Sailfish
Free, open-source Arc alternative for Mac on Chromium, with an iPhone companion app called Sail.
Sailfish is a native macOS browser written in Swift (SwiftUI with The Composable Architecture) that embeds Chromium 156 through its own EngineCore framework. It keeps Arc's sidebar model: spaces with their own themes, profiles that spaces can share, favorites, pinned tabs and folders, Today tabs that auto-archive, a command bar, split view of up to four panes, Peek, and Little Sailfish for links from other apps. uBlock Origin is built in and Chrome Web Store extensions install as in Chrome. It imports Arc, Zen, Chrome, Edge, Dia and Safari data. There is no Widevine licence yet, so streaming sites such as Netflix open in an embedded WebKit page. It has no account and no cloud sync; a signed Mac build only publishes its spaces to iCloud so the Sail iPhone app can show them read-only.
Built-in AI
AI on by default
Only AI is Tidy Downloads: Apple's on-device model renames downloaded files (macOS 26+). On by default; toggle in Settings > General. No assistant.
github.comBloat check
None found
No ads, wallet, feed, upsells or account; no analytics or crash reporting of its own, only a daily update check. Google is the default search; Chromium's Safe Browsing stays on.
sail.fishAds, crypto, paid upsells, news feeds, default-on telemetry, required accounts.
Organization
| Feature | Sailfish | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| SidebarVertical sidebarTabs live in a vertical sidebar that is the main tab UI and can be hidden. | ✓ | ✓ | Tabs live in a left sidebar that hides with ⌘S and 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 and Today tabs, name, icon and theme; ⌃1–9 or a swipe switches.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 picks a profile (own logins, history, extensions); any number of spaces can share one.github.com |
| FavoritesGlobal favoritesPinned icons at the top of the sidebar shared by every Space (Zen calls them Essentials). | ✓ | ✓ | Favorite tiles belong to the profile, so every space on that profile shows them.github.com |
| Pinned TabsPinned tabs & foldersPer-space pinned tabs that act like bookmarks, with nested folders. | ✓ | ✓ | Per-space pinned tabs with nested folders, mixed in any order.github.com |
| Live foldersSidebar folders that fill and refresh themselves from an outside source, such as GitHub pull requests or an RSS feed. | ✓ | ✓ | Live folders fill from a GitHub repo's open pull requests or an RSS/Atom feed and refresh every 15 minutes.github.com |
| ArchiveAuto-archive tabsUnpinned tabs close automatically after a set time and stay recoverable in an archive. | ✓ | ✓ | Today tabs archive after 12 h (default), 24 h, 7 d, 30 d or never; Library keeps them.github.com |
| Theme pickerSpace themesPer-space colour or gradient themes. | ✓ | ✓ | Per-space theme: up to three colours, light or dark, intensity and grain.github.com |
Browsing
| Feature | Sailfish | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Split ViewTwo or more tabs side by side in one window. | ✓ | ✓ | Up to four panes, horizontal or vertical, shown as one sidebar row.github.com |
| PeekLink previewOpen a link in an overlay without leaving the current page (Zen calls it Glance). | ✓ | ✓ | Shift-click a link, or an outside link from a favorite or pin, opens a card over the page.github.com |
| Little ArcMini windowA small, chrome-less window for links opened from other apps or a quick search. | ✓ | ✓ | Little Sailfish window is the default for links from other apps; ⌘O moves it into a space.github.com |
| Command barA ⌘T palette that searches tabs, history, bookmarks and browser commands. | ✓ | ✓ | ⌘T searches open tabs, history and suggestions, runs commands and does sums.github.com |
| Air Traffic ControlLink routingRules that send links from other apps to a chosen space or profile. | ✓ | ✓ | Space Linking rules send links from other apps to a space, the latest space or Little Sailfish.github.com |
| BoostsSite customizationPer-site custom CSS/JS, or zapping elements off a page. | ✕ | ✓ | No per-site CSS/JS or element zapping in the source or in the README feature list.github.com |
| Auto PiPAuto picture-in-picturePlaying video pops out into picture-in-picture automatically when you switch tabs. | ◐ | ✓ | Mini player has a manual PiP button; the "Automatic Picture-In-Picture" site toggle is a disabled stub.github.com |
