I published an article in March. Xataka “Testing Arc: a different browser with great utilities, but overly innovative.” In it, he noted some of Arc’s benefits, but also criticized it for being too obtrusive and straying from traditional browser conventions.

Today I come with my hand on my chest to step back and ask for forgiveness in front of everyone, because After using it as my only browser for a few months, it has completely won me over and it’s become my default browser on both Mac and iPhone (it’s also available for Windows).

Valuable changes

What made me change my mind? Mainly, realizing Arc This is not just a browser with a different design, it is a completely redesigned browser. What the web browsing experience should be like in 2024.

Its minimalist interface in the middle of the sidebar seems strange at first, but then it becomes fascinating. This approach, where the top bar and address bar are completely or partially eliminated (optional), allows for better use of screen space.

Image: Ark.

This sidebar is very versatile: it houses favorites, open tabs, “spaces” and more. It even adds a multimedia playbar if we are playing something on Spotify web or YouTube Music, for example.

But, tab management really convinced me. It makes smart management. It understands when we open more than we can handle and helps us keep them organized. The “Spaces” system allows you to group them together with favorites according to the project or the environment we want to move to. Work, Personal, Newsletter, Vacation Plan… And with a simple gesture we can switch from one to the other.

Arc also automatically archives tabs we haven’t used in a while to prevent them from piling up, but we can disable this option… or drag the tab to favorites to keep it there for a while. I find it more convenient to have inactive tabs automatically archived on the iPhone.

And the feature that affects my daily life the most: split view Having two (or three or four) tabs in the same window is extremely useful. Being able to add data to Datawrapper without having to go from one site to another, being able to write articles following the statements of the incumbent CEO, being able to review documentation…

The integrated AI functionality, called Max, is also good, although still a bit hidden. You can ask the page you’re viewing for a way to find information on a long website or PDF. The way Arc suggests names for tabs, folders or downloads also proves this to be a really useful integration.

Its speed and performance also impressed me. After Arc, there is Chromium, that was my fear. I have not had any problems in my daily life with the 2021 MacBook Pro. Fluent and agile in every task. And Chromium, as I mentioned, is what ensures compatibility with any website and access to the best extension library.

If we add Google Calendar to our favorites, we can get notifications when a video call meeting is about to start and join with one click thanks to the floating button displayed by Arc. It’s these little details that make you fall in love.

Like the possibility of pressing command + T to open a tab and writing directly the website we want to go to or the search we want to do in Google … or if we press the down arrow, to resort to the same thing in ChatGPT. Details.

It is not perfect: I miss the reader or translator that Safari integrates. It can be solved with extensions, of course, but it is not the same. In Safari this aspect was much better. Also, the synchronization between devices is not at the best level, although it has improved in recent months.

These are minor inconveniences that pale in comparison to all the benefits Arc has brought me. It has completely changed the way I work and navigate. I feel more organized and productive with Arc, and less overwhelmed.

I withdraw my criticism and initial skepticism. Arc isn’t terribly innovative, it’s simply a browser that dares to completely rethink what the web browsing experience should be like. in the modern age. It’s innovative, efficient, and surprisingly intuitive once you get the hang of it. There’s a learning curve, but it’s worth it.

If you are like me and spend most of your day in front of the browser, I recommend you try Arc. It will be strange and different at first, but over time it will emerge as a gem.

On Xataka | Opera has stood up to giants like Microsoft, Google and Apple for 30 years. It plans to continue like this for another 30 years

Featured image | Yay