What is the new Arc browser: download, MacOS, iOS

The competition between browsers is very intense, and there are many good ones on the market, including the most popular Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, as well as more alternative ones such as Opera, Tor, or Vivaldi. It seems that it is no longer possible to find something original... And here comes Arc, the most customizable browser so far! Here, you'll learn everything you need to know about this new browser and decide if it's worth giving it a try.

Who created the Arc browser?

When creating the Arc browser, Hursh Agrawal and Josh Miller conceived it as a tool that considers the user's needs and does not monetize personal data. The Browser Company they lead created Arc as a product under the freemium concept, which is based on providing clients basic services and functions for free, in the form of a limited version or a trial. At the end of last year, Arc Browser was released for MacOS, and while work on the Windows version is ongoing, a mobile version for iOS has just appeared. So what are its features?

Extremely simple and intuitive interface

At first, this browser will surprise you. Like many browsers, Arc is based on the Chromium engine (and supports most Google Chrome extensions!), but it has no tabs, bookmarks, or address bar. You see a seemingly ordinary site... As you know, everything simple is ingenious. There is a thin border around the window. Just move your mouse over the left edge of the window, and a menu will open with all the necessary functions, including opening tabs, creating shortcuts and bookmarks, etc. For the most frequently used actions, there are also keyboard shortcuts. For example, to open the address and search bar, press cmd+l. This menu can be made permanently visible. Many have commented that this makes Arc feel more like a mobile app than a desktop program, which seems to be a plus as we get increasingly accustomed to using smartphones predominantly. With amazing speed, the browser remembers and links the necessary pages and content. "Are you ready to let go of the old internet?" the creators of the browser are asking you ambitiously.

Ability to split the browser window

Usually, when we browse the web, we open one window after another. Here we can easily split the same window into two parts. Onward more! The browser window can also be divided into four parts, each simultaneously displaying different web pages. It is especially convenient to have two pages open: for example, some social network and, say, Netflix or the latest issue of an online newspaper. It is also useful that you can remember the combination of pages you need as one tab and quickly open it. You can create several of these workspaces and quickly switch between them. Each space can be colored with a different color to distinguish between them easily. In addition, Arc has special features such as calendar integration and note-taking.

How to get Arc browser on your Mac

You can download the Arc browser on The Browser Company. It has been in beta testing for some time, and now it is available for everyone.

Students have the benefit of early access by submitting a valid academic email here.

ARC app for iPhone

And now the application for iOS is here. To download it, you must already have a verified ARC account. The main advantage of the mobile app lies precisely in the integration of your Macbook and mobile gadget. What you save on your smartphone is instantly shown on the paired device, and vice versa.

The creators of the browser give their creation the role of a "manager" that will simplify our work with the Internet thanks to its sidebar. They claim that many of the users they interviewed just dreamed of having a sidebar with their preferences on their smartphones. Let's see if Arc proves so popular that it changes how we deal with the web and becomes truly mainstream. Arc's team wants to emphasize the human approach to the project, and for this, they publish funny videos on YouTube in which they talk about their problems, news, and plans, for example, how they think to monetize the browser in the future (spoiler: providing additional features for Teams and through Boosts).