The Browser Company has announced that its flagship Arc browser will be discontinued, with a sunset date of December 22, 2026. Users have exactly two months to move on from the app. The Arc desktop browser is what put The Browser Company on the map, but the firm shifted its focus to a second attempt at the desktop web browser market with Dia. Development of Arc has been halted since May of last year.
In its announcement, the company said, "We've decided to sunset Arc on December 22, 2026. That's not an easy sentence to write. We spent years building Arc and celebrating each and every release along the way." The company explained that its priority is best-in-class security for its members. Keeping a browser secure requires constant, dedicated work that is only increasing in the age of AI, and Dia was built from the ground up to meet today's security standards. Engineering and security teams will focus on Dia going forward.
The Browser Company outlined what users can expect when moving from Arc to Dia. Passwords, bookmarks, extensions and history transfer seamlessly. Spaces, Folders and Tab Groups import over with data intact. The company says Dia now surpasses Arc benchmarks in stability, speed and security. Browser features used in Arc are free in Dia, and its AI capabilities are optional. Dia is available for free.
The move comes as OpenAI shut down its AI-centric Atlas browser earlier this year in favor of ChatGPT's in-app browser. Several alternatives to Arc still exist on the Mac and beyond.
Source: 9to5Mac · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing