Facet
Free Mac browser on WebKit with Facets (Spaces), Gems, an Attic, Peek, Chrome extensions and Arc import.
Facet is a free Mac browser written in SwiftUI with Liquid Glass, signed by Wesley Steben (who submitted it); the site names no team. It runs on the system WebKit, with an optional Chromium download for sites that need Chrome. It is pitched at Arc users, with a page for leaving Arc and a one-click importer that brings Spaces, pinned tabs and folders, favorites, passwords, logins, extensions and history over. Tabs sit in a sidebar or a top bar. Each Facet (a Space) has its own tabs, theme and optional separate logins; Gems are shared favorites, the Attic archives old tabs, and Sweep tidies the rest. It adds a ⌘T command bar, Peek (⇧-click or Force Click, plus AI summaries on hover), two-pane Split View, Boosts, Gallery boards, Chrome Web Store extensions on WebKit's extension API, a built-in uBlock Origin Lite blocker, touch gestures for touchscreen Macs, and an Agent with Apple Intelligence or your own AI key. Sync with the iPhone and iPad apps (public TestFlight beta) is end-to-end encrypted. Optional Pro ($5 a month, $40 a year or $99 once) adds iPhone Relay and similar extras. Source is closed. DRM playback was not confirmed on any service.
Built-in AI
AI on by default
Hover summaries, Sweep, Agent and voice run on Apple Intelligence out of the box; one switch in setup or Settings turns all AI off.
facet.surfBloat check
2 things you didn't ask for
- Paid upsellsPro offers, a free trial countdown and a 40%-off first-payment banner show inside the app; the whole browser stays free.facet.surf
- Telemetry on by defaultUpdate checks send the app version and a random install number to count users; crash and freeze reports are sent only on request.facet.surf
No ads, wallet, feed or account. Built-in Facet AI sends text to the maker's server only if you use it instead of your own key.
Ads, crypto, paid upsells, news feeds, default-on telemetry, required accounts.
Organization
| Feature | Facet | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| SidebarVertical sidebarTabs live in a vertical sidebar that is the main tab UI and can be hidden. | ✓ | ✓ | Tabs live in a sidebar that slides out when hidden, or in a classic top bar if you prefer (Settings > Tabs).facet.surf |
| SpacesSeveral workspaces per window, each with its own pinned and open tabs, switched by swipe or shortcut. | ✓ | ✓ | Facets each have their own tabs, color and theme; a two-finger swipe on the sidebar switches, and Facets can switch by Wi-Fi or schedule.facet.surf |
| ProfilesProfiles per Space (shareable)Each Space can use its own browser profile (separate cookies, logins, history), and one profile can be shared by several Spaces. | ◐ | ✓ | "Separate logins for a Facet" gives one Facet its own cookies and storage; the setting is one per Facet, with no named profile shared across several Facets.facet.surf |
| FavoritesGlobal favoritesPinned icons at the top of the sidebar shared by every Space (Zen calls them Essentials). | ✓ | ✓ | Gems are favorites shown at the top of the sidebar and shared by every Facet; Secret Gems are for private (Ghost) windows.facet.surf |
| Pinned TabsPinned tabs & foldersPer-space pinned tabs that act like bookmarks, with nested folders. | ✓ | ✓ | Pinned tabs and tab folders in the sidebar; the Arc importer keeps pinned folders as folders.facet.surf |
| Live foldersSidebar folders that fill and refresh themselves from an outside source, such as GitHub pull requests or an RSS feed. | ✕ | ✓ | No RSS or GitHub folders; live scores and media appear as sidebar live activities, not folders.facet.surf |
| ArchiveAuto-archive tabsUnpinned tabs close automatically after a set time and stay recoverable in an archive. | ✓ | ✓ | The Attic closes tabs you haven't viewed after a set time and keeps them restorable; pinned tabs and Gems never go there.facet.surf |
| Theme pickerSpace themesPer-space colour or gradient themes. | ✓ | ✓ | Each Facet takes its own colors, gradient, grain and light or dark theme (right-click a Facet > Theme).facet.surf |
Browsing
| Feature | Facet | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Split ViewTwo or more tabs side by side in one window. | ◐ | ✓ | Two pages side by side (Open in Split View, Switch Split Side, Close Split View); the site says "two pages" and no third pane was found.facet.surf |
| PeekLink previewOpen a link in an overlay without leaving the current page (Zen calls it Glance). | ✓ | ✓ | ⇧-click or Force Click opens a big preview you can pinch out into a tab; resting on a link shows an AI summary card.facet.surf |
| Little ArcMini windowA small, chrome-less window for links opened from other apps or a quick search. | ✕ | ✓ | Links from other apps open as a new tab in Facet, in the Facet you pick; no small separate window was found.facet.surf |
| Command barA ⌘T palette that searches tabs, history, bookmarks and browser commands. | ✓ | ✓ | ⌘T opens a popup bar over the page that searches open tabs and the web and and runs commands such as Boost This Site.facet.surf |
| Air Traffic ControlLink routingRules that send links from other apps to a chosen space or profile. | ✓ | ✓ | Links from other apps go to the Facet you pick, with rules per app and per site; a site rule wins over an app rule.facet.surf |
| BoostsSite customizationPer-site custom CSS/JS, or zapping elements off a page. | ✓ | ✓ | Restyle a site with your own CSS and zoom, or change its look, font and colors and hide parts (Boost This Site); applies to open tabs at once.facet.surf |
