Capability matrix claims verified 2026-09-02
Browser comparison
An objective look at how ten browsers handle engine lineage, open source, ad blocking, AI, Tor, workspaces, and funding. Every claim about another browser cites that vendor's own documentation. ITISYOU's column describes work in progress — it claims nothing it hasn't shipped.
| Capability | ITISYOUIn development | Google Chrome | Microsoft Edge | Mozilla Firefox | Apple Safari | Brave | Arc | Opera | Vivaldi | Tor Browser |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | Blink via CEF binary distribution (Chromium 144.0.7559.261)In development details | Blink (Chromium) | Blink (Chromium-based) | Gecko | WebKit | Blink (Chromium) | Blink (Chromium-based) | Blink (Chromium-based) | Blink (Chromium-based) | Gecko (based on Firefox ESR) |
| Open source | Source not yet published - private during early development; policy revisited before releasePlanned | No - proprietary, built on the open-source Chromium project | No - proprietary, Chromium-based | Yes (Mozilla Public License 2.0) | Engine (WebKit) is open source; the Safari application is proprietary | Yes (Mozilla Public License 2.0) | No - proprietary | No - proprietary, Chromium-based | Partially - modified Chromium source is published; the UI layer is proprietary | Yes |
| Default search | Not finalized - explicit user choice at first run is the design goalIn development | Bing (Microsoft) | Google via search partnership (varies by region) | Google (varies by region) | Brave Search | Google (changeable) | Google via partnership (varies by region) | Varies by region; user-selectable at setup | DuckDuckGo | |
| Built-in ad blocking | Not implemented - content filtering is not yet committed to a phasePlanned | No general ad blocker - removes ads only on sites violating the Better Ads Standards | No full ad blocker - tracking prevention is built in | No full ad blocker - Enhanced Tracking Protection is built in | No built-in ad blocker - Intelligent Tracking Prevention plus a content-blocker extension API | Yes - Brave Shields ad and tracker blocking | Not built in on desktop - Chrome extensions supported | Yes - built-in ad blocker | Yes - built-in tracker and ad blocker | No ad blocker - NoScript is included; extra add-ons are discouraged for fingerprinting reasons |
| AI integration | OFF by default - disabled interfaces only, zero provider calls todayIn development details | Gemini-powered features shipped in the browser (cloud-based) | Copilot integrated in the browser (cloud-based) | Optional AI chatbot sidebar using user-selected third-party providers | Apple Intelligence features on supported hardware (on-device plus Private Cloud Compute) | Leo assistant, optional (cloud models by default) | Arc Max AI features (cloud-based) | Aria assistant built in (cloud-based) | None built in - Vivaldi publicly declined LLM integration in 2024 | None |
| Tor support | Planned (Phase 2/