Over the last 25 years, I’ve used many browsers across different operating systems. However, given that the online world is now largely cloud-based, I prefer a browser that works seamlessly across all my devices rather than dedicated software on each one. Since Apple allows users to set their default browser on iOS, I’ve realized that I’ve grown quite accustomed to Safari.
Occasionally, the browser market introduces interesting new concepts. Recently, a colleague introduced me to the Arc browser. At first, I didn’t see any features that made Arc superior to Safari. I was initially put off by the interface, with everything—tabs, address bar, etc.—positioned in a sidebar instead of at the top. However, I quickly forgot about the browser after the first day. A few days later, I read something about a new überbrowser on my iPhone and decided to give it another try. The app icon of Arc looked familiar, and I was instantly intrigued by its AI-supported features (Arc Max) and the presentation of search results.
With Arc, you type your query into the search bar and click on “Browse for me.” Arc then searches the internet and creates a live website with a summary of your search topic. This approach allows you to find what you’re looking for within seconds, without wading through ad-overkilled websites with SEO text and clickbait headlines. And if you browse the usual “Google” way, a mouse-over on the links will give you a short page summary, the so-called 5 second preview. As a marketeer, I wonder if this does count as a click? However, as a user I found this rather comfortable.
The clean, distraction-free interface is also impressive—just the content and the controls you need. The tab organization is just next level and a killer feature for everyone who has always dozens of tabs open. AI and ChatGPT integration
Arc has many well-designed features, but I won’t go into detail here. You can see for yourself on their website: https://arc.net/.
The one big minus for me is the lack of native support for Apple’s Keychain. Fortunately, I use a third-party password manager, so this isn’t a major issue. Since Arc is based on Chrome, the extensions I typically use work just fine. Although I haven’t set Arc as my default browser yet, I’m very close to doing so. But I can try the integrated “try Arc as default for a week” feature.
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