Arc Browser
Bardeen
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Free / from $10/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | knowledge-workers, researchers, designers, tab-heavy-users | sales-reps, recruiters, growth-marketers, individual-contributors |
| Founded | 2022 | 2020 |
| Vertical Tabs | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spaces | ✓ | ✗ |
| Split View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Boosts | ✓ | ✗ |
| Easel | ✓ | ✗ |
| Notes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Features | ✓ | ✗ |
| Browser Automation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Workflows | ✗ | ✓ |
| Web Scraping | ✗ | ✓ |
| Playbooks | ✗ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| Data Extraction | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Arc Browser Pros
- Innovative sidebar with vertical tabs and spaces
- Built-in tools (notes, easel, split view) reduce extensions
- Profiles and spaces for work/personal separation
- Beautiful design with attention to detail
✗ Arc Browser Cons
- Mac and iOS focused (Windows version limited)
- Steep learning curve from traditional browsers
- Company pivoting away from Arc to new product
✓ Bardeen Pros
- Browser-based automation (no server setup needed)
- AI generates workflows from natural language descriptions
- Pre-built playbooks for common tasks across 100+ apps
- Scrapes and interacts with any website
✗ Bardeen Cons
- Browser extension required (not server-side)
- Complex automations can be fragile with UI changes
- Free plan limited on automation credits
The Verdict
Arc Browser is built for knowledge workers and researchers, with a focus on vertical-tabs and spaces. Bardeen targets sales reps and recruiters and leads with browser-automation and ai-workflows.
Arc Browser uses custom enterprise pricing, while Bardeen starts at $10/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.