Arc, The Internet Browser That Replaced my Operating System

The Browser Company built something new.

In the summer of 2011, I moved back in with my parents during a break from college. During this time, I reconnected with old friends from high school who were still in the area for university or work. One day, while hanging out at a friend's place near campus, I caught a glimpse of Spotify, a streaming platform, on his open laptop as he listened to music. By that point, most people were familiar with Pandora, and iTunes was still a popular choice for music, but within moments of exploring Spotify, I knew it had the potential to become something big. This wasn't the first time I had that feeling about a product, and I don't think it's a unique sensation. I believe many people recognized how awesome Spotify was, especially in those early days of music streaming.

Several years later, I came across Discord and experienced a similar sentiment. There is an entire generation growing up now that will never understand the struggles of authenticating and setting up programs like Teamspeak, Ventrilo, or enduring heavy breathing through microphones on Skype calls. Discord was a breath of fresh air, instantly signaling a change in the way people played games and interacted in virtual spaces.

Now, 10 years later, I have discovered another software that feels like opening a window in a stuffy room. The Arc Browser appears on the surface alongside browsers like Firefox, Safari, and particularly Chrome-based browsers such as Chrome, Brave, and Edge. It's easy to wonder if it's worth making the switch. For me, it's an easy recommendation: Yes.

The CEO released a video discussing products that are difficult to describe, noting that they tend to endure and grow through word-of-mouth adoption, naturally building their communities and that the reason they are hard to describe is that they aren’t derivative, they are truly new. I find this to be a solid perspective on successful products. While not every successful product follows this pattern, my personal favorites tend to do so. Initially, Discord might have been described as an alternative to Ventrilo or Teamspeak, but that description doesn't capture why it was so cool to use. It fails to convey the feeling of inviting friends to a digital space created just for them or the excitement of connecting with a complete stranger from a different time zone, sharing a passion for games like Call of Duty, Dota, League, or World of Warcraft. Discord became more than a communication service; it became a platform for victory. Spotify was somewhat easier to describe, but it was hard to fathom the ability to listen to almost any song on demand, instantly, as long as you had an internet connection.

The Arc Browser reminds me of those things. I could describe its interesting tab management interface, which makes interacting with websites easier, or I could talk about the spaces feature, designed to help in organizing projects and accounts. However, the truth is that it's the combination of the countless small details that make using the browser an indescribable yet addictive experience.

The most interesting thing I can say about it is this: for the first time in my life, I want to use web app versions of software instead of desktop applications. I catch myself wanting to use Discord, Spotify, Telegram, and Figma within the browser instead of their dedicated apps because Arc has created a space where I genuinely enjoy spending my time. In that sense, the Arc Browser has achieved its goal of becoming the operating system of the internet.