Latest news with #webbrowser
The Verge
2 days ago
- Business
- The Verge
The Browser Company's AI browser now has a $20 subscription
The Browser Company — the makers of the Arc browser — just launched a $20 per month subscription to its new AI-powered web browser, Dia, as reported earlier by TechCrunch. The new Dia Pro subscription comes with unlimited access to the browser's chat feature, which lets you ask questions about the content in your tabs. People who use Dia for free will still have access to the same features the browser launched with, including the ability to interact with the browser's AI chatbot and create custom skills. But free users might run into some limits if they frequently use Dia's AI chat feature. The Browser Company hasn't carved out specific limits for non-subscribers, but CEO Josh Miller told The New York Times last month that 'the browser will remain free for those who use the A.I. tool only a few times a week.' Miller also hinted at rolling out additional subscription tiers, ranging from $5 to hundreds of dollars per month. The Browser Company first announced the development of Dia late last year before launching it in beta in June. Over the past several months, Google and Microsoft have begun knitting AI more tightly into their browsers, while the AI search startup Perplexity has released an early access version of its AI browser Comet. Rumors also suggest that OpenAI is getting ready to release an AI web browser of its own. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Emma Roth Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All AI Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Apps Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tech Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Web
TechCrunch
14-07-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
As the browser wars heat up, here are the hottest alternatives to Chrome and Safari in 2025
Google Chrome and Apple's Safari currently dominate the web browser market, with Chrome holding a significant share due to the tech giant's ongoing innovations, particularly in integrating generative AI into its search functionalities. However, users seeking alternatives will find a variety of browsers aiming to challenge these industry giants. To help navigate the competitive landscape of the browser wars, we've compiled an overview of some of the top alternative browsers available today. This includes browsers leveraging AI, open-source browsers that promote customization and privacy, and 'mindful browsers'—a new term that refers to browsers designed to enhance user well-being. AI-powered browsers Image Credits:Perplexity Perplexity's Comet Perplexity is the most recent startup in the space to launch an AI-powered web browser. Called Comet, the company's new product acts as a chatbot-based search engine, and can perform actions like summarizing emails, browsing web pages, and performing tasks such as sending calendar invites. It's currently only available to users with Perplexity's $200/month Max plan, but there's also a waitlist where people can sign up. The Browser Company's Dia Image Credits:The Browser Company The Browser Company, the startup behind the Arc browser, recently introduced Dia, its AI-centric browser that looks similar to Google Chrome but with an AI chat tool. Currently available as an invite-only beta, Dia is designed to help users navigate the web more easily. It's able to look at every website that a user has visited and every website they're logged into, enabling it to help you find information and perform tasks. For instance, Dia can provide information about the page a user is currently browsing, answer questions about a product, and summarize uploaded files. To get early access to Dia, users have to be an Arc member. Non-members can join the waitlist. Opera's Neon Image Credits:Opera Another recent entry into the AI agentic browser war is Opera's Neon, which has contextual awareness and can do things like researching, shopping, and writing snippets of code. Notably, it can even perform tasks while the user is offline. Neon has yet to become available, but people can join the waitlist. It will be a subscription product; however, Opera hasn't announced pricing yet. OpenAI's rumored browser According to Reuters, OpenAI may also be releasing an AI-powered web browser as soon as July. The browser is reported to operate inside ChatGPT, letting users browse websites inside the chatbot instead of directing to outside links. Privacy-focused browsers Image Credits:Brave Brave Brave is among the more well-known privacy-first browsers, popular for its built-in ad and tracker blocking capabilities. It also has a gamified approach to browsing, rewarding users with its own cryptocurrency called Basic Attention Token (BAT). When users choose to opt in to view ads, supporting their favorite websites, they get a share of the ad revenue. Additional features include a VPN service, an AI assistant, and a video calling feature. DuckDuckGo Image Credits:DuckDuckGo DuckDuckGo is another browser that many people are probably already familiar with, thanks to its search engine by the same name. Launched in 2008, the company recently made significant investments in its browser to stay competitive by introducing generative AI features, such as a chatbot. It also enhanced its scam blocker to detect a wider range of scams, including fake cryptocurrency exchanges, scareware tactics, and fraudulent e-commerce websites. In addition to blocking