By 2026 the competition between browsers has shifted from search results to which company’s AI can act on users’ behalf inside the browser. Google Chrome and Apple Safari still dominate overall market share, with Chrome’s advantage partly driven by heavy integration of generative AI into search. Since 2025 and into 2026, a number of startups and large tech firms have launched alternative browsers that aim to turn the browser from a window into the web into an assistant that performs tasks for users.
AI-powered browsers
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Perplexity — Comet: Perplexity launched its AI-powered browser Comet in July 2025. The product functions like a chatbot-based search engine and can summarize emails, browse web pages and perform tasks such as sending calendar invites. Comet is currently available only to Perplexity’s $200/month Max plan subscribers, with a waitlist for others.
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The Browser Company — Dia: The Browser Company, maker of the Arc browser, introduced Dia last summer. Dia resembles Google Chrome visually but includes an AI chat tool. It can inspect sites a user has visited and sites where they are logged in, helping to surface information about the current page, answer product questions and summarize uploaded files. Dia is currently free to download.
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Opera — Neon: Opera entered the agentic AI browser competition in May 2025 with Neon. Neon offers contextual awareness and can assist with research, shopping and writing small code snippets; it can also perform certain tasks offline. Neon is available on macOS and Windows and costs $19.90 per month.
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OpenAI — Atlas (shut down July 2026): OpenAI launched Atlas in October (last year), an AI-powered browser that let users ask ChatGPT about search results and browse websites within the chatbot interface instead of following external links. Atlas included an "agent mode" to have ChatGPT complete tasks on users’ behalf. In July 2026 OpenAI decided to shut down Atlas and fold some agentic browsing capabilities into the ChatGPT desktop app and Chrome extension.
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Aside: Backed by Y Combinator, Aside is a browser-native, AI-first automation platform built to autonomously complete tasks, fill forms and manage data for users. Aside’s model is to operate directly within the browser—using passwords, browsing history and browser context—rather than relying on integrations, enabling it to work across Gmail, Notion, Slack, Figma and banking platforms.
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Jatter: Jatter launched its AI browser in June, allowing users to ask questions about any web page, surface relevant insights and receive personalized recommendations based on browsing activity. Jatter includes an integrated Notes app that the browser can learn from, summarize and highlight key details. Jatter runs on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android; the basic product is free with an optional $10/month subscription.
Privacy-focused browsers
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Brave: Brave is a well-known privacy-first browser with built-in ad and tracker blocking. It uses a gamified model that rewards users with Basic Attention Token (BAT) when they opt into viewing ads, sharing ad revenue with users who support sites. Brave also includes a VPN service, an AI assistant and a video calling feature.
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DuckDuckGo: DuckDuckGo, known for its namesake search engine, has invested in its browser to remain competitive, adding generative AI features such as a chatbot and expanding its scam blocker to detect fake cryptocurrency exchanges, scareware and fraudulent e-commerce sites. DuckDuckGo blocks trackers and ads and does not track user data.
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Ladybird: Led by GitHub co-founder and former CEO Chris Wanstrath, Ladybird aims to build a completely new open source browser from scratch instead of relying on Chromium-based code. The project intends to include privacy-preserving features like a built-in ad blocker and third-party cookie blocking. An alpha version is scheduled for release this year for early adopters on Linux and macOS.
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Vivaldi: Vivaldi, created by one of Opera’s original developers, is a Chromium-based browser that emphasizes extensive UI customization. Features include ad blocking, a password manager, no user-data tracking, productivity tools like a calendar and notes, and a color-changing window that adapts to the viewed website.
Niche and mindfulness-oriented browsers
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Opera Air: Opera launched the Air browser in February 2025 as one of the early mindfulness-themed browsers. Air functions as a typical web browser but includes features to support mental well-being, such as break reminders, breathing exercises and "Boosts"—a selection of binaural beats for focus or relaxation.
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SigmaOS: SigmaOS is a Mac-only browser with a workspace-style interface focused on productivity. Tabs are shown vertically and can be treated like a to-do list that can be marked complete or snoozed. Users create workspaces to group different activities. Backed by Y Combinator, SigmaOS has added AI features such as summarizing page elements (ratings, reviews, prices) and an AI assistant that can answer questions, translate and rewrite content. SigmaOS is free to use; users who want more than three workspaces can subscribe for $8 per month to get unlimited workspaces.
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Zen Browser: Zen Browser seeks to create a calmer internet as an open source project. It offers Workspaces for organizing tabs, Split View for side-by-side tabs and supports community-made plugins and themes.
Why it matters
Embedding AI agents into browsers could fundamentally change how people use the web, shifting from clicking links to delegating tasks and getting contextual assistance. That shift raises data protection and security questions, especially when services request access to passwords, browsing history and account contexts. Some advanced features are gated behind subscriptions, others are available for free or as open source, and some projects have been wound down or integrated into other products—illustrating that the space is still experimental and rapidly evolving.
Update
This story was updated after publication to include newly launched browsers.
