The Arc Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Arc in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Arc
The Insider’s Guide
Chromium-based browser with Spaces, Profiles and Split View
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among browsers, read from Arc’s own pages.
Made by The Browser Company of New York · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Arc’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Arc’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.4
GPA, above 9 of the 15 other browsers we grade
Arc is a Chromium-based browser from The Browser Company of New York for Mac and Windows, with a companion mobile browser called Arc Search. It organizes work, study and personal browsing into Spaces and Profiles inside one window and adds Split View, themes and the opt-in Arc Max AI features. The company now points people to its newer browser, Dia, and says Arc receives Chromium updates only.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Arc, taken from its own pages and our grades.
But The Browser Company says Arc now gets Chromium updates only and points people to Dia for active security patches.
- 1
Best for keeping work and personal tabs in one window
Arc keeps work, study and personal browsing apart inside one window with Spaces and Profiles, and it's free.
- 2
It is free
Arc has no paid plan at all. 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.
- 3
It runs on 4 platforms
macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
- 4
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.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
A 3.4 GPA, above 9 of 15
That is against the other browsers we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
Arc is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
Arc at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
- Made by
- The Browser Company of New York
- Category
- Browsers
- Our grade
- 3.4 GPA, very good
- Store rating
- 4.9 on the App Store, 24,990 ratings
The report card
Best for keeping work and personal tabs in one window
Arc keeps work, study and personal browsing apart inside one window with Spaces and Profiles, and it's free. But The Browser Company says Arc now gets Chromium updates only and points people to Dia for active security patches. There's no Linux version, it needs macOS 13.0 or Windows 10 19H1 or later, you have to make an account to use it, and on the phone you get Arc Search, a lighter companion app.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | Nothing 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. |
| Free plan and trial | A | The 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. |
| Features | C | Spaces, 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. |
| Ease of use | A | Arc 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. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Mac 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Arc is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- People who keep work and personal browsing in one window
- Chrome users who want their extensions in a different interface
- Side-by-side reading and research with Split View
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Free
No paid plan at all
Arc is free to use.
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.
Free
$0
The full browser on Mac and Windows, the opt-in Arc Max AI features and the Arc Search mobile app.
The 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.
Read from apps.apple.com on Oct 5, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
4
Places it runs: macOS, Windows, iOS and Android
Chromium-based browser with Spaces, Profiles and Split View. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, web browser.
Spaces, Profiles, Split View across three tabs, hover previews of Gmail and Calendar, and every extension Chrome takes.
- 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.
Where it runs
- macOS
- Windows
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Google Calendar
- Gmail
- Notion
- Google Meet
- Spotify
- Linear
- GitHub
- Figma
Who makes Arc
The Browser Company of New York makes the free Arc browser and the newer Dia browser. Atlassian bought the company in October 2025, so the work is now paid for by a listed parent rather than by charging for Arc, which the company says receives only Chromium updates.
- Founded
- 2019techcrunch.com
- Based
- New York, with a Brooklyn office in Williamsburg and a remote-friendly teamthebrowser.company
- Ownership
- Part of a larger company. Atlassian's annual report says it acquired 100% of The Browser Company of New York Inc. on 20 October 2025, and the company has said it keeps operating separately under Atlassian.sec.gov
- Funding
- All of it was raised before Atlassian bought the company in October 2025. TechCrunch put the total at $128 million across several rounds, with backers including Jeff Weiner, Ev Williams, Dylan Field, Akshay Kothari, Jason Warner, Pace Capital and Next Play Ventures.techcrunch.comtechcrunch.comtechcrunch.com
- Team
- The careers page gives no headcount. It says the team is remote-friendly and about 60% of employees live outside New York, across six time zones.thebrowser.company
- Founders and leaders
- Josh Miller, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officerthebrowser.company
- Hursh Agrawal, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officertechcrunch.com
- Hiring
- The Ashby job board linked from its careers page lists five open roles: four in engineering and one in business and operations.jobs.ashbyhq.com
- Last announcement
- Meet the School of Browser Class of 2024 · Oct 3, 2024. Nothing newer was found on its own pages.
