OpenArch
Free MIT Mac browser on Chromium with Arc's sidebar, Spaces and Arc import; iPhone app too.
OpenArch is a free, MIT-licensed Mac browser by Dominik Pfaffenbauer, a Swift/AppKit shell around Chromium 156 through a CEF build the maker compiles himself with H.264, AAC and HEVC added. It copies Arc closely: sidebar with favorites, pinned folders and today tabs, Spaces on shareable profiles with Arc-style themes, a ⌘T command bar, four-way Split View, Peek, Little OpenArch, Boosts, link rules, a Ctrl+Tab switcher, GitHub live folders and auto-archive. The Arc importer reads the sidebar and, on request, logins, passwords, history and extensions. Web Store extensions work. Without a Widevine licence, Netflix, Spotify and other DRM sites switch to WebKit (FairPlay) in the same tab. A free iPhone and iPad app follows Spaces you share as encrypted links; there is no account. AI runs only through your own Claude Code. The site is aimed squarely at Arc users, but the README calls it early. Apple silicon and macOS 15+ only; no Easels, screenshot tool or tracker-free copy.
Built-in AI
AI optional
No model or key of its own: page chat (⌘E), agent chats and Morning Brief run your Claude Code CLI; agent chats and the brief are off by default.
github.comBloat check
None found
No account, ads, wallet or upsell; docs say no analytics or telemetry, and none found in the source. Crash reports are sent only by hand; update and feature-switch checks carry no identifiers.
github.comAds, crypto, paid upsells, news feeds, default-on telemetry, required accounts.
Organization
| Feature | OpenArch | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| SidebarVertical sidebarTabs live in a vertical sidebar that is the main tab UI and can be hidden. | ✓ | ✓ | Tabs live in a sidebar with favorites, pinned tabs and today tabs; ⌘S hides it and it slides back in from the window edge.github.com |
| SpacesSeveral workspaces per window, each with its own pinned and open tabs, switched by swipe or shortcut. | ✓ | ✓ | Each Space has its own pinned tabs and today tabs, name, icon and colour; switch with Ctrl+1-9, Opt+Cmd+arrows or a swipe over the sidebar.github.com |
| 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. | ✓ | ✓ | Each Space uses one Chromium profile (logins, cookies, extensions), and several Spaces can share one; a new Space starts on the current Space's profile.github.com |
| FavoritesGlobal favoritesPinned icons at the top of the sidebar shared by every Space (Zen calls them Essentials). | ✓ | ✓ | The favorites grid belongs to the profile, so every Space on that profile shows it (Arc's model); the default install has one profile.github.com |
| Pinned TabsPinned tabs & foldersPer-space pinned tabs that act like bookmarks, with nested folders. | ✓ | ✓ | Pinned tabs are kept per Space and sit in nested folders; a pinned tab remembers its address and has a button back to it.github.com |
| Live foldersSidebar folders that fill and refresh themselves from an outside source, such as GitHub pull requests or an RSS feed. | ✓ | ✓ | GitHub folders for your open pull requests, review requests or issues refresh every 5 minutes, with CI check marks on pull requests; no RSS source.github.com |
| ArchiveAuto-archive tabsUnpinned tabs close automatically after a set time and stay recoverable in an archive. | ✓ | ✓ | Today tabs unused for 12 hours (setting: 24 h, 7 or 30 days, never) go to a 500-entry archive in the Library; ⇧⌘T and the command bar bring them back.github.com |
| Theme pickerSpace themesPer-space colour or gradient themes. | ✓ | ✓ | Per-Space theme as in Arc's picker: one to three colours, intensity, grain and light or dark; optional glass effect on top.github.com |
Browsing
| Feature | OpenArch | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Split ViewTwo or more tabs side by side in one window. | ✓ | ✓ | Up to four tabs side by side or stacked; ⌃⇧= starts one, a split shows as one sidebar row.github.com |
| PeekLink previewOpen a link in an overlay without leaving the current page (Zen calls it Glance). | ✓ | ✓ | Links leaving a pinned tab's or favorite's site, and ⇧-clicked links, open in a Peek card that can become a tab or a split; on by default.github.com |
| Little ArcMini windowA small, chrome-less window for links opened from other apps or a quick search. | ◐ | ✓ | Little OpenArch window (⌥⌘N) with an In Space button, but links from other apps open there only after a setting or a link rule; the default is a new tab.github.com |
| Command barA ⌘T palette that searches tabs, history, bookmarks and browser commands. | ✓ | ✓ | ⌘T/⌘L bar searches open and pinned tabs, history, archived tabs and commands, completes addresses, has Tab site search and "new doc" shortcuts.github.com |
| Air Traffic ControlLink routingRules that send links from other apps to a chosen space or profile. | ✓ | ✓ | Link rules (host, wildcard or path) send links from other apps to a chosen Space or to Little OpenArch; first match wins.github.com |
| BoostsSite customizationPer-site custom CSS/JS, or zapping elements off a page. | ✓ | ✓ | Per-site Boosts: colour shift, font, zapped elements, your own CSS and JavaScript; applies to subdomains.github.com |
