Arc vs Vivaldi in 2026

Arc and Vivaldi are the two most ambitious attempts to rethink the browser interface, and they went in opposite directions. Arc removed things until a new shape emerged. Vivaldi added everything and let you choose. Both are Chromium, so sites and extensions behave identically; the entire difference is in the shell.

Opinionated versus configurable

Arc's design is opinionated to the point of being prescriptive. There is no tab strip. Tabs live in a collapsible left sidebar and belong to Spaces — distinct environments for work, personal or a particular project, each with its own tabs and theme. Unused tabs expire automatically. Split view and a command bar are built in. You do not configure much because Arc has already decided; the reward is that the decisions are good, and for people holding several projects at once the Spaces model fits how work actually happens.

Vivaldi assumes you want to decide. It scores 5 for customisability, the joint highest we award. Tabs on any edge, stacked, tiled, or in a two-level hierarchy. Custom keyboard shortcuts and mouse gestures for nearly any command. Theming down to individual colours. Plus a real email client, calendar, RSS reader and notes in the sidebar, and a free VPN — none of which Arc offers. Arc scores 4 on customisability, which is fair: you can adjust it, but within Arc's frame.

Platforms and project direction

Two practical points weigh heavily. Platform support: Vivaldi runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android; Arc runs on Mac and Windows only. And development direction: The Browser Company has shifted its focus to Dia, its newer AI-first browser, so Arc is in maintenance rather than active development. Vivaldi is still being built.

Privacy favours Vivaldi, 4 to Arc's 3, largely on default blocking of ads, trackers and cookie banners. Neither is fully open source.

Which should you choose?

Choose Arc if you are on a Mac or Windows machine and want the most thoughtfully designed browser interface anyone has shipped. Its Spaces model is better than anything Vivaldi's flexibility will get you to on your own, because someone already did the design work. The catch is that Arc stopped gaining features in 2025, while Vivaldi is still shipping releases.

Choose Vivaldi if you want comparable power without the platform limits, prefer to make your own decisions about layout, want mail and calendar in the browser, or simply want to bet on software that is still under active development. It asks more of you upfront and gives more back over time.