Read on Oct 18, 2026 from the company’s own pages and from news reports. What is not stated there is left out.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
9/15
Other browsers it is graded above
Arc's GPA of 3.4 is higher than 9 of the 15 other browsers we grade.
It stands best on ease of use (A, above 10 of 15) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Arc has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 16 browsers we grade, cut by the letter each got. Arc’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 8 of 15
- AFree plan and trialAbove 5 of 15
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 15
- AEase of useAbove 10 of 15
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 7 of 15
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 15 browsers. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Arc is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
Arc is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
What you could not
- A web browser.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Google Calendar, Gmail and Notion among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Arc’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Dia, Zen Browser, Vivaldi, Google Chrome and Brave
The 5 tools Arc is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.0GPA
Dia
Free plan · from $10/mo
AI browser for work that answers questions across tabs and tools.
- Only Arc lists iOS and Android apps.
- Dia is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Dia also covers chat assistant.
- 2.8GPA
Zen Browser
Free
Free, open-source desktop browser built around vertical tabs.
- Only Arc lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Zen Browser lists a Linux app.
- Zen Browser is open source, according to its own site.
- 3.8GPA
Vivaldi
Free
Customizable browser with built-in mail, calendar and feed reader.
- Only Vivaldi lists a Linux app.
- Vivaldi is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Vivaldi also covers notes, calendar, email client, screenshots and rSS reader.
- 3.6GPA
Google Chrome
Free
Google's free browser for desktop and mobile, with Gemini built in.
- Only Google Chrome lists a Linux app.
- Google Chrome also covers password manager and passkeys.
- 3.8GPA
Brave
Free plan · from $3.00/mo
Open-source browser that blocks ads and trackers by default.
- Only Brave lists a Linux app.
- Brave is open source, according to its own site.
- Brave also covers password manager and video calls.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Arc free?
Yes. Arc is free to use.
How much does Arc cost?
Arc lists one plan. Free: $0.
What platforms does Arc work on?
Arc is available on macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
How is Arc rated?
Arc's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.9 out of 5 from 24,990 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
Does Arc have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Arc is listed for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Is Arc open source?
Arc is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
What does Arc integrate with?
Arc's listing names Google Calendar, Gmail, Notion, Google Meet, Spotify, Linear, GitHub and Figma.
Who makes Arc?
Arc is made by The Browser Company of New York. Atlassian's annual report says it acquired 100% of The Browser Company of New York Inc. on 20 October 2025, and the company has said it keeps operating separately under Atlassian.
What are the alternatives to Arc?
The closest alternatives to Arc in our directory are Dia, Zen Browser, Vivaldi, Google Chrome and Brave.
How does Arc compare with other browsers?
Arc's GPA of 3.4 is higher than 9 of the 15 other browsers we grade. It stands best on ease of use (A, above 10 of 15) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Is Arc good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Arc A for value for money. Arc has no paid plan.
Could I make my own version of Arc?
Arc is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Arc’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from The Browser Company's own pages on 5 October 2026, and the App Store rating of Arc Search. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-09-01.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by The Browser Company of New York. Prices change, so check arc.net before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Arc, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/arc
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Arc: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/arc
Know someone choosing between browsers?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/arc/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded browsers after Arc, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Browsers Insider's GuideEvery one of the 16 browsers we grade, compared
- Brave Insider's GuideOpen-source browser that blocks ads and trackers by default3.8 GPA
- Firefox Insider's GuideFree, open-source browser from Mozilla with tracker blocking built in3.8 GPA
- Vivaldi Insider's GuideCustomizable browser with built-in mail, calendar and feed reader3.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Arc’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Arc is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by The Browser Company of New York. Prices and plans change: check arc.net before you buy.