Arc Browser vs SupaSidebar
Arc Browser has been in maintenance mode since May 2025 - it still works but gets no new features. SupaSidebar brings everything you loved about Arc’s sidebar to every browser, without replacing your browser.
Feature-by-feature comparison
See how SupaSidebar compares to Arc Browser across every major feature
| Features | Arc Browser | SupaSidebar |
|---|---|---|
| Sidebar with pinned items Pin your most-used links for instant access | Yes Built-in sidebar with favorites and pinned tabs | Yes Dedicated sidebar with pinned links, spaces, and folders |
| Spaces / Workspaces Organize links and tabs by project or context | Yes Spaces for organizing tabs by context | Yes Unlimited spaces with custom icons and colors |
| Command palette Fuzzy search across tabs, bookmarks, files, and apps | Yes Searches Arc tabs and bookmarks only | Yes Searches tabs from all browsers, bookmarks, files, and apps |
| Works with any browser Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Edge, and more | No Arc is a standalone browser - replaces your existing browser | Yes Works alongside Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Edge, and more |
| Live Tabs across browsers See open tabs from all browsers in one panel | Partial Shows only Arc's own tabs | Yes Aggregates open tabs from every running browser |
| Air Traffic Control Auto-route links to specific browsers or spaces | Partial URL routing within Arc only, not across browsers | Yes URL rules auto-open links in the right browser and space |
| Native macOS app Built with Swift and SwiftUI | Partial Chromium-based - heavier resource usage | Yes Optimized Swift app, minimal RAM and battery usage |
| Smart Folders Auto-organized folders based on custom rules | No No smart folder or auto-organization features | Yes Auto-organized folders based on custom rules |
| AI-powered tags Local AI tagging with on-device models | No No AI tagging capabilities | Yes On-device ML models for automatic tagging |
| Files, folders, and apps in sidebar Drag anything from Finder into the sidebar | No Web-only - no local file or app integration | Yes Drag files, folders, and apps from Finder into the sidebar |
| iCloud Sync Syncs sidebar across all your Macs | Partial Cloud-based account sync via Arc servers | Yes Native iCloud sync across all your Macs |
| Privacy-first (local data) Nothing leaves your Mac unless you enable iCloud | No Data stored on Arc's cloud servers | Yes All data stays on your Mac unless you opt into iCloud |
| Active development | No Maintenance mode since May 2025 - security patches only, no new features | Yes Regular updates with new features |
| Arc sidebar import (Spaces, folders, pinned tabs) Bring your Arc sidebar layout into the new app | No N/A - Arc is the source | Yes 3-click import reads Arc's sidebar directly - Spaces, folders, and pinned tabs come over |
| Link Preview (Little Arc replacement) Floating mini-browser for quick links | Yes Little Arc - Arc's original floating quick-link window | Yes ⌘+Click on any link opens a floating mini-browser window |
| Window Tiling (Split View workaround) Multiple browser windows side-by-side | Yes Split View - up to 4 tabs side-by-side inside one Arc window | Yes Auto-tiles up to 3 browser windows side-by-side via Smart Attach |
| Overall | Maintenance mode | Best Choice |
Sidebar with pinned items
Pin your most-used links for instant access
Dedicated sidebar with pinned links, spaces, and folders
Built-in sidebar with favorites and pinned tabs
Spaces / Workspaces
Organize links and tabs by project or context
Unlimited spaces with custom icons and colors
Spaces for organizing tabs by context
Command palette
Fuzzy search across tabs, bookmarks, files, and apps
Searches tabs from all browsers, bookmarks, files, and apps
Searches Arc tabs and bookmarks only
Works with any browser
Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Edge, and more
Works alongside Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Edge, and more
Arc is a standalone browser - replaces your existing browser
Live Tabs across browsers
See open tabs from all browsers in one panel
Aggregates open tabs from every running browser
Shows only Arc's own tabs
Air Traffic Control
Auto-route links to specific browsers or spaces
URL rules auto-open links in the right browser and space
URL routing within Arc only, not across browsers
Native macOS app
Built with Swift and SwiftUI
Optimized Swift app, minimal RAM and battery usage
Chromium-based - heavier resource usage
Smart Folders
Auto-organized folders based on custom rules
Auto-organized folders based on custom rules
No smart folder or auto-organization features
AI-powered tags
Local AI tagging with on-device models
On-device ML models for automatic tagging
No AI tagging capabilities
Files, folders, and apps in sidebar
Drag anything from Finder into the sidebar
Drag files, folders, and apps from Finder into the sidebar
Web-only - no local file or app integration
iCloud Sync
Syncs sidebar across all your Macs
Native iCloud sync across all your Macs
Cloud-based account sync via Arc servers
Privacy-first (local data)
Nothing leaves your Mac unless you enable iCloud
All data stays on your Mac unless you opt into iCloud
Data stored on Arc's cloud servers
Active development
Regular updates with new features
Maintenance mode since May 2025 - security patches only, no new features
Arc sidebar import (Spaces, folders, pinned tabs)
Bring your Arc sidebar layout into the new app
3-click import reads Arc's sidebar directly - Spaces, folders, and pinned tabs come over
N/A - Arc is the source
Link Preview (Little Arc replacement)
Floating mini-browser for quick links
⌘+Click on any link opens a floating mini-browser window
Little Arc - Arc's original floating quick-link window
Window Tiling (Split View workaround)
Multiple browser windows side-by-side
Auto-tiles up to 3 browser windows side-by-side via Smart Attach
Split View - up to 4 tabs side-by-side inside one Arc window
Overall
Why users switch from Arc to SupaSidebar
The best of Arc’s sidebar, made browser-independent.
Works with every browser
Arc forced you into one browser. SupaSidebar sits outside your browser - use Safari for personal, Chrome for work, Firefox for dev. One sidebar for all of them.
Native macOS performance
Built with Swift and SwiftUI, not Chromium. Uses a fraction of the RAM and battery while integrating deeply with macOS.
Search across all browsers at once
Arc could only search its own tabs. SupaSidebar's Command Panel searches tabs from every open browser, plus your bookmarks, files, and apps.
Air Traffic Control for all browsers
Set URL rules that auto-open links in the right browser and space. Work links go to Chrome, personal links go to Safari - automatically.