| Auto PiPAuto picture-in-picturePlaying video pops out into picture-in-picture automatically when you switch tabs. | ✓ | ✓ | Setting "Pop a playing video into Picture in Picture when you switch tabs" (Settings > Tabs); its default was not exercised.facet.surf |
| Mini playerMedia still playing in a tab you left keeps play/pause controls in the sidebar. | ✓ | ✓ | Live activities in the sidebar show what's playing with the video controls, and move to the live island if you turn it on.facet.surf |
| Tab SwitcherRecent-tab switcherCtrl+Tab jumps back to the tab you used last and cycles in recently used order. | ? | ✓ | |
| Super CopyClean link copyA shortcut (⌘⇧C) copies the page URL with tracking parameters removed. | ◐ | ✓ | Setting "Remove tracking from links I copy" strips utm_, fbclid and gclid on Copy Link; no dedicated ⇧⌘C shortcut was found and its default was not checked.facet.surf |
| CaptureScreenshotsBuilt-in capture of a chosen area or element, and of the full page. | ◐ | ✓ | Full-Page Screenshot copies and saves the whole page; Circle to Search and Mark Up exist, but no area or element capture to a file was found.facet.surf |
Compatibility & migration
| Feature | Facet | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arc importImports Arc spaces, pinned tabs and folders. | ✓ | – | One click imports Arc Spaces, pinned tabs and folders, favorites, passwords, logins, extensions and history, and keeps a backup of Arc.facet.surf |
| Chrome extensionsInstalls extensions from the Chrome Web Store. | ✓ | ✓ | Add to Facet on any Chrome Web Store page; 1Password and Bitwarden work. The site warns a few Chrome-only extensions may not run.facet.surf |
| DRM streamingNetflix, Disney+, Spotify web and other DRM video/audio play, through Widevine or, on WebKit, FairPlay. Chromium forks need a Google Widevine licence; FairPlay counts once a major service is confirmed playing in the app. | ? | ✓ | WebKit with a FairPlay test in the binary, but no playback of Netflix, Disney+ or Spotify is documented by the maker.facet.surf |
| PasskeysWebAuthn passkeys, Touch ID and the system/iCloud keychain. | ◐ | ✓ | Facet keeps its own ES256 passkeys behind Touch ID, but iCloud Keychain passkeys are out of reach (no entitlement); it offers Open in Safari for those.facet.surf |
| SyncSpaces, pinned tabs and settings sync across devices. | ✓ | ✓ | Pair with a QR code or link to keep Facets, Gems and settings the same on your Macs and iPhone, end-to-end encrypted; some caps need Pro.facet.surf |
| Mobile appiPhone, iPad or Android app that shares spaces with desktop. | ◐ | ◐ | iPhone and iPad apps sync tabs and send pages between devices, but they are in public beta on TestFlight.facet.surf |
Extras
| Feature | Facet | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in ad blockerAd and tracker blocking without installing an extension. | ✓ | ✓ | Shield has uBlock Origin Lite built in, plus cookie-popup rejection; one switch per site. Default state was not exercised.facet.surf |
| Custom ShortcutsShortcut editorMost browser keyboard shortcuts can be remapped in Settings. | ✓ | ✓ | Settings has "Change a keyboard shortcut" for browser actions, and the settings backup file includes keyboard shortcuts.facet.surf |
More Arc features
Arc features shown but not counted in the score, because almost no replacement has them or only a few people need them.
| Feature | Facet | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| EaselsA shareable canvas of live page captures, notes and drawings. | ✓ | ◐ | Gallery is a canvas of cards and live clips of pages; a board shares as a link or exports to PDF, though some Gallery features sit behind Pro.facet.surf |
| Shared CollectionsShared spaces & foldersShare a Space, folder or set of tabs as a link anyone can open, or another user can add to their sidebar. | ✓ | ✓ | A shared Facet opens from a facet:// or facet.surf link and keeps tabs in step with everyone in it; whether it is Pro-only was not checked.facet.surf |
| PreviewsWeb app previewsHover a pinned Gmail, Calendar or other web app to glance at it; a pinned calendar shows the next meeting with Join. | ✕ | ✓ | No hover preview of a pinned Gmail or Calendar; Calendar and Reminders only show on a new-tab page if you turn them on.facet.surf |
| Developer modeA developer view that turns on by itself for localhost: full URL, quick DevTools and dev tools in reach. | ◐ | ✓ | Developer tools menu (Web Inspector, page source) is a setting; localhost pages reconnect while the dev server restarts. No automatic developer view.facet.surf |
Extension support
Which extension formats and stores run, beyond the Chrome Web Store row above.
| Feature | Facet | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manifest V2 extensionsThe older extension format Chrome removed in 2025. Needed for full uBlock Origin and other extensions that block requests. | ? | ✕ | |
| Manifest V3 extensionsThe current extension format used by the Chrome Web Store (and supported by Firefox and Safari). | ✓ | ✓ | Web Store extensions run on WebKit's extension API with shims; the bundled uBlock Origin Lite is itself an MV3 extension.facet.surf |
| Firefox add-onsAdd-ons from addons.mozilla.org or .xpi files install and run. | ✕ | ✕ | Only Chrome Web Store extensions are offered; no Firefox add-on install in the app.facet.surf |
| Safari extensionsSafari web extensions (the App Store extension apps Safari uses) install and run. | ✕ | ✕ | No Safari extension (appex) support; Chrome extensions are loaded through WKWebExtension instead.facet.surf |