The Browser Company, makers of the Arc web browser, today released its Windows version. The company began testing the Windows client in December and says more than 150,000 people are using it.
The startup, which aims to replace current browsers, recently raised $50 million at a valuation of $550 million. Today, The Browser Company opened up access to his Windows version to all users without a waiting list. Previously, there were more than 1 million people on the waiting list.
The company launched with an invite-only Mac-based version in 2022 and made it available to everyone in July 2023.
Image credit: The Browser Company
The Browser Company decided to build the Windows version in Swift so that much of the codebase could be reused and shared with the Mac version. Swift is a programming language originally designed by Apple to develop iPhone and Mac apps. Using Swift on Windows makes it easier to maintain feature parity in the future. The company has also written extensively about its experience building Swift on Windows to help developers looking to port their Mac apps.
Windows version features
Arc on Windows has some of the core features of the Mac version, including a sidebar with the most commonly used web pages pinned to the top. Spaces are like folders with different sets of tabs for different tasks, such as “Work,” “Entertainment,” “Vacation,” and “Note-taking.” Personalized browsing data and settings profile. Split view to open multiple tabs in a single window. Picture-in-picture video player support allows you to view other tabs while watching video clips.
Image credit: The Browser Company
The Windows team also included peak features that were not present in earlier versions. Peek lets you see a quick preview of a link from your pinned or favorite tabs without having to click the link.
This month, we introduced Arc Sync across devices, allowing users to access sidebars, spaces, folders, and tabs across devices. This feature also works on the Windows version.
One of the main differences between the Windows and Mac versions is that the former supports touchscreens.
However, newly released Windows versions lack features such as Little Arc, a floating browser window for temporary uses such as opening links. The company did not say whether the Windows version includes AI-powered features such as link previews, renaming of downloaded files, instant links directly to websites, and live folder auto-updates. .
what will happen next
Currently, Arc for Windows only supports Windows 11, but the startup is working on support for Windows 10.
The company also said it wants to bring feature parity to both Mac and Windows, but did not provide a timeline.
Earlier this year, The Browser Company released a mobile app for iPhone called Arc Search. In its latest release, the company said it plans to release an Arc Search client for Android.