In-Depth Review
Arc, from The Browser Company, is the most radical rethink of what a web browser should be since Chrome launched in 2008. Instead of the traditional tab bar at the top, Arc uses a sidebar for tabs and bookmarks, organizes sites into Spaces (workspaces with their own profiles and cookies), and introduces concepts like Split View, Boosts (custom CSS/JS for any website), and Easels (scrapbook-style collections of screenshots and links).
The sidebar is Arc's defining feature—and it's divisive. If you're used to Chrome's tab bar, the sidebar feels alien at first. But after a week, most users report that going back to horizontal tabs feels regressive. The sidebar auto-archives tabs after 12 hours (or a custom duration), which eliminates the "100 open tabs" syndrome that plagues Chrome users.
Spaces are Arc's killer productivity feature. You can create a "Work" space logged into your work Google account and a "Personal" space with your personal accounts—and switch between them with a two-finger swipe. Each space has its own extensions, cookies, and history. It's like having multiple browsers in one, without the memory overhead of running separate Chrome profiles.
The downsides: Arc is Chromium-based, so you're still subject to Google's Manifest V3 restrictions on ad blockers and extensions. Memory usage is higher than Chrome (counterintuitively, since Arc auto-archives tabs). And the learning curve is real—expect to be frustrated for the first 2-3 days before it clicks.
Pros
- Spaces and Profiles keep work and personal browsing completely separate
- Split view is a game-changer for research and comparison
- Beautiful visual design that makes Chrome look prehistoric
Cons
- Resource-heavy—not ideal for older machines
- Steep learning curve if you're used to traditional browsers
- Chromium-based, so Google's manifest V3 still applies