Dia vs Zen for Arc Users Before December 22 (2026)

By Kshetez Vinayak, founder of SupaSidebar. Last updated October 26, 2026.

TL;DR

In Dia vs Zen, Dia is the better pick for Arc users who have to move before December 22, 2026, because it is the only one of the two that imports Arc's Spaces, pinned tabs, passwords and extensions today. Dia is The Browser Company's Chromium-based, AI-first browser, and Zen is an open-source, Firefox-based browser modeled on Arc's sidebar. Zen is the better browser for Arc users who want Arc's layout without an assistant at the center, but its stable release still cannot import Arc, and its own Arc importer has no release date yet. The side-by-side table and a map of where each Arc feature lands are below. The third option skips the bet, keeps Safari or Chrome, and puts Arc's sidebar on top with SupaSidebar, which imports Arc and also works with Dia and Zen.

Quick navigation

• Only weighing Zen against Arc itself? → Zen vs Arc Browser
• Only weighing Dia against Arc itself? → Arc Browser vs Dia Browser
• Already picked a browser and need the literal migration clicks? → How to Migrate from Arc, Step by Step
• Picked Zen and need Arc's Spaces inside it? → How to Import Arc to Zen Before December 22
• Choosing between Dia and Zen as an Arc user? You are in the right place. Keep reading.

Dia vs Zen at a glance

Why December 22 decides the Dia vs Zen question

Arc stops working on macOS and Windows on December 22, 2026, and accounts are deactivated the same day, according to the Arc farewell page. The date was announced on October 22, leaving two months to move, per 9to5Mac's report on Arc's sunset date. That deadline turns Dia vs Zen from a taste question into an import question.

Dia's Arc import is finished. The Arc farewell page says Dia brings over passwords, history, tabs, Profiles, Folders, bookmarks and extensions on both macOS and Windows. Arc's Spaces arrive as Dia Profiles, Folders arrive as Tab Groups, and pinned tabs and Favorites keep their custom names.

Zen's Arc import is not finished. The stable release, Zen 1.23.4b from October 21, 2026, has no Arc option in its import wizard. Zen merged pull request #16130, "Allow support to import from Arc & Dia", into its development branch on October 24, and it turns Arc Spaces into Zen Workspaces with their pinned tabs and folders. Zen has not said which release ships it.

That same pull request teaches something most Dia vs Zen comparisons miss. Zen's new importer can also read Dia, but Zen's migration code notes that Dia keeps pinned tabs in an encrypted database that cannot be imported. An Arc user who picks Dia now and tries Zen next spring would bring bookmarks, history and passwords across, but not the pinned tabs. The safe move for either choice is a copy of Arc's sidebar file, StorableSidebar.json, made before December 22, as the guide to exporting Arc's sidebar explains. SupaSidebar's Arc import and the free Arc Sidebar Exporter both accept that saved copy.

Where Arc's features land in Dia and in Zen

Both browsers keep Arc's vertical sidebar, but neither keeps Arc's exact model. This map shows where each Arc habit ends up, with SupaSidebar's equivalent alongside.

The Spaces row is where Arc users feel the change most. Arc let several Spaces share one profile and its logins, and that mapping is what users miss. One Arc user listing the browsers tried over the last few months on r/ArcBrowser said Dia "felt bloated with AI" yet named its spaces and profiles as the good part, and found Zen's UI "not as good" with a few bugs. Zen's Workspaces stay inside one window, closer to how Arc's Spaces felt, and Zen can assign a default container to each Workspace to keep one account's logins apart, per Zen's Workspaces documentation. That is the nearest match to Arc's Space-to-profile mapping in either browser. SupaSidebar sidesteps the question, because its Spaces live outside the browser and each one can point to a browser, or to a profile in browsers like Chrome.

What Dia gets right for Arc users, and the AI catch

Dia is the easiest Arc replacement to move into before the deadline, because the same company built both browsers and Dia's import runs on Mac and Windows with no export step. Chrome extensions come across with everything else, since Dia is Chromium-based. One Windows user who moved in October reported on r/ArcBrowser that the spaces ported over as is.

