Arc Is Shutting Down: What to Do With Your Links, and the Best Arc Alternatives for Teams
Arc will stop working on Mac and Windows on December 22, 2026, after The Browser Company decided to focus on its AI browser, Dia (TechCrunch). If you are looking for an Arc browser alternative, you have good options, and most lists stop there. This one also looks at the part that hurts teams most: the links that lived in everyone’s Arc sidebar.
First things first: export what you have. Our step-by-step guide on how to export your Arc bookmarks before December 22 covers Arc’s built-in export, converting the sidebar file, and moving to Dia.
What to look for in an Arc replacement
Arc changed how people browse with a few ideas. Check each candidate against the ones you actually used:
- A vertical sidebar of tabs instead of a tab strip.
- Spaces that separate work, clients and personal browsing.
- Pinned tabs and folders that behave like a lightweight bookmark manager.
- Split view and a quick command bar.
- Easy migration of what you already have.
No browser copies all of Arc. Pick the one that keeps the habits your day depends on.
The best Arc alternatives
Dia: the official successor
Dia is The Browser Company’s own browser, built around an AI assistant. It imports your Spaces, Favorites, pinned tabs and folders straight from Arc (Arc Help Center), and Arc features such as Profiles (formerly Spaces), optional vertical tabs and Pinned Tab Groups (formerly folders) carry over, with AI optional (TechCrunch).
Good fit if you want the shortest move and like the team behind Arc. Check Dia’s site for current platform support, since its Windows version is new.
Zen: the closest layout, built on Firefox
Zen is a free, open-source browser built on Firefox, with vertical tabs, workspaces and a compact, Arc-like layout. It runs on Mac, Windows and Linux.
Good fit if you loved Arc’s look and want an open-source, non-Chromium browser. Firefox add-ons work, Chrome extensions do not.
Vivaldi: the most configurable
Vivaldi is built on Chromium and lets you rebuild most of Arc yourself: vertical tabs, workspaces, tab stacks and a command bar, plus deep customization. It runs on Mac, Windows and Linux and installs Chrome Web Store extensions.
Good fit if you are happy to spend an hour setting things up exactly how you like.
Microsoft Edge: the safe choice at work
Edge has vertical tabs and Workspaces, but each Workspace opens in its own window rather than switching in place like Arc’s Spaces. It is often already approved by IT and fits teams on Microsoft 365.
Good fit if you need something your company will sign off on this week.
Google Chrome: the familiar default
Chrome offers tab groups and separate profiles, and every extension works. It is the least like Arc, but nothing about it will surprise anyone on your team.
Good fit if you want zero learning curve and will rebuild your organization elsewhere.
Quick comparison
| Browser | Built on | Closest to Arc in | Getting your Arc links in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dia | Chromium | Profiles, pinned tab groups | Direct import from Arc |
| Zen | Firefox | Layout, workspaces | Bookmarks HTML file |
| Vivaldi | Chromium | Vertical tabs, workspaces, command bar | Bookmarks HTML file |
| Edge | Chromium | Vertical tabs, workspaces in windows | Bookmarks HTML file |
| Chrome | Chromium | Tab groups, profiles | Bookmarks HTML file |
The bookmarks HTML file comes from converting Arc’s sidebar file, explained in the export guide.
The real problem for teams: your links lived in a sidebar
Picking a browser is the easy part. The harder part is what Arc’s shutdown exposed: for many teams, the links that run the work lived in each person’s Arc sidebar. The dashboards, the client folders, the onboarding docs, the staging URLs.
That setup has three costs, and Arc’s end makes all of them visible at once:
- Links are tied to one app. When the browser goes, everyone migrates their own sidebar, by hand, and some of it gets lost.
- Links are invisible to teammates. Your pinned folder of release checklists helps nobody else.
- Onboarding starts from zero. A new hire has to collect the same links that everyone else already has.
Switching browsers solves none of these. The next browser will have its own sidebar, and in a few years the same problem comes back.
Keep shared links in one place no browser owns
A better setup separates your browser from your team’s links. Linkinize is a bookmark manager for teams: shared workspaces, tags and instant search, synced to a browser extension. Links live in the cloud instead of in a browser:
- Workspaces replace Spaces, shared with the people who need them: one per team, client or project. See multiple workspaces.
- Search finds any link in a keystroke, from the extension or the web app. See search.
- Everyone gets new links automatically, on every device they sign in to. See sync.
- Switching browsers costs nothing next time. The extension is listed for Chrome, Edge and Firefox, and the web app works in any browser.
To move over, import the bookmarks HTML file from your Arc export into a workspace, then invite your team. If you are comparing dedicated bookmark managers too, our comparison pages cover the main ones, and best bookmark manager tools gives the wider picture.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Arc browser alternative?
It depends on what you used Arc for. Dia is the easiest move because it imports Arc directly and comes from the same company; Zen is closest to Arc’s layout; Vivaldi lets you rebuild most of Arc yourself; Edge and Chrome are the safe defaults at work.
Is there an Arc alternative for Windows?
Yes. Zen, Vivaldi, Microsoft Edge and Chrome all run on Windows. Dia’s Windows version is new, so check Dia’s site for current support.
Is there an Arc alternative for Linux?
Zen and Vivaldi both run on Linux, and so does Chrome. Arc never had a Linux version, so Linux users moving from another machine usually pick Zen for the layout or Vivaldi for control.
Will my Arc extensions work in another browser?
Mostly. Dia, Vivaldi, Edge and Chrome are built on Chromium and install extensions from the Chrome Web Store, and Dia brings your Arc extensions over (TechCrunch). Zen is built on Firefox and uses Firefox add-ons instead.
How can a team keep its shared links when switching browsers?
Keep them outside the browser. Import your bookmarks HTML file into a shared Linkinize workspace and invite the team; everyone then finds the same links from the extension or the web app, whatever browser they use next.
Choose a browser for yourself, a home for your team’s links
Pick the Arc alternative that fits how you browse: Dia for the easiest move, Zen for the look, Vivaldi for control, Edge or Chrome for the safe choice. Then put the links your team shares somewhere that will still be there when the next browser goes away.