Arc browser alternatives: how to move before the Dec 22 shutdown

Is Arc browser shutting down?

Yes, The Browser Company announced on October 22 that Arc will stop working on December 22, 2026. The company says keeping a browser secure takes more effort every year, so its security team now focuses on Dia, its newer browser. Until the shutdown, Arc receives basic fixes but no new features.

• October 22: new Arc accounts stopped, and an update added a full export.
• November 23: Arc Search on iPhone and Android loses its AI, sign-in and sync.
• December 15: last day to request a copy of your Arc account data.
• December 22: Arc stops working on Mac and Windows, and accounts close.

Your history and passwords are stored on your computer rather than with The Browser Company, and once Arc refuses to open, you can't reach them. That's why the export or import needs to happen first.

How to move your tabs, Spaces and passwords out of Arc

Every step below comes from Arc's help centre or from the destination browser's own help pages. If you're moving to Dia, steps 1, 2 and 4 cover your computer; for any other browser, skip step 2 and follow the rest.

1. 01Update Arc first. Install the latest Arc update, which adds the full export. If you haven't opened Arc lately, download it again from arc.net and sign in.
2. 02Going to Dia: import during setup. Download Dia and pick Arc when it asks where to import from, then choose which extensions to keep. On Windows, quit Arc first. Keep Arc installed until the import ends.
3. 03Going elsewhere: export your Spaces. On a Mac, go to Arc > Settings > Advanced > Export Data. On Windows, press Ctrl+, and choose Export Data under Export Spaces and tabs. Arc saves Arc Data Export.md, with your Favorites, pinned tabs and folders as links.
4. 04Save your Easels. Open your Library, select Easels, then Export All Easels to get a ZIP of web pages. Boosts can't be exported.
5. 05Import into the new browser. In Comet, go to Settings > You and Comet > Import from another browser. In Brave, open the menu and choose Bookmarks > Import Bookmarks and Settings. Both list the browsers they find on your computer, but neither help page names Arc, so check the list.
6. 06Check your passwords. Look up a few sites in the new browser's password list. Arc's help only covers moving passwords into Dia. For Chrome, Brave's help gives a fallback: export a passwords file, then pick Select file under Import passwords at brave://password-manager/settings.
7. 07Rebuild your sidebar. Open Arc Data Export.md in any text editor and open or bookmark the links you want. To copy one folder, right-click it in Arc and choose Copy All Links.
8. 08Save your Arc Search tabs. On iPhone, tap the Tab Switcher, then Settings, then Export Data. On Android, go to Settings > Storage > Export data.

Which Arc browser alternative should you pick?

Dia suits most Arc users. It's free on Mac and Windows and keeps the sidebar, pinned tabs, Split View, the Command Bar and the Tab Switcher. The free plan includes no AI features. AI costs $10 a month with Better Answers or $100 a month with Better Days, after a 14-day trial with no card.

Dia requires its own account, and the import is a one-time copy rather than an ongoing sync. If you'd prefer to leave The Browser Company entirely, the three browsers below are the closest alternatives in our directory. For a wider field, read our comparison of the best AI browsers.

1. Opera: closest to Arc's layout

• Opera AIBest if you want Spaces and vertical tabsFree

Opera's desktop browsers, including Opera One, Opera GX and Opera Air, come with Opera AI built in, free and without any sign-up. Workspaces separate tabs by project like Arc's Spaces, Tab Islands group related tabs, and vertical tabs are optional.

Opera AI understands the page you're reading or an entire tab group, and it can compare several pages at once. It also analyzes documents such as PDFs, reports and spreadsheets.

Good

• Workspaces and vertical tabs echo Arc's sidebar
• Free AI with no account

Watch for

• Opera's pages don't say it can import from Arc, so plan on the link export

2. Brave: private, with vertical tabs on Linux too

• Brave Leo AIBest if privacy matters mostFree

Brave runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, which matters because Arc never released a Linux version. To recreate Arc's vertical layout, right-click any tab and select Use vertical tabs. The built-in assistant, Brave Leo AI, summarizes webpages, PDFs and Google Docs without requiring an account.

Brave says Leo doesn't retain your conversations or use them for training. Leo itself is free, while Leo Premium adds more models and faster responses for $14.99 a month after a 7-day free trial.

Good

• Vertical tabs on Windows, macOS and Linux
• Free assistant that keeps chats on your device

Watch for

• Brave's help says Chrome passwords need a file export

How we checked

On Nov 8, 2026, we read the farewell page at arc.net, Arc's help centre and Dia's plans page. We also read the help and pricing pages from Perplexity, Opera and Brave. We haven't performed these moves ourselves, so every menu name and setting comes directly from the makers' own documentation.

Menus change over time, so follow the maker's current instructions if your screen looks different. To compare Dia's price with other AI subscriptions, see our 2026 AI price list.

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