scams, DuckDuckGo prevents trackers and ads, and it doesn't track user data, resulting in fewer pop-ups for users. Ladybird Image Credits:Ladybird Ladybird, led by GitHub co-founder and former CEO Chris Wanstrath, has an ambitious mission compared to other rivals: it aims to build an entirely new open-source browser from scratch. This means it will not rely on code from existing browsers, a feat that has rarely been accomplished. Most alternative web browsers depend on the Chromium open-source project maintained by Google, which is the most widely used base for many browsers. Like other privacy-focused browsers, Ladybird will offer features to minimize data collection, such as a built-in ad blocker and the ability to block third-party cookies. The browser has yet to be launched, with an alpha version scheduled for release in 2026 for early adopters, available on Linux and macOS. Vivaldi Image Credits:Vivaldi Vivaldi is a Chromium-based browser created by one of the original developers of the Opera browser. Its biggest selling point is its customizable user interface, which allows users to change the appearance and enable or disable features. One unique feature is that the browser window changes color to match the website being viewed. Other key features include ad blocking, a password manager, no user data tracking, and productivity tools such as a calendar and notes. Niche browsers Image Credits:Opera Opera Air Opera launched the Air browser in February, becoming one of the first mindfulness-themed browsers in the space. While Opera Air functions like a typical web browser, it includes unique features designed to support mental well-being. These features consist of break reminders and breathing exercises. Another feature, called 'Boosts,' provides a selection of binaural beats to either help improve focus or relaxation. SigmaOS Image Credits:SigmaOS SigmaOS is a Mac-only browser featuring a workspace-style interface that emphasizes productivity. It displays tabs vertically, allowing users to treat them like a to-do list that can be marked as complete or snoozed for later. Users can create workspaces—essentially groups of tabs—to better organize different activities, such as separating work from entertainment. This Y Combinator-backed browser has been around for a few years now and has most recently begun introducing more AI features, including the ability to summarize various elements of a web page, such as ratings, reviews, and prices. It also has an AI assistant that can answer questions, translate text, and rewrite content. SigmaOS is free to use, but users who want more than three workspaces can subscribe to a plan for $8 per month, which provides unlimited workspaces. Zen Browser Image Credits:Zen Browser Zen Browser aims to create a 'calmer internet' with its open-source browser. Zen lets users organize tabs into Workspaces, offers Split View to view two tabs side by side, among other productivity-focused features. Users can also enhance their browsing experience with community-made plugins and themes, such as a mod that makes the tab background transparent.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AI startups believe Google's Chrome is vulnerable to a new wave of intelligent browsers
AI startups are breaking into the web browser business, posing a threat to one of Google's biggest businesses. Perplexity, which this week launched its own AI-enabled web browser, Comet, is leading the charge. Experts say Google's relative slowness on AI has left an opening that could give AI startups a chance of grabbing market share. A flurry of AI startups are changing the way we search the web and in the process threatening Google's search dominance in the biggest way since its meteoric rise in the late '90s. This week, Perplexity, a San Francisco-based startup most recently valued at $14 billion, launched its own AI-enabled web browser for select subscribers. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is also working on an AI web browser of its own, reported Reuters. These AI web browsers directly aim at Google's dominance over search, especially through its popular Google Chrome web browser, and have the potential to upend the industry as we know it by reimagining the search experience, said Steve Jang, the founder and managing partner at Kindred Ventures, which was an early investor in Perplexity. 'Every tech cycle, everyone questions whether or not a new startup can—how can they possibly defeat or even get significant market share away from these legacy platforms, and they always do,' he told Fortune. Perplexity's AI browser, Comet, for instance, comes with Perplexity's AI chatbot pre-installed to replace searches. It also includes an AI agent called Comet Assistant, which the company claims can automatically book a meeting or send an email, buy something for you, and brief you on what you need to know for the day. The entry of these AI products may also be timely and could take advantage of a 'window of opportunity,' as Google faces an uncertain future thanks to the impending remedies resulting from its antitrust case, said Ari Paparo, a former director of product management of advertiser products at Google. One such remedy could include spinning off the Chrome web browser that the AI upstarts are trying to compete with. Google didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Still, it's unclear how the search market will ultimately pan out as a result of the new entrants. Google Chrome, for its part, still has an advantage because of its established reach of more than 3 billion users, about 68% of the market, and the massive amount of user data it collects—then there's the friction involved with switching browsers, a challenge in itself. But in terms of AI usage, OpenAI is already competing head-to-head with Google. Twenty-nine percent of consumers say they use OpenAI regularly, versus 30% who say they use Google's Gemini, according to a recent survey by Wedbush. Paparo said the technology from AI web browsers needs to be significantly better to convince consumers to switch products. 