| Mini playerMedia still playing in a tab you left keeps play/pause controls in the sidebar. | ✓ | ✓ | Leaving a playing tab shows a sidebar mini player with previous, play/pause, next and volume.github.com |
| Tab SwitcherRecent-tab switcherCtrl+Tab jumps back to the tab you used last and cycles in recently used order. | ✓ | ✓ | Holding ⌃ and pressing Tab cycles recent tabs, most recent first; ⌃⇧Tab or ⌃` go back toward newer ones.github.com |
| Super CopyClean link copyA shortcut (⌘⇧C) copies the page URL with tracking parameters removed. | ✓ | ✓ | ⇧⌘C 'Copy URL' copies the page link without utm_*, fbclid, gclid and similar trackers, then shows a toast.github.com |
| CaptureScreenshotsBuilt-in capture of a chosen area or element, and of the full page. | ◐ | ✓ | ⌘⇧2 'Capture…' copies and keeps only the visible page; no area or full-page option.github.com |
Compatibility & migration
| Feature | Sailfish | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arc importImports Arc spaces, pinned tabs and folders. | ✓ | – | Imports Arc spaces, pinned rows and folders, Today tabs, favorites, archive and shortcuts.github.com |
| Chrome extensionsInstalls extensions from the Chrome Web Store. | ✓ | ✓ | Chrome Web Store installs run as in Chrome; Manifest V2 extensions are disabled except uBlock.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 licence yet; Netflix, Disney+, Spotify and others open in WebKit by default.github.com |
| PasskeysWebAuthn passkeys, Touch ID and the system/iCloud keychain. | ✕ | ✓ | macOS passkey sheet needs Apple's entitlement, not yet granted; added only if the signing profile has it. v0.1.10 had none.github.com |
| SyncSpaces, pinned tabs and settings sync across devices. | ◐ | ✓ | Mac publishes spaces and tabs to private iCloud for the iPhone app; read-only, one way.github.com |
| Mobile appiPhone, iPad or Android app that shares spaces with desktop. | ◐ | ◐ | Sail for iPhone and iPad (iOS 26+) has no spaces of its own; it shows the Mac's spaces read-only.github.com |
Extras
| Feature | Sailfish | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in ad blockerAd and tracker blocking without installing an extension. | ✓ | ✓ | uBlock Origin is bundled and on by default; switch in Settings > General.github.com |
| Custom ShortcutsShortcut editorMost browser keyboard shortcuts can be remapped in Settings. | ✓ | ✓ | Settings > Shortcuts records a new key for any menu-bar shortcut, with search and a Custom Shortcuts list.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 | Sailfish | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| EaselsA shareable canvas of live page captures, notes and drawings. | ✕ | ◐ | No easel, canvas or whiteboard code at f894675; the sidebar holds tabs, folders and the mini player.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. | ◐ | ✓ | Settings > Advanced > Export Data writes spaces, pinned tabs and folders as Markdown; folders can copy their links. No share link.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. | ✕ | ✓ | No glance at pinned apps, calendar widget or unread badges found; the sidebar holds tabs, folders and the mini player.github.com |
| Developer modeA developer view that turns on by itself for localhost: full URL, quick DevTools and dev tools in reach. | ✓ | ✓ | Developer Mode turns on for localhost, 127.0.0.1, ::1 and files: full monospace URL bar with Console and Inspect Element buttons.github.com |
Extension support
Which extension formats and stores run, beyond the Chrome Web Store row above.
| Feature | Sailfish | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manifest V2 extensionsThe older extension format Chrome removed in 2025. Needed for full uBlock Origin and other extensions that block requests. | ◐ | ✕ | Only the built-in uBlock Origin 1.75 (MV2, full blocking) runs; other MV2 extensions are disabled.github.com |
| Manifest V3 extensionsThe current extension format used by the Chrome Web Store (and supported by Firefox and Safari). | ✓ | ✓ | Chrome Web Store installs run as in Chrome on Chromium 156, where MV3 is the supported format.github.com |
| Firefox add-onsAdd-ons from addons.mozilla.org or .xpi files install and run. | ✕ | ✕ | Chromium engine loads Chrome Web Store extensions only; Firefox add-ons (.xpi) aren't supported.github.com |
| Safari extensionsSafari web extensions (the App Store extension apps Safari uses) install and run. | ✕ | ✕ | Chromium engine loads Chrome extensions only; Safari extension apps can't run.github.com |