Arc Max
Verified Oct 15, 2026 ActiveOpt-in AI layer inside the Arc browser: link previews, tidier tab titles and renamed downloads
Listed on EffectHub ·
Pricing
- Pricing model
- 100% Free
Free. Max ships with the Arc browser at no charge and there is no paid tier; Ask ChatGPT needs your own ChatGPT account signed into the Arc profile.
Use tool ↗About Arc Max
Arc Max is a set of AI conveniences you switch on inside the Arc browser, not a separate product. Hovering a link and holding shift generates a short preview of the destination without opening it; pinned tabs get automatically shortened titles; downloaded files are renamed to something you can find later; and typing ChatGPT into the command bar routes a question to your own signed-in ChatGPT account. Each feature is enabled individually from the command bar and none of it costs extra beyond the browser. The Browser Company of New York now ships Dia as its active browser and states that Arc receives Chromium updates only, pointing users who want ongoing security patches to Dia instead.
- API
- Not confirmed
- Last verified
- Oct 15, 2026
Verified sources
- Max page lists the four opt-in features (5 Second Previews, Ask ChatGPT, Tidy Tab Titles, Tidy Downloads), enabled from the command bar, with downloads for Mac and Windows and an iPhone app (15 October 2026)arc.net ↗
- Arc home page says Arc receives Chromium updates only and points users to Dia for active security patches and SOC 2 (15 October 2026)arc.net ↗
- The Browser Company site presents Dia and Arc as its two browsers (15 October 2026)thebrowser.company ↗
Is Arc Max legit?
We don’t label tools safe or unsafe. Below are the records we checked ourselves, each with the date we read it.
- Domain registered
- Sep 12, 1995 (31 years ago)Registry record (RDAP), registrar Cloudflare, Inc., looked up Sep 6, 2026
- TLS certificate
- Issued by Google Trust Services, valid until Nov 26, 2026Seen in our own connection to the site on Oct 15, 2026
- Last checked
- Oct 15, 2026The site answered
- Operated by
- The Browser Company of New York, United StatesOur research, card verified Oct 15, 2026
Pros & cons of Arc Max
Max is a small, well-judged set of browser conveniences rather than a chatbot bolted into a sidebar, and the shift-hover link preview is the rare AI feature you keep using. It is free and opt-in per feature. The problem is what it sits on: the vendor says Arc now gets Chromium updates only and directs users to Dia for security patches, so this is a feature set on a browser that is no longer being built.
Pros
- Free with the browser, with no separate subscription or credits
- Each of the four features is opt-in individually from the command bar
- Five-second previews work on any link without opening a tab
- Ask ChatGPT runs on your own account rather than a metered pool
- Download and tab renaming are quiet background wins rather than prompts
Cons
- Arc is on Chromium updates only and the vendor recommends Dia for security patches
- The feature set is narrow — four conveniences, not an assistant
- Ask ChatGPT needs a separate ChatGPT account signed into the profile
- Mac, Windows and iPhone only
- No settings sync story for teams and no admin controls
Best for
- Existing Arc users who want previews and tab tidying
- People already paying for ChatGPT who want it in the command bar
- Anyone wanting AI browser features without a second subscription
Not for
- Anyone choosing a browser today — the vendor points them at Dia
- Linux and Android users, who have no Arc build
Watch out: Arc's own homepage tells you to download Dia if you want active security patches and SOC 2 coverage, which is a strong signal about how long Max will be maintained.
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Arc Max head-to-head
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