Arc browser sunsets December 22 as The Browser Company doubles down on Dia

The Browser Company is sunsetting its design-forward Arc browser connected December 22, 2026, and directing users to Dia, its AI-first browser. The institution announced the determination connected Thursday, citing the rising outgo of keeping a browser unafraid successful the property of AI.

“Keeping a browser unafraid takes constant, dedicated enactment that is lone expanding successful the property of AI,” the institution wrote. 

“Dia was built from the crushed up to conscionable today’s information standards, truthful that’s wherever our engineering and information teams volition absorption moving forward.” 

The wind-down is staged into 3 parts. As of Thursday, caller Arc accounts tin nary longer beryllium created. On November 23, Arc Search connected iOS and Android volition suffer its AI features, including “Browse for Me.” Users volition nary longer beryllium capable to motion successful oregon sync tabs, though the app volition proceed functioning arsenic a basal section browser.

On December 22, Arc volition halt moving wholly connected Mac and Windows. Accounts volition beryllium deactivated, and idiosyncratic information volition beryllium deleted wrong 30 days. Arc Search volition besides beryllium removed from the Google Play Store.

While The Browser Company claims Dia present surpasses Arc successful speed, stability, and information benchmarks, idiosyncratic reactions connected societal media were largely disappointed, with galore reviving requests for the institution to marque Arc open-source.

But CEO Josh Miller antecedently pointed retired that Arc is built connected the Arc Development Kit (ADK)—a proprietary interior SDK that is besides the halfway motor powering Dia. Open-sourcing Arc would mean giving distant Dia’s intelligence property.

“While we’d emotion to open-source Arc someday, we can’t bash that meaningfully without besides open-sourcing ADK,” Miller antecedently noted. “And ADK is inactive halfway to our company’s value.”

For users making the switch, Dia volition transportation implicit equivalents of respective halfway Arc features. Users tin inactive swipe betwixt antithetic enactment and idiosyncratic environments utilizing Dia’s “Profiles” (formerly Arc’s Spaces). Arc’s signature vertical tabs volition stay arsenic an optional sidebar layout, portion Folders person been rebranded arsenic “Pinned Tab Groups.”

Passwords, bookmarks, extensions, and past volition seamlessly transportation to Dia. Arc features volition stay escaped successful Dia, with AI optional.

The shutdown officially closes a section that began successful 2025, erstwhile the startup stopped active feature improvement connected Arc. The Browser Company—which was acquired by Atlassian for $610 cardinal successful 2025—conceded astatine the clip that portion aboriginal adopters loved the browser’s caller interface, the “novelty tax” and complexity constricted mainstream adoption. Arc was fiercely beloved by a dedicated radical of enthusiasts, but it ne'er rather became the mass-market Chrome alternate its makers erstwhile envisioned.