| Auto PiPAuto picture-in-picturePlaying video pops out into picture-in-picture automatically when you switch tabs. | ✓ | ✓ | A video playing with sound goes to picture-in-picture when you switch tabs, and calls float too; on by default, per-site exceptions.github.com |
| Mini playerMedia still playing in a tab you left keeps play/pause controls in the sidebar. | ✓ | ✓ | A sidebar card for media in other tabs (and the Spotify app) with play/pause, previous/next, seek bar and mute.github.com |
| Tab SwitcherRecent-tab switcherCtrl+Tab jumps back to the tab you used last and cycles in recently used order. | ✓ | ✓ | Ctrl+Tab opens a switcher over the most recently used tabs (up to 8) and Ctrl+Shift+Tab goes back; release Ctrl to jump.github.com |
| Super CopyClean link copyA shortcut (⌘⇧C) copies the page URL with tracking parameters removed. | ◐ | ✓ | ⇧⌘C copies the page URL (⌥⇧⌘C as a Markdown link) unchanged; no tracking-parameter stripping anywhere in the source.github.com |
| CaptureScreenshotsBuilt-in capture of a chosen area or element, and of the full page. | ✕ | ✓ | No capture tool: File menu has only Save Page As; screenshots exist solely as a tool for the AI page chat.github.com |
Compatibility & migration
| Feature | OpenArch | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arc importImports Arc spaces, pinned tabs and folders. | ✓ | – | Reads Arc's sidebar file: Spaces with themes, favorites, pinned folders, today tabs and split views; optionally logins, passwords, history and extensions.github.com |
| Chrome extensionsInstalls extensions from the Chrome Web Store. | ✓ | ✓ | Every tab is a Chrome-style CEF tab, so Web Store extensions work with popups, side panels, native messaging and DNR blockers; the Extensions menu opens the Web Store.github.com |
| 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. | ◐ | ✓ | No Widevine VMP: Netflix, Spotify, Disney+ and 15 more listed sites open in WebKit (FairPlay) in the same tab; Chromium's Widevine is a setting, off by default.github.com |
| PasskeysWebAuthn passkeys, Touch ID and the system/iCloud keychain. | ◐ | ✓ | The signed build has no browser passkey or keychain-group entitlement, so only Chromium's own WebAuthn (phone or security key) can work; not tested.github.com |
| SyncSpaces, pinned tabs and settings sync across devices. | ◐ | ✓ | No account sync: a Space or folder shared as a live link is followed by other Macs and the iPhone every 5 minutes, one way; favorites, today tabs, settings and logins do not travel.github.com |
| Mobile appiPhone, iPad or Android app that shares spaces with desktop. | ✓ | ◐ | Free iPhone/iPad app (App Store, v1.0.1) with the same sidebar on WebKit; Mac Spaces come over by QR code and then follow the Mac.apps.apple.com |
Extras
| Feature | OpenArch | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in ad blockerAd and tracker blocking without installing an extension. | ✕ | ✓ | No ad or tracker blocker in the source or docs; DNR content-blocker extensions are the route.github.com |
| Custom ShortcutsShortcut editorMost browser keyboard shortcuts can be remapped in Settings. | ✓ | ✓ | Settings > Tastatur lists every menu command with a key recorder and Reset All.github.com |
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 | OpenArch | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| EaselsA shareable canvas of live page captures, notes and drawings. | ✕ | ◐ | Docs list Arc's Easels and Notes as not built yet.github.com |
| 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 pinned folder or whole Space becomes an end-to-end encrypted link and QR code, live (via relay) or one-off, optionally password-protected; no account.github.com |
| PreviewsWeb app previewsHover a pinned Gmail, Calendar or other web app to glance at it; a pinned calendar shows the next meeting with Join. | ◐ | ✓ | Unread dots on pinned and favorite Gmail, Slack, X and similar tabs, and an optional next-meeting card with Join (off by default); no hover glance at the web app.github.com |
| Developer modeA developer view that turns on by itself for localhost: full URL, quick DevTools and dev tools in reach. | ✕ | ✓ | No developer mode: DevTools open on a shortcut with a choice of dock side, but nothing changes by itself for localhost.github.com |
Extension support
Which extension formats and stores run, beyond the Chrome Web Store row above.
| Feature | OpenArch | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manifest V2 extensionsThe older extension format Chrome removed in 2025. Needed for full uBlock Origin and other extensions that block requests. | ✕ | ✕ | Stock CEF 156 build (only codec GN args, no MV2 patch); Chromium 156 is MV3-only.github.com |
| Manifest V3 extensionsThe current extension format used by the Chrome Web Store (and supported by Firefox and Safari). | ✓ | ✓ | Chromium 156 extension host with Web Store install; DNR content blockers are listed as working, and the built-in extension is MV3.github.com |
| Firefox add-onsAdd-ons from addons.mozilla.org or .xpi files install and run. | ✕ | ✕ | Chromium extensions only.github.com |
| Safari extensionsSafari web extensions (the App Store extension apps Safari uses) install and run. | ✕ | ✕ | Not supported: the iPhone app runs no extensions, and the Mac app is Chromium.github.com |