'What is it that a browser from Perplexity or a browser from OpenAI will do that'll be 10 times better than what Google does? They already have search, they already have AI, they already have the browser. That's a pretty tough hill to climb,' Paparo told Fortune. What's worse, the AI-enabled Comet, like most other AI platforms, is in some cases still prone to hallucinations, TechCrunch reported. Still, Jang, the VC, said he is still confident the Perplexity team is set up to make major strides. Apart from Comet, the company has also previously launched a mobile app with voice capability and its own take on supercharged AI agents with Perplexity Labs. While Google may be the giant in search, Perplexity is the eager upstart looking for an opening, he said. 'Monopolies in technology are great opportunities for startups, and by design they are meant to be attacked,' he added. This story was originally featured on
New York Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Is A.I. the Future of Web Browsing?
When was the last time you thought about your web browser? If you don't remember, no one will blame you. Web browsers have remained fundamentally unchanged for decades: You open an app, such as Chrome, Safari or Firefox, and type a website into the address bar. Many of us settled on one and fell into what I call 'browser inertia,' never bothering to see if there's anything better. Yet a web browser is important because so much of what we do on computers takes place inside one, including word processing, chatting on Slack and managing calendars and email. That's why I felt excited when I recently tried Dia, a new kind of web browser from the Browser Company of New York, a start-up. The app is powered by generative artificial intelligence, the technology driving popular chatbots like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, to answer our questions. Dia illuminates how a web browser can do much more than load websites — and even help us learn and save time. I tested Dia for a week and found myself browsing the web in new ways. In seconds, the browser provided a written recap of a 20-minute video without my watching its entirety. While scanning a breaking news article, the browser generated a list of other relevant articles for a deeper understanding. I even wrote to the browser's built-in chatbot for help proofreading a paragraph of text. Dia is on the cusp of an emerging era of A.I.-powered internet navigators that could persuade people to try something new. This week, Perplexity, a start-up that makes a search engine, announced an A.I. web browser called Comet, and some news outlets have reported that OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, also plans to release a browser this year. OpenAI declined to comment. (The New York Times has sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, claiming copyright infringement of news content related to A.I. systems. The two companies have denied the suit's claims.) Tech behemoths like Google and Apple have added lightweight A.I. features into their existing browsers, Chrome and Safari, including tools for proofreading text and automatically summarizing articles. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Verge
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Verge
OpenAI's next big launch could be an AI web browser
OpenAI is planning to launch an AI web browser in the 'coming weeks,' according to a report from Reuters. Sources tell the outlet that OpenAI could build its Operator AI agent into the browser, allowing it to book reservations, fill out forms, and complete other tasks on a user's behalf as it moves toward an 'agentic' future. As noted by Reuters, the browser will feature a 'native' ChatGPT interface, potentially allowing users to interact with the chatbot directly through the browser rather than navigating to OpenAI's website. OpenAI also reportedly plans to power its browser with Google's open-source engine, Chromium, which is used by major browsers like Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Opera. This week, the AI startup Perplexity also launched a Chromium-based web browser, called Comet, for its $200 per month subscribers. The browser uses Perplexity's AI search engine by default and comes with a built-in AI assistant. OpenAI's upcoming browser could pose yet another threat to Google, which could be forced to sell Chrome as part of a federal antitrust ruling. Both Perplexity and OpenAI have said they would consider buying the browser. This isn't the first time we're hearing about a potential browser from OpenAI. Last year, The Information reported that OpenAI had been exploring the possibility of launching a browser, and even hired two people who were 'instrumental' in launching Google Chrome. OpenAI began weaving its search engine within ChatGPT last year, and building this capability into its browser seems like a logical expansion.
