Quick Answer: Yes, Arc browser has been officially discontinued. The Browser Company stopped all active development in May 2025 and is now entirely focused on building Dia — an AI-first browser built for 2026 and beyond. If you’re still using Arc, here’s everything you need to know before making your next move.
If you searched Arc browser 2026 and landed here, you’re not alone. Thousands of Arc users are asking the same questions right now and the answers have changed significantly over the past year. We’re covering this now because Dia. Arc’s AI-powered successor, just received a major feature upgrade in early 2026 pulling in Arc’s best-loved tools. The browser landscape is actively shifting and staying ahead of it matters for anyone who lives in their browser all day.
Let’s answer every question clearly.
Is Arc Browser Being Discontinued?
Yes — Arc browser is officially discontinued. In May 2025, The Browser Company CEO Josh Miller published an open letter confirming that active development on Arc had permanently stopped. The entire team pivoted to Dia, a new AI-native browser designed to be simpler and smarter than Arc ever was.
The reason was data-driven and honest. Despite Arc having a devoted fanbase, key features never gained traction. Spaces one of Arc’s most praised tools were only used by 5–12% of users. The calendar preview? Just 0.4%. When you’re losing $30 million per year building features almost no one uses, something has to change.
The Browser Company made the call. Arc is done. Dia is the future.
Is Arc a Dead Browser in 2026?
Technically no — but practically, yes. Arc is now in maintenance mode, meaning it still receives Chromium-based security patches to keep your browsing safe. But zero new features are coming. No roadmap. No updates. Just security fixes until that eventually stops too.
The situation got more complex in September 2025 when Atlassian. The company behind Jira and Confluence — acquired The Browser Company for a reported $610 million. Every engineer, designer and product manager is now focused on building Dia under Atlassian’s umbrella. Arc is an orphan product keeping the lights on, nothing more.
The company has also discussed selling or open-sourcing Arc, but nothing has been confirmed. The core challenge? Arc is built on the same internal SDK powering Dia handing it over means giving away competitive technology.
If you’re starting fresh in 2026, Arc is not the browser to build your workflow around.
Is Arc Still a Good Browser to Use?
Yes — if you’re already on it. No — if you’re just starting out.
For current Arc users, there’s no emergency. The browser still works beautifully. The sidebar tab management, built-in ad blocking, split view and privacy-first design still beat most mainstream browsers in day-to-day comfort. Since it supports all Chrome extensions, there’s no functionality gap either.
But still good today and worth committing to are two different things. Every month that passes, Arc falls further behind competitors that are actively adding AI features, improving performance and building for how people browse in 2026.
Who should stay on Arc: Power users who’ve already built their workflow around it and aren’t ready to switch.
Who should move on: Anyone setting up a new device, building a new workflow or wanting a browser with a future.
The best alternatives right now are Dia (built by the same team, carries Arc’s DNA), Zen Browser (open-source, Firefox-based, closest to Arc’s interface with 40,000+ GitHub stars), and Brave (leaner, privacy-focused, actively developed).
Is Arc Slower Than Chrome?
In benchmarks, slightly — in real life, barely noticeable.
Both Arc and Chrome are built on the same Chromium engine, so their raw speed is nearly identical. In Speedometer 2.0 tests, Chrome scores around 564 runs per minute versus Arc’s 513 a difference most users will never feel while browsing.
Where the gap becomes real is RAM. Arc’s main process uses approximately 405MB of memory compared to Chrome’s 255MB. That’s a meaningful difference if you’re running a lot of tabs, working on an older machine or trying to preserve battery life on a laptop.
For most people on modern hardware, Arc and Chrome feel the same. If your machine is already under strain, Chrome or Brave will give you a smoother experience without sacrificing much.
What’s Coming Next: Meet Dia
Dia launched publicly for Mac users in October 2025 — no invite needed. Built on Chromium. It brings a clean familiar interface with one major difference: the URL bar doubles as an AI chatbot. You can search the web, summarize open tabs, upload files for analysis and get AI-powered answers without switching to a separate tool like ChatGPT or Perplexity.
In early 2026, founder Josh Miller confirmed Dia is inheriting Arc’s greatest hits — the sidebar mode, vertical tabs and custom shortcuts Arc users loved. While stripping away everything that made Arc too complicated for mainstream use. Apple’s former Safari lead designer also joined the team in January 2026, signaling a serious commitment to design quality going forward.
Dia Pro is available for power users who want advanced AI features. The free tier covers everyday browsing comfortably.
Windows availability has not yet been announced, but 2026 is expected to bring updates on that front.
The Bottom Line
Arc was one of the most innovative browsers ever built and it proved that people want something better than Chrome. But innovation without adoption isn’t sustainable.
Dia takes everything Arc taught us and rebuilds it with AI at the core, a simpler interface and the full backing of a $610 million acquisition. If you loved Arc, Dia is where that story continues.
The browser wars are heating up again. Now is exactly the right time to pay attention.
