Key Takeaways
- Arc offers a fresh UI, themes, and AI features, making it a solid browser choice for Mac and Windows users.
- Microsoft Edge, a feature-rich Chromium browser with cross-platform availability, strong security, and privacy settings.
- Compare key elements like UI, tab management, performance, and AI features to determine the best browser for your needs.
Although Arc is based on the same Chromium rendering engine as Chrome, Edge, Vivaldi, and many others, the company’s unique approach with themes, tab management, and AI features has won them a sizable fan following within a very short period. Microsoft Edge is another feature-rich Chromium browser to consider on your laptop. But which browser is actually better? I will compare both based on interface, tab management, cross-platform availability, features, performance, and security, to help you pick a better browser for your needs.
I will compare Arc and Microsoft Edge’s Mac versions. Arc for Windows is still in its early stages and misses out on many important features currently.
Related
Arc vs. Google Chrome: Should you switch to the latest web browser?
Arc brings a breath of fresh air to the web browser space. But is it good enough to be your primary browser?
Cross-platform availability
Understandably, it’s a no-contest here. Arc is still a new browser and is available only for Mac, Windows, and iPhone. Microsoft Edge has been around since 2015 and has native apps on iOS, iPadOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and Linux.
User interface and themes
The default Microsoft Edge home page is quite bloated with News, Weather, Copilot, Bing, and other unnecessary add-ons. You need to dig into Settings and tweak several options to get the best out of Microsoft Edge. As for theming options, you can head to the dedicated themes menu in the Edge Add-ons section or rely on Chrome Web Store to apply third-party themes.
Arc has hit it out of the park with its beautiful UI and theme engine. Furthermore, there are no irrelevant elements on Arc Home. You can simply type Ctrl/cmd + T and start browsing the web.
By default, Arc uses an aesthetically pleasing interface, which you can further customize with the Theme menu. It lets you choose different colors, noise levels, and shade intensity. You can even add another color to the mix and create a gradient theme of your choice.
Since Arc uses a sidebar to host all the menus and functions, the UI does take some time to get used to.
Tab management
Tab management plays a crucial role in every desktop browser. Microsoft Edge offers a couple of options to organize your opened tabs. You can enable a vertical tab and mimic Arc’s way of displaying tabs.
You can also group relevant tabs under a specific header and assign a shade for better differentiation. Arc lets you pin important tabs at the top.
Both the Edge and Arc let you create different spaces, such as social, work, personal, and more. You can even invite your team members and browse simultaneously for an upcoming project.
Support for multiple profiles with separate history, cookies, and other credentials remains the same across both browsers.
Performance and RAM usage
Since both the Edge and Arc are based on Chromium, you won’t find any major differences in performance. When it comes to RAM usage, I did find Arc consuming more memory in the background, mainly due to boost and integration enabled for several most-used websites.
Security and privacy
Arc has standard Chromium security features, such as protection against sketchy sites, downloads, and harmful extensions.
By default, Edge has a balanced tracking prevention to block trackers, personalized content, ads, and unknown trackers. You can customize it to Basic or Strict as per your preferences.
AI features: Arc Max vs. Copilot
Both Arc and Edge offer AI features, but take a slightly different approach.
Arc Max bundles several AI tools like Tidy Tabs (organizes tabs whenever you have more than six tabs open), Ask on Page (to ask a question on a page), 5-second previews to generate instant summaries, instant links, and more.
Microsoft Edge has Copilot integration right on the home page and sidebar, which is powered by ChatGPT-4. You can even select a paragraph in an online editor and rewrite it with the help of Copilot.
Features unique to Arc
Let’s glance over some of the exclusive and useful features of Arc (with no equivalent in Edge).
Arc Integrations
Source: Arc
Arc works seamlessly with some of the top third-party websites like Gmail, Google Calendar, YouTube, X, Notion, Spotify, WhatsApp, and more. You can glance over the supported apps list from the official website.
When you pin or favorite a specific service in Arc, it unlocks even more functionality with a simple cursor hover. For instance, you can pin Gmail to check unread emails and compose new messages by simply placing a cursor over it.
Arc Boost
Arc Boost is related to the advanced theming engine. You can change the entire website look, including font type, size, color, contrast, brightness, and more, using a dedicated Boost menu.
If you have a hard time balancing color and font options, head to the Boost Gallery to check how others are using the customization tool for their favorite websites, like YouTube, Gmail, X, and more.
Arc Easel
Arc Easel is a built-in infinite whiteboard for brainstorming ideas. You can use a bunch of tools like text, arrow, pen, media, and more, to map out your thoughts. Since Arc also supports a split view, you could keep Easel and a webpage open side-by-side to plan your upcoming trip efficiently.
Features unique to Edge
Let’s glance over some of the exclusive and useful features of Edge (with no equivalent in Arc).
Reader mode
Microsoft Edge has an effective reader mode to eliminate unnecessary elements from a webpage. You can have an article read aloud, or adjust for your text and reading preferences, such as themes, text type, size, scaling, column style, and more, to create a comfortable viewing experience.
Edge Collections
Edge Collections basically combines your relevant web pages and notes under a single header. You can create several collections for your research, shopping wishlist, or otherwise, then add a note and sync the collection across all platforms for convenient access from anywhere.
Microsoft Edge also supports sleep tabs to suspend inactive tabs and save resources.
Another noteworthy Edge feature is the PDF editor. You can view and open PDF files and use tools like text, draw, translate, highlighter, and more.
Arc vs. Edge: Quick word on mobile apps
Arc doesn’t have an Android app. And its iOS app is also basic compared to the desktop version. It misses out on many headline features, and it may be a while before the company creates feature parity across all platforms.
On the flip side, Microsoft Edge has solid mobile apps with major add-ons like Collections, widgets, password management, Translate, and more.
Is the grass greener on the other side?
As you can see from the comparison above, Arc made a solid debut in the desktop browser space. It has a better UI, theme options, and neat add-ons like Arc Boost, Easel, Integrations, and Max AI. Microsoft Edge seems to be a safe bet with a broader availability, robust password management, Copilot, and a solid reader mode. Evaluate their pros and cons and pick a better browser for your workflow.
If you want to explore the best apps to help boost your productivity, check our dedicated guide to find the top apps for Windows and Mac.