Arc vs Opera Neon (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Arc grades higher than Opera Neon: 3.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Arc grades higher on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Opera Neon
Opera's AI browser with agents that act on web pages
Free plan · from $19.90/mo
Which one is for you
Pick Arc if
- Fits if you want work and personal browsing kept apart inside one window
- Works for Chrome users who want their extensions in a different-looking browser
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a browser that's still being built, since the maker now points people to Dia for security patches
- Not for you if you're on Linux, or on a Mac older than macOS 13.0
- Not for you if you'd rather not make an account just to browse
- Watch out: the phone app is Arc Search, a lighter companion, not Arc itself
- Watch out: Ask ChatGPT in Arc Max needs a ChatGPT account signed in on your Arc profile
Pick Opera Neon if
- Fits if you want an AI agent that clicks through web pages for you
- Makes sense if you pipe browser sessions to outside AI tools through MCP
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want the agents free, as they need Standard at $19.90 a month
- Not for you if you use Linux or a phone, since only macOS and Windows are listed
- Watch out: the FAQ says page content goes to Opera's and OpenAI's servers, deleted after 365 days
- Watch out: Neon Chat and the research agents run in the cloud, and Neon Do plans its actions with cloud models
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAArcVery good | 2.2GPAOpera NeonFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ANothing to pay, ever. Arc is a free download for Mac and Windows, arc.net lists no paid plan at all, and Arc Search on the phone is free too. The AI features are in there without a subscription. | CStandard is $19.90 a month, billed monthly, which is just under this category's $19.99 dearer quarter. There is no yearly price shown. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe free version is the only version: the whole browser, the opt-in Arc Max AI features and Arc Search on your phone, with no plan above it to be nudged towards. You do have to make an account, which Arc uses to hold and sync your data. | BThe free Start plan gives the browser with an ad blocker, free VPN, CLI and MCP connector and basic chat, which one person can live on. |
| Features | CSpaces, Profiles, Split View across three tabs, hover previews of Gmail and Calendar, and every extension Chrome takes. But the maker says Arc now gets Chromium updates only and sends people to Dia for active security patches, and for a browser that's a gap in the job itself. | CAI chat, agents, research and an MCP connector, but the agents, Deep Research and model choice are on the paid plan. |
| Ease of use | AArc Search on iPhone carries 4.88 from about 25,000 App Store ratings. On a computer it pulls your Chrome data across during setup, so the first window isn't empty. | CNo rating on record. It installs like a browser, but AI agents, cards and connectors add things to learn. |
| Platforms and integrations | BMac and Windows on the desktop, nothing for Linux, and on the phone it's Arc Search, a lighter companion app rather than Arc itself, on iPhone and Android. Tabs sync between Mac, Windows and iOS, and it hooks into Google Calendar, Gmail, Notion, GitHub and Spotify. | CMac and Windows only, with Claude Code, Lovable, n8n and Google connections. No phone app. |
| Best for | keeping work and personal tabs in one window | an AI browser whose agents act on pages |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Arc and Opera Neon. How we grade
Price against what you get
Arc has no paid plan and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Opera Neon starts at $19.90 a month and scores 2.0.
Arc scores higher and starts $19.90 a month lower. Of the other browsers on the chart, none scores higher than Arc for less, and 31 score higher than Opera Neon for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Opera Neon also covers chat assistant, AI agents, vPN and ad and tracker blocking.
In commonFree planmacOSWindowsWeb browser
At a glance
| Arc | Opera Neon | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $19.90 per month, billed monthly, taxes included |
| Free plan | Arc is a free download for Mac and Windows, and no paid plan is listed on arc.net. The mobile app, Arc Search, is listed as free on the App Store. | Free: the Neon browser with ad blocker, free VPN, CLI and MCP connector, and basic AI chat. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | The Browser Company of New York | Opera |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | operaneon.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Arc
- The Browser Company says Arc receives Chromium updates only and directs people to Dia for active security patches.
- There is no Linux version. Arc needs macOS 13.0 or later, or Windows 10 19H1 or higher.
- Arc asks people to create an account, which is used to keep data and sync it across devices.
- The Ask ChatGPT feature of Arc Max requires a ChatGPT account signed in on the current Arc profile.
Opera Neon
- Available for macOS and Windows only, according to the FAQ.
- The agent features, Deep Research and full model choice need the paid Standard plan; the free tier has basic chat.
- The FAQ says page content is sent to Opera's and OpenAI's servers and deleted after 365 days, and that Opera does not train AI models on it.
- Neon Chat and the Research agents run in the cloud, and Neon Do uses cloud language models to plan its actions.
Key features
Arc
- Spaces and Profiles
- Spaces keep work, study and hobbies apart inside a single window, and Profiles sit alongside them so each area of browsing can be organized on its own.
- Split View and themes
- Split View places up to three tabs side by side, picture-in-picture keeps video and meetings visible, and themes change the color of the browser.
- Arc Max AI features
- Opt-in AI features preview a link when hovering with Shift held, send a question to ChatGPT from the Command Bar, and give pinned tabs and downloads shorter, tidier names.
- Built-in integrations
- Integrations show the day's meetings from Google Calendar, unread Gmail, recent Notion pages and GitHub pull requests on hover, and control Spotify from a mini player.
- Chrome extensions and import
- Arc supports the extensions Chrome supports and imports Chrome data on setup. Chromium's Google account sync, usage metrics and telemetry to Google are disabled.
- Arc Search on mobile
- The mobile browser blocks ads, trackers and cookie banners, answers questions with Browse for Me, and syncs tabs across Mac, Windows and iOS through Arc Sync.
Opera Neon
- Neon Do
- An agent that works with the page you are viewing, handles tab commands and scheduled tasks, and connects with Google tools.
- Neon Chat
- AI chat that uses your open tabs as context, with image and video generation and web app creation.
- Research agents
- Three agents: Deep Research for structured reports, One-Minute Research for quick overviews, and Local Research that uses your own browsing context.
- MCP and CLI
- Neon acts as an MCP server so tools such as Claude Code, Lovable and n8n can connect to the live browser session. The connection is read-only by default.
- Neon Cards
- Reusable instructions, like skills, that tell Neon how to handle a kind of task. They work across chat, Do and research.
- Built-in Opera tools
- An ad blocker and a free VPN that needs no subscription or login.
Plans
Arc
Free$0
The full browser on Mac and Windows, the opt-in Arc Max AI features and the Arc Search mobile app.
Opera Neon
Start (Free)$0
Browser for Windows or macOS with built-in ad blocker and free VPN, the CLI and MCP connector, and basic Neon Chat.
Standard$19.90
per month, billed monthly, taxes included
Adds Neon agents that act on the web, Deep Research, image and video generation, skill cards, scheduled tasks, long memory, Google connectors and full model choice.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Arc or Opera Neon?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Arc is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $19.90 a month for Opera Neon. Arc is free, and Opera Neon starts at $19.90 per month, billed monthly, taxes included.
Which has a free plan, Arc or Opera Neon?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Arc and Opera Neon have a free plan.
Which platforms do Arc and Opera Neon run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Arc lists iOS and Android apps. Both list macOS and Windows apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.