Vivaldi vs Yandex Browser (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Vivaldi grades higher than Yandex Browser: 3.8 against 3.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Vivaldi grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Yandex Browser
Free browser from Yandex with phishing warnings and neural translation
Free
Which one is for you
Pick Vivaldi if
- Fits if you keep dozens of tabs open and want them stacked, split and sorted
- Works for people who want mail, calendar and feeds in the same window as their tabs
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a chatbot or page summaries built in, because Vivaldi leaves AI out on purpose
- Not for you if you want the free VPN on your phone, as it only works in the desktop browser
- Pricey if you want faster VPN speeds, more servers or extra devices, which need a paid Proton VPN plan
- Watch out: new installs come with partner bookmarks and search engines that earn Vivaldi revenue until you replace them
- Not for you if your Mac is older than macOS 13, which the current download needs
Pick Yandex Browser if
- Fits if you want a no-cost desktop browser that imports your old browser's settings
- Makes sense if phishing warnings matter more to you than a long extension list
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need to know which phones the mobile version supports, because the English mobile page does not say
- Not for you if you only trust measured speed: the site's figures come from studies it cites
- Watch out: the download page has a box to send usage statistics to Yandex, unticked unless you tick it
- Tight if you care about whose privacy policy governs your data: the browser is run by Yandex
How we grade them
| 3.8GPAVivaldiExcellent | 3.0GPAYandex BrowserVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree on every platform with no paid tier at all, and the reason is on Vivaldi's own blog: it earns from search and bookmark partner deals, a cut of Proton VPN upgrades and donations, rather than from you. There's nothing to buy and nothing withheld. | AFree, with no price or paid plan on the download page, so there is nothing to compare against the category's $7 to $20 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with mail, calendar, feed reader, notes, the ad and tracker blocker, end-to-end encrypted sync, and Proton VPN on the desktop with no ads or data limit. New installs arrive with partner bookmarks you can swap out. | AThe desktop browser downloads with no paid plan listed, and there is no cap to reach. |
| Features | AIt builds in an email client for several accounts, a calendar, a feed reader and notes, with an ad blocker, two-level Tab Stacks, tiling, Workspaces and Command Chains that fire a string of commands off one keystroke. The deliberate gap is AI: there's none, by choice. | CPhishing warnings, data import from other browsers and translation, but the speed and phishing claims rest on third-party studies the site cites. |
| Ease of use | A4.73 from about 4,400 App Store ratings. You can leave it exactly as it comes, or change shortcuts, themes and layout until it fits. There's a lot in here, so give it an evening. | BNo rating on record. You install it and it copies your data and settings from your old browser on first run. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone, with history, passwords, bookmarks, tabs and notes synced end-to-end encrypted. Computers and both phones is a B here, because our top mark also wants a web app and a browser isn't one, and Proton VPN is the only integration listed. | CWindows, macOS and Linux downloads. The mobile page names no phone systems, so a phone cannot be counted. |
| Best for | tab hoarders who like to customise everything | a free desktop browser with phishing warnings |
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: Vivaldi and Yandex Browser. How we grade
Price against what you get
Vivaldi has no paid plan and scores 3.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Yandex Browser has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
Vivaldi scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other browsers on the chart, none scores higher than Vivaldi for less, and none scores higher than Yandex Browser 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
- Vivaldi is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Vivaldi also covers notes, calendar, email client, screenshots and rSS reader.
In commonFree planWindowsmacOSLinuxWeb browser
At a glance
| Vivaldi | Yandex Browser | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Vivaldi is free on desktop and mobile with no paid tier. The company funds itself through search engine and bookmark partner deals, a share of Proton VPN upgrades and donations. | The download page lists no price or paid plan for the browser. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Vivaldi Technologies | Yandex |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | browser.yandex.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Vivaldi
- Proton VPN for Vivaldi works only in the desktop browser, and faster speeds, more servers and extra devices need a paid Proton VPN plan.
- New installs come with partner bookmarks and search engines that earn Vivaldi revenue. They can be replaced.
- Vivaldi deliberately leaves out an AI assistant, so there is no built-in chatbot or page summarizer.
- The current Mac download requires macOS 13 or later.
Yandex Browser
- The download page has a checkbox to send browser usage statistics to Yandex, which is off unless ticked.
- The English site names Windows and Linux downloads; the mobile page does not state which phone systems it supports.
- Speed and phishing-detection figures on the site come from third-party studies the site cites.
- The site is run by Yandex, whose privacy policy governs the data the browser handles.
Key features
Vivaldi
- Mail, Calendar and Feed Reader
- A built-in email client handles several accounts, mailing lists and feeds in one inbox, next to a private calendar and a feed reader that does not rank items by algorithm.
- Tab Stacks, tiling and Workspaces
- Tabs group into two-level Tab Stacks, open side by side in a split-screen view, and sort into Workspaces for switching between categories of tabs.
- Ad and tracker blocker
- A blocker for ads and trackers is built into the desktop and mobile browsers, so no extension is needed to remove them.
- End-to-end encrypted Sync
- Browsing history, passwords, bookmarks, tabs and notes sync between desktop and mobile devices, protected by end-to-end encryption.
- Proton VPN for Vivaldi
- An opt-in VPN from Proton is built into the desktop browser. It is free with no ads or data limits after signing in with a Vivaldi account.
- Customization and Command Chains
- Shortcuts, themes and features can be personalized, mouse gestures trigger actions, and Command Chains run a custom sequence of commands from one keystroke or gesture.
Yandex Browser
- Phishing warnings
- The site says neural networks were trained to recognize phishing sites and the browser warns you on arrival. It cites a Softline study for its detection claim.
- Data import from other browsers
- It transfers your data and settings from another browser on first run, so the setup looks like the one you used before.
- Neural translation and summaries
- The mobile page says the browser translates and summarizes videos and web pages.
- Cloud sync on mobile
- The mobile page says passwords, tabs and tab groups are saved in the cloud and available on other devices.
- Desktop downloads
- Windows installers come in 32-bit and 64-bit versions; Linux packages come as DEB and RPM files.
Plans
Vivaldi
Free$0
The full browser on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, including mail, calendar, feed reader, sync and the free tier of Proton VPN on desktop.
Yandex Browser
Free$0
The desktop browser downloads with no price or paid plan listed on the site.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Vivaldi or Yandex Browser?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Vivaldi and Yandex Browser are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Vivaldi or Yandex Browser?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Vivaldi and Yandex Browser have a free plan.
Which platforms do Vivaldi and Yandex Browser run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Vivaldi lists iOS and Android apps. Both list macOS, Windows and Linux 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.