Browser Extensions · alternatives
Alternatives to Arc
22 browser extensions tools sit alongside Arc in this directory. Below is what separates each from Arc on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 22
- With a free tier
- 22
- Cheaper to start
- -
- Arc starts at
- Free
Why people look past Arc
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Arc entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is only one tier
Arc publishes a single plan, Arc at Free. There is no smaller tier to drop to if the fit is wrong or the budget moves.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Google's browser, built on Chromium, with the largest market share and the strictest limits on what extensions may do.
Priced and rated the same as Arc on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
An independent web browser with its own rendering engine, funded almost entirely by search placement deals.
Priced and rated the same as Arc on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Apple's WebKit browser, available only on Apple operating systems and updated only with them.
- Sold on a free model rather than Free.
Open-source userscript manager for Safari on Mac and iOS
- Sold on a open-source model rather than Free.
Safari userscript manager that runs Tampermonkey scripts
- Publishes an entry price of $5/one-time, where Arc does not.
- Sold on a one-time model rather than Free.
- 2 tiers to Arc's 1.
The original userscript manager, for Firefox
- Sold on a open-source model rather than Free.
Every Arc alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arc (this page) | Free | Free | 1 | |
| Google ChromeMainstream Chromium-based browser with extensive ecosystem and synchronization across devices | Free | - | - | vs Arc |
| Mozilla FirefoxPrivacy-focused alternative browser with open-source development and multi-platform support | Free | - | - | vs Arc |
| SafariNative macOS browser with integrated privacy features and system-level optimizations | Free | Free | - | vs Arc |
| Userscripts | Free | Open-source | 1 | vs Arc |
| Stay | Free, then $5/one-time | One-time | 2 | vs Arc |
| Greasemonkey | Free | Open-source | 1 | vs Arc |
| FireMonkey | Free | Open-source | 1 | vs Arc |
| LanguageTool | Free | Freemium | 3 | vs Arc |
| Ghostery | Free | - | - | vs Arc |
| Momentum | Free | - | 2 | vs Arc |
| Night Eye | Free | - | 4 | vs Arc |
| Awesome Screenshot | Free | Freemium | 1 | vs Arc |
| ColorZilla | Free | Free | 1 | vs Arc |
| Hemingway Editor | Free, then $8.33/month | - | 4 | vs Arc |
| Keeper | Free, then $1.79/month | - | 3 | vs Arc |
| Fireshot | Free | Freemium | 1 | vs Arc |
| Mercury Reader | Free | Free | 1 | vs Arc |
| Capital One Shopping | Free | - | - | vs Arc |
| Honey | Free | - | - | vs Arc |
| Dark Reader | Free | - | - | vs Arc |
| HTTPS Everywhere | Free | Free | 1 | vs Arc |
| Instapaper | Free | - | - | vs Arc |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Arc badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (22)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Google Chrome , Free
- Mozilla Firefox , Free
- Safari , Free
- Userscripts , Free
- Stay , Free, then $5/one-time
- Greasemonkey , Free
- FireMonkey , Free
- LanguageTool , Free
What you would be giving up
Arc is most often brought in for organizing work across multiple projects within one browser, separating personal and professional browsing with spaces, privacy-conscious web browsing without tracking, tab and window management for productivity. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Arc is broadly right and the question is cost, the Arc pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Browser Extensions category lists everything the directory holds, and best browser extensions tools ranks them.
Arc runs on macos, windows, ios. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Arc alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Arc?
- 22 other browser extensions tools are listed in this directory, led by Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Userscripts. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Arc?
- 22 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Userscripts, Stay.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Arc?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is only one tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Arc?
- Arc is most often brought in for organizing work across multiple projects within one browser, separating personal and professional browsing with spaces, privacy-conscious web browsing without tracking, tab and window management for productivity. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Arc?
- Userscripts, Greasemonkey, FireMonkey are recorded with an open-source licence model.
- How were these Arc alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Browser Extensions, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Arc against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Arc covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every browser extensions tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Browser Extensions category, 22 tools beside Arc. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.