After a year of ARC browser, I don’t switch back to Chrome

The ARC browser was absolutely rage a year ago, and it made me curious enough to try it. After an early test run, I gave it a few months before I switched to it full time. If you ask me today if I regret the decision, the answer is a resounding no. In fact, it has been one of the most refreshing technology switches I have done since I moved from Windows to Mac many years ago.

At a time when each browser began to see and feel accurate as the other – with most running chrome under the hood – Arc felt like a breath of fresh air. While it was the visual upgrades that pulled me in, the various smart features have kept me hooked for more than a year. And at this point I won’t even consider going back to Google Chrome – Or any other browser, for that matter.

I hate admitting it, but I’ve always struggled to manage browser tabs. I know many users are in the same boat, but that insurance never helped, as my situation was embarrassingly out of control. I had tabs open for months without any idea why I needed them, mixed with temporary tabs like login pages that have just stacked the mess. I had accepted my fate – until I switched to Arc.

To be honest, Arc was a big shift from what I was used to with Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. But maybe the massive leap was exactly what I needed to finally change my habits for good. And I’m glad to report that it did.

The most consequence change for me was Arc’s standard setting to automatically close all unsaved tabs after a day (you can customize this; I have set myself for a week). It turned the script: Instead of tabs being stored as standard and accumulating infinity, they now disappear unless I deliberately store them. This alone has drastically reduced root on my most used desktop app. This simple ingenuity is what won me.

Arc complements this approach with something called Little Arc, which is a mini window that pops up to open websites you only need temporarily and do not want to seal your tab (think login pages and such). It’s a big part of my workflow now, even though it stays out of sight. Thinking about this as I write, I wonder how I have ever worked without it, and why more browsers have not yet copied the idea.

Sure, most mainstream browsers, Including Chrome, is now on the AI ​​-Hype train, Usually add a chatbot to the sidebar like some patchwork. It saves you a step to visit an AI tool website, but not much else. ARC, on the other hand, has offered really useful and smart features anymore, and they are much better integrated.

For example, you can float over inline links to get a quick summary of the page before deciding whether to open it. In addition, CMD/Ctrl + F-Narveien acts as an AI-driven search box that allows you to ask you questions about your natural language.

The two things I use most are both related to tab control – which, if you haven’t already guessed, is a big deal for me. After all, what are tabs if not digital laundry that is back again the other you have finished folding the last mound?

To begin with, ARC automatically provides new names to tabitles and downloaded files with readable, contextual names, instead of the usual root of Gibberish Filename. And when I work with a great history of dozens of tabs that are open to research without clear order or structure, I use the Tenty Tabs feature. One click from the sidebar and is nicely grouped similar tabs with appropriate titles, without lifting a finger. For what it’s worth, even Google Chrome has begun to catch up here, and has recently added a similar feature with Gemini.

OH, and ARC also include mini-apps with built-in integrations for popular services like Gmail and Google Calendar-To Things I use all the time. If I have a meeting that comes up, a joint button will appear right in the sidebar minutes before, and let me jump right in without having to dig around my e -posts or calendar entries for the link. Similarly, I can see recent emails in a small pop-up window without having to open a full tab. As the fruit company likes to say – it just works!

As much as I love ARC and plan to stick to it for the foreseeable future, it is not without mistakes.

The biggest case for me, far, is battery life. ARC eats up MacBook Airs Battery faster than I want. Chrome is just as bad, if not worse, while Microsoft Edge has been noticeably more battery efficient-despite the fact that he also drove on the chrome.

Then it was the great vulnerability that could potentially expose the entire browser to bad actors. Fortunately, ARC patched it before it became a widespread question, but it still let many questions about reliability. Add the recent news that The company is now focusing on a new browserWithout new features coming to ARC, and the future of ARC is starting to look gloomy.

The last bit is mostly stinging. But I have been fond of Arc enough to continue using it until it becomes really unreliable for daily work. Until then, Chrome can cry on Gemini’s shoulder.