This web browser rips off the best parts of Arc, but skips the AI and bloat

Published Nov 11, 2026, 10:30 AM EST Dhruv Bhutani has been writing about consumer technology since 2008, offering deep insights into the personal technology landscape through features and opinion pieces. He writes for XDA-Developers, where he focuses on topics like productivity, networking, self-hosting, and more. Over the years, his work has also appeared in leading publications such as Android Police, Android Authority, CNET, PCMag, and more. Outside of his professional work, Dhruv is an avid fan of horror media spanning films and literature, enjoys fitness activities, collects vinyl records, and plays the guitar. Arc has long been a darling of productivity enthusiasts and browser nerds, thanks to its innovative approach to tabs, workspaces, and overall organization. However, Arc's developers have made it abundantly clear that the browser is on its way out. While The Browser Company might've switched focus to the AI-focused Dia browser, that's just not for me. And if you're like me, who fell in love with Arc's fresh take on a browser interface, you'd know how hard it has been to find an alternative. That's where Zen Browser comes in. This open-source, Firefox-based web browser borrows heavily from Arc's design and adds useful features that give it a unique identity. I've been exploring what Zen Browser offers, and there's enough to make it worth switching over to as your everyday browser. Zen Browser borrows Arc's best ideas for managing tabs Workspaces and container tabs make switching context easier Credit: Coming from Arc, the first thing you'll notice is how familiar everything looks. Between the vertical sidebar, pinned websites, and workspaces, there are signs of Arc everywhere you look. That's obviously not a bad thing. Part of Arc's appeal was its fundamentally different approach to browsing, and it got those interactions right. Zen is building on that groundwork, and I see no reason to reinvent the wheel. To begin with, Zen Browser moves tabs to a vertical sidebar, which gives me more room to identify individual pages. It lets me organize tabs into folders and pin frequently visited websites for quick access. Dubbed Essentials, this is effectively equivalent to pinned tabs in Chrome. Additionally, you can move tabs into separate folders for a more organized way to access them later. So far, so good. However, workspace functionality is what I truly enjoy using in Arc. I can create separate spaces for work research, personal browsing, and my umpteen home lab projects. Each workspace maintains its own set of tabs and gives me a better way to switch context. Since Zen Browser is built on top of Firefox, it also inherits the latter's container tabs feature. This feature lets you maintain separate login sessions for different accounts on the same website. Using the built-in Routes functionality, you can even pre-define a specific layout for fixed tabs that you open every day. It's effectively an automatic tab organizer, so if you open, let's say, the stocks every morning, you'll go directly to your personal finance workspace. All that to say that Zen Browser offers plenty of ways to manipulate your tabs and browser windows to suit exactly how you work. Some of this might seem intimidating to start with if you're new to the concept, but the onboarding does a good job of getting you started. Plenty of tricks to make multitasking easier Split View lets you keep four tabs open side by side While tab management is important, what's equally important to me as a heavy multitasker is how the browser lets me actively use my tabs. Zen Browser offers plenty of features here as well to enhance your browsing experience. First up is Split View. This feature isn't new to browsers, with more and more desktop browsers adding it, but implementation matters. Zen Browser lets you arrange up to four tabs alongside each other in the same window. In my daily workflow, I use it for pulling up documentation, my CMS, Docker management software, and perhaps my notes at the same time. All you have to do is select all open tabs that you want arranged in a grid, right-click, and select the option. Nifty. Similarly, Glance is another useful addition that lets you preview a link in a temporary floating window without cluttering up your tabs. If the tab ends up being something you'll need again, you can comfortably turn the floating window into a regular tab. The usability tweaks go further with features like a compact mode that hides away the browser interface when you don't need it, giving you more screen real estate to browse your content and maximize screen space on a laptop. And a floating command bar that effectively works like an in-browser Spotlight search to run quick searches, open a new tab, or jump to an existing page. If you like customizing the interface or adding to the functionality of the browser, you'll also like the Mods support. These go above and beyond extensions, which are also well represented and compatible with Firefox's extensive extensions. Zen Mods, on the other hand, modify the browser interface using CSS and can completely overhaul the look and feel, and in some cases, add extra functionality to the browser. Zen Browser is the Arc alternative I've been waiting for Having used Zen Browser for the last few days, I have to say it feels a bit like stepping back in time. Not quite back to Internet Explorer, but more like 2016, when browsers were genuinely exciting and innovative. The ideas here aren't all new, but the implementation is excellent, even though the browser is still in beta. The fact of the matter is that not every browser needs deep AI integration or an agent. If you prefer the old-school way of browsing but with modern organization enhancements, Arc fits the bill. There are still a few caveats, sure. Lacking Widevine support, Zen can't play any DRM'd content whatsoever. However, these are beta niggles that'll get solved sooner rather than later. If you liked Arc for its interface and approach to organizing tabs, Zen is hands down one of the most compelling alternatives on the market right now. Zen Browser For a browser focused on a beautiful UI, extensive user modification, and privacy, look no further than Zen Browser.