Consumer AI browsers
BrowserOS neo vs Dia
Dia is a polished AI browser you drive on your Mac. BrowserOS neo is the open-source browser your agents drive, on macOS and Windows.
Dia is The Browser Company’s AI browser, the successor focus after Arc. It puts a chat assistant into every tab so you can ask about pages, write, and get things done as you browse. It is a closed-source browser you drive yourself, and it runs on macOS.
BrowserOS neo brings no assistant. It gives the agent you already use, Claude Code, Cowork, Codex, Cursor, anything speaking MCP, a browser signed in as you, running locally, with tabs you can watch and sessions saved as video. It is free and open source under AGPL-3.0, on macOS and Windows.
The short version
Choose BrowserOS neo when
- You want your own coding agent to do the browsing, not a built-in chat.
- You want it open source and running on your own machine.
- You are on Windows as well as macOS.
- You want several agents at once, each with its own tabs, every session replayable, bringing your own model.
Choose Dia when
- You want a polished AI assistant woven into a browser you drive on a Mac.
- You prefer a single consumer product with the assistant and browser bundled.
- You are on macOS and want a refined reading and writing companion.
Side by side
| Dimension | BrowserOS neo | Dia |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | BrowserOS neoAn open-source browser your existing agent drives over MCP. | DiaA browser with a chat assistant built into every tab. |
| Who drives it | BrowserOS neoYour AI agent, whichever one you already use. | DiaYou do, with the assistant helping in each tab. |
| Open source | BrowserOS neoYes. AGPL-3.0, source on GitHub. | DiaNo. Closed source. |
| The model | BrowserOS neoBring your own keys. Any MCP-capable agent. | DiaThe Browser Company’s built-in assistant. |
| Runs locally | BrowserOS neoYes. Logins, screenshots and replays stay on your machine. | DiaA local browser, with the assistant as a cloud service. |
| Watch and replay | BrowserOS neoLive tabs and a dashboard, every session saved as replayable video. | DiaNot a documented feature. |
| Price | BrowserOS neoFree. You bring your own model keys. | DiaFree to use, with a paid tier for heavier AI use. |
| Platforms | BrowserOS neomacOS, Windows. | DiamacOS. |
Dia is a beautifully made AI browser for a person who wants an assistant in every tab, on a Mac. neo is for a person whose agent should do the browsing, in a browser of its own, on macOS or Windows, that you can read the source of.
If you want an open-source AI browser you drive yourself, the closer match is BrowserOS, the human daily-driver browser with agents built in, which also runs on Linux. neo is the open-source option for when the agent, not you, is at the wheel.
Open source, cross-platform, and yours.
Dia bundles a closed assistant into a macOS browser you drive, so the model and the product are one thing you cannot inspect or run elsewhere.
neo bundles no assistant. Your own agent drives a browser that is open source, local, on macOS and Windows, and signed in as you.
You can audit every line, keep your logins and replays on your machine, and bring any model. For an AI browser, being able to see and own what it does is the differentiator.
Common questions
Is there an open-source alternative to Dia?
Yes. BrowserOS and BrowserOS neo are open-source AI browsers under AGPL-3.0. BrowserOS is the one you drive yourself, closest to Dia in use, and it also runs on Windows and Linux. BrowserOS neo is the one your AI agents drive. Both are free and run locally.
What is Dia?
The Browser Company’s AI browser, with a chat assistant built into every tab so you can ask about pages, write, and get tasks done as you browse. It is closed source and runs on macOS.
Is Dia free?
Dia is free to use, with a paid tier for heavier AI use.
How is BrowserOS neo different from Dia?
Dia is a macOS browser you drive with a built-in assistant. neo is open source, free, on macOS and Windows, driven by whichever AI agent you already use, running locally, with every session replayable and your own model keys.
Check it yourself
Every claim about Dia here was read off these pages on 17 September 2026. If something has gone stale, tell us.
What we could not confirm
- Dia’s pricing and plan structure change. This page says free to use with a paid tier for heavier AI use rather than quoting rates.
- Dia platform support may expand beyond macOS; we describe availability at the checked date.
- The Browser Company has signalled a shift of focus from Arc to Dia; we describe Dia on its own terms rather than Arc’s status.
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- vs Kimi Browser ExtensionAn agent inside the browser you have
Give your agent a browser it can sign into.
Free, open source, and it sits beside the browser you already use.