Dia also updates often. Dia 1.54.0, released October 22, 2026, moved the browser to Chromium M156. On the Mac it requires macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon, and Dia launched with free and $20-a-month Pro tiers, per MacRumors' launch report. The Windows version went public in early October 2026, and its installer warns that it is an early, untested build, per PiunikaWeb's report on the Windows launch. The Dia browser Mac review covers the rest of Dia's features.

The catch is the AI. Dia is built around an assistant that reads the pages it is asked about. Dia's security page says a request that includes a page sends the prompt and page content to a third-party AI model such as Anthropic, OpenAI or Google. The same page says Dia is not HIPAA-compliant, and by default some content data is used to improve Dia for 30 days unless that setting is turned off.

For many Arc users that is the deciding line. One r/ArcBrowser post from October put it in one sentence, that Dia is an AI tool first and a browser second. Anyone handling client or regulated data should read Dia's security page before importing a work Space.

What Zen gets right for Arc users, and the import catch

Zen is the closest thing to Arc without The Browser Company, because it copies Arc's sidebar layout and is built around tabs and Workspaces rather than an AI assistant. Zen is open source under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, and its GitHub repository has more than 45,000 stars as of October 26, 2026. Its Workspaces, Split View, Glance link previews and Compact Mode are all listed in Zen's Wikipedia entry.

Zen also runs where Dia does not. Its Mac download is a universal build for Intel and Apple silicon, per Zen's download page, and it ships for Windows and Linux too. The Zen Browser Mac review covers performance and Mods in more depth. Development is steady, with five stable releases in October 2026 alone, from 1.23b on October 3 to 1.23.4b on October 21.

The first catch is extensions. Zen is built on Firefox, so Arc's Chrome extensions do not carry over, and each one has to be reinstalled from Mozilla's add-ons store where a Firefox version exists.

The second catch is the import. Until Zen's Arc importer reaches a stable release, getting Arc into Zen takes a bookmarks export or a community script, and the result lands as bookmark folders, not Workspaces. The full workaround is in the Arc to Zen import guide, which uses SupaSidebar's free Arc Sidebar Exporter to turn Arc's sidebar into a bookmarks file Zen can read. Waiting for the official importer is reasonable only if Arc's data is still on the Mac when it ships.

The problem neither browser solves

Dia and Zen make the same assumption, that an Arc user will live in one browser. Many never did. Chrome often stays for a work account, Safari for battery life, and a second browser for testing or a client. Dia's Profiles only exist in Dia, and Zen's Workspaces only exist in Zen.

The choice also may not be final. Arc's own shutdown shows a browser can disappear in two months, and the Dia-to-Zen path already drops pinned tabs. An Arc sidebar locked inside one browser has to be rebuilt every time that browser changes.

Keep Arc's sidebar across Dia, Zen and Safari with SupaSidebar

SupaSidebar keeps Arc's Spaces, folders and pinned tabs in a native Mac sidebar that sits outside the browser, so the Dia vs Zen decision stops being permanent. SupaSidebar is not a browser and not an extension. It is a macOS app that opens links in whichever browser a Space points to, Dia, Zen, Safari, Chrome or any of 32+ supported browsers.

The Arc import runs from Preferences → Import & Export → Arc. The import guide in SupaSidebar's docs shows how to preview the Spaces and pick which to bring in, and Choose File accepts a saved copy of StorableSidebar.json, so it still works from a backup after Arc is gone. SupaSidebar can also import Zen Spaces with their folders and pinned tabs, added in SupaSidebar 1.3.0.

Here is a typical setup for an Arc user trying Dia for work while keeping Zen for personal browsing.

Switching Spaces swaps the whole sidebar with one shortcut, and each Space opens its links in the browser it is linked to. If Dia or Zen gets dropped next year, the Space is relinked to another browser and nothing is rebuilt. One Dia user in an r/diabrowser thread asking whether Dia met expectations described it this way. "SupaSidebar is an app someone made to basically be the Arc sidebar feature, except for any browser."

