, web compatibility and extension ecosystems, privacy/security defaults, cross-device sync and platform coverage, and how well each browser’s organization model (sessions, workspaces, vertical tabs, split view) holds up in real workflows—including reliability, update cadence, and pricing/trust factors where relevant.

Safari

The best way to see the sites.

4.9 · 21 reviews

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For Apple-first users, Safari wins on “it just works” browsing with the best OS-level integration. It’s a strong Arc alternative when the priority is speed, battery life, and a browser that feels native to macOS and iOS rather than a new workflow layer on top.

Safari’s standout advantage is continuity across devices: tabs, reading, and passwords flow naturally between iPhone, iPad, and Mac through iCloud and Keychain. If Arc’s productivity UX isn’t essential, Safari’s familiar tabs and bookmarks can feel calmer and more predictable for day-to-day work.

It also tends to be lightweight and efficient on Apple hardware, which matters if Arc feels heavy during long work sessions or when juggling many sites. The main trade-off is flexibility: the extension ecosystem is smaller than Chromium’s, and some web apps may still behave better in a Chrome-based browser, so it’s best for people who value reliability over deep customization.

Best for

Best for Mac and iPhone users who want maximum efficiency, privacy defaults, and seamless Apple continuity.

Standout features

✓Excellent battery life on Apple silicon
✓iCloud tab and history continuity
✓Keychain password autofill
✓Strong privacy and tracking protections

Brave Private Browser

The browser that rethinks the web.

4.7 · 61 reviews

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Brave Private Browser is built around privacy-by-default, making it an appealing alternative to Arc for anyone tired of managing ad blockers and anti-tracking extensions. It keeps the Chromium foundation, so everyday site compatibility and Chrome-extension support remain familiar.

The biggest reason to pick Brave over Arc is how much it blocks out of the box: ads, trackers, and many nuisance prompts are handled without extra setup. That often translates into a cleaner, faster-feeling web experience, especially on content-heavy sites.

Brave also fits workflows that need Chrome-like behavior for testing or web apps, but with less “Google-ness” baked in. The compromise is philosophy and UI focus: Brave prioritizes privacy utilities and built-in protections over Arc’s workspace-first interface, so it’s better for people optimizing for speed and blocking rather than a new way to organize tabs.

Best for

Ideal for privacy-focused users who want Chromium compatibility and built-in blocking without extra setup.

Standout features

✓Built-in ad and tracker blocking
✓Chromium engine and extension support
✓Optional Tor browsing mode
✓Privacy-forward defaults and settings

Zen Browser

Beautifully designed, privacy-focused

4.8 · 9 reviews

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Zen Browser takes Arc-like browsing ideas and builds them on a Firefox-based, open-source foundation. It’s a compelling alternative for people who want workspaces, vertical tabs, and split views without committing to Chromium.

Where Arc feels like a tightly curated product, Zen leans into customization and a focused UI that can fade into the background. Workspaces make it easy to separate projects or contexts, and the browsing layout is designed to keep attention on content rather than on a crowded tab strip.

Zen is especially attractive to users who care about transparency and community-led development, while still wanting modern productivity features. The trade-off is maturity: it can feel more experimental than established browsers, so it’s best for users willing to tolerate occasional rough edges in exchange for an Arc-adjacent workflow with a different engine and ethos.

Best for

Best for Arc-style power users who prefer Firefox/Gecko and open-source customization.

Standout features

✓Workspaces for project separation
✓Vertical tabs and focused layout
✓Split view for side-by-side browsing
✓Highly themeable and customizable UI

Sidekick Browser

The fastest browser built for work.

4.1 · 62 reviews

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Sidekick Browser is optimized for people who live in web apps and constantly battle tab overload. Instead of emphasizing a new tab UI like Arc, it leans hard into sessions and an app-style sidebar that keeps work organized by context.

Sessions are the core differentiator: they let users save and close entire tab sets, then bring them back only when needed. That approach can reduce cognitive load and memory usage in a way that feels more explicit than Arc’s automatic tab management.

Sidekick also stands out for multi-account workflows, letting users run separate identities for the same app with less friction. If the daily routine is Slack, Gmail, docs, calendars, and multiple client logins, Sidekick’s app dock plus account handling can be a more practical fit than Arc’s broader “browser as workspace” concept. The main consideration is that it’s a more productized, subscription-leaning experience, so it fits best when the sessions-and-apps model is central to productivity.

Best for

Great for knowledge workers juggling many projects, tabs, and multiple app accounts.

Standout features

✓Sessions to save and restore tab sets
✓Sidebar for persistent web apps
✓Multi-account per app support
✓Built-in focus and distraction controls

Vivaldi

The only web browser powerful enough for you

4.3 · 8 reviews

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Vivaldi is the “maximum control” alternative to Arc, designed for users who want the browser to adapt to their habits instead of learning a new workflow. It packs a broad productivity toolkit directly into the browser, reducing the need to rely on extensions for basics.

Compared with Arc’s curated experience, Vivaldi offers deeper customization across layout, shortcuts, gestures, and UI elements. Workspaces, panels, and split views let power users build their own organization system, whether that’s research-heavy browsing, writing, or multitasking across multiple web apps.

Vivaldi also differentiates with built-in utilities like notes and other productivity features that keep context close to the page. The trade-off is complexity: all that flexibility can take time to configure, so it’s best for people who enjoy tuning their tools and want a feature-rich browser that can be shaped into a personal command center.