Browser · Maintenance mode

Stoic Browser vs Arc

Spaces and split view, still moving, with agents and automations on top.

Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Arc site

The short answer

Arc still works but has been in maintenance mode since May 2025, with The Browser Company's effort going to Dia. If what you loved was Spaces, separate logins, split view and a command bar, Stoic Browser covers those and adds agents and scheduled chores. It doesn't copy Arc's sidebar or support extensions.

Arc: free, mature, Chrome extensions, but no new features
Stoic Browser: workspaces with their own sessions, 4 split layouts, ⌘K, and Linux
Stoic Browser has no vertical tab sidebar, Easels or Boosts
Stoic Browser adds coding agents, MCP access, Crawl Mode and scheduled automations

What each one is

Stoic Browser

Stoic Browser is a desktop browser for founders who run more than one product. Each product gets a workspace with its own logins, your installed coding agents (Claude Code, Codex and 14 more) work inside those workspaces, outside agents can drive them over MCP, and recorded chores replay on a schedule. Free for 2 workspaces; Pro is $29 once.

Arc

Arc is The Browser Company's Chromium browser for macOS and Windows, known for its sidebar, Spaces, profiles, split view and Arc Max AI features. Development stopped in May 2025 in favour of Dia; Arc still receives security updates, and no shutdown date has been announced.

Side by side

Feature	Stoic Browser	Arc
Basics
Price	Free · Pro $29 one-time	Free
Platforms	macOS, Windows, Linux	macOS, Windows
New features	Yes	Security updates only
Chrome extensions	No	Yes
Organising work
Separate logins per product	A separate session per workspace	Spaces tied to profiles
Split view	4 layouts, up to 4 panes	Yes
Command palette	⌘K	Command bar
Vertical tab sidebar	No	Yes
AI and automation
Where the AI comes from	Your own coding CLIs (16) or a local model	Arc Max (hosted)
Agent acts on web pages	Yes, with 7 CLIs and local models	No
Outside agents can drive it (MCP)	Built in: 4 presets, scoped to chosen workspaces	No
Scheduled, repeatable browser jobs	Recorded automations and Crawl Mode, every 15 min to daily	No

Which to choose

Choose Stoic Browser if

You want a browser that is still getting features
Each product needs its own logins, side by side in split view
You need Linux
You want agents and scheduled chores in the same window

Choose Arc if

Arc's sidebar and Easels are how you work, and it still does what you need
You depend on Chrome extensions
You don't want AI agents in your browser at all

Questions

Something missing? Write to hello@stoicsoft.com.

Is Arc shutting down?

No shutdown has been announced. The Browser Company stopped adding features in May 2025 to focus on Dia, and Arc continues to get Chromium security updates.

Can I bring my Arc logins across?

Stoic Browser imports from Chrome, Brave, Firefox and Safari, with cookies and saved passwords from Chrome or Brave on a Mac. Arc is not a direct import source yet, so sign in once per workspace.

Free for 2 workspaces. No account needed. macOS, Windows and Linux.

Download Stoic Browser