SupaSidebar's support differs between the two browsers. With Dia it shows open tabs in Live Tabs, saves the current page and opens links. With Zen it saves pages and opens links, but Live Tabs does not cover Zen yet, per the SupaSidebar browser support table. It does not move passwords, history or extensions, since those belong to the browser, and it runs on macOS 14 and later.

Which should you pick, Dia or Zen?

• If December 22 is close and you want zero rebuilding, pick Dia. It imports Arc's Spaces, pinned tabs, passwords and extensions in one pass.
• If an AI assistant reading your pages is a dealbreaker, pick Zen, and bring Arc across with the bookmarks route until Zen's importer ships.
• If you are on an Intel Mac, pick Zen. Dia requires Apple silicon.
• If you want to try Dia now and might switch to Zen later, copy StorableSidebar.json first, because Zen cannot import Dia's pinned tabs.
• If you work across two or more browsers, import Arc into SupaSidebar, then let either browser handle the browsing.

What Arc users should do before December 22

For Arc users choosing between Dia and Zen in late October 2026, Dia is the better destination for the deadline, because its Arc import already works on Mac and Windows while Zen's merged importer has no release date. Zen is the better long-term browser for anyone who wants Arc's layout without an AI assistant or runs an Intel Mac.

Single-browser users who are fine with AI should move to Dia this week. Privacy-minded users, Intel Mac owners and open-source fans should choose Zen and use the bookmarks route now. Arc users with large multi-Space setups should keep Arc installed until the new browser is checked, whichever one they pick. Anyone who keeps Safari or Chrome for work should treat the browser choice as reversible and keep Arc's sidebar in SupaSidebar, which works beside both.

Whatever the pick, copy Arc's sidebar file before December 22. To keep Arc's Spaces across Dia, Zen and every other browser, try SupaSidebar (free version available).

Why we recommend SupaSidebar

SupaSidebar is a macOS app that brings Arc's sidebar to every browser - one sidebar for tabs, bookmarks, files, and apps across 32+ browsers including Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, Dia, Helium and Orion. It imports Arc's sidebar file and Zen's Spaces, shows Dia's open tabs in Live Tabs, and saves and opens links in Zen. For Arc users split between Dia and Zen, it keeps one set of Spaces whichever browser wins.

FAQ

Is Dia or Zen better for Arc users?

Dia is better for Arc users who need to move before December 22, 2026, because it imports Arc's Spaces, pinned tabs, passwords and extensions today on Mac and Windows. Zen is better for Arc users who want Arc's sidebar layout in a browser that is not built around an AI assistant, need Intel Mac support, or prefer open-source software.

Which imports Arc better, Dia or Zen?

Dia, as of October 26, 2026. Dia's import brings Arc Spaces in as Profiles and Folders in as Tab Groups, with pinned tabs keeping their names. Zen's stable release cannot import Arc yet, and the native Arc importer Zen merged on October 24, 2026 has not shipped in a stable release.

Does Zen Browser have AI like Dia?

Zen is not built around an AI assistant. Its headline features are about layout, like Workspaces, Split View, Glance and Compact Mode. Dia is built around an assistant, and its security page says page content included in a request is sent to third-party AI models such as Anthropic, OpenAI or Google.

Can I switch from Dia to Zen later?

Partly. Zen's upcoming importer can read Dia's bookmarks, history and passwords, but Zen's migration code notes that Dia stores pinned tabs in an encrypted database that cannot be imported. Keeping a copy of Arc's StorableSidebar.json from before December 22 avoids losing them.

Which runs on an Intel Mac, Dia or Zen?

Zen. Its Mac download is a universal build for Intel and Apple silicon. Dia requires an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 14 or later, so Arc users on Intel Macs cannot move to Dia.

Do my Arc extensions work in Dia and Zen?

In Dia, yes. Dia is Chromium-based and imports Arc's extensions along with everything else. In Zen, no. Zen is Firefox-based and uses Mozilla's add-ons store, so each extension has to be reinstalled from its Firefox version where one exists.

Are Dia and Zen free?

Both are free to download. Zen is free and open source under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. Dia is free with a paid Pro plan for heavier AI use, which launched at $20 a month.

By Kshetez Vinayak, founder of SupaSidebar. Last updated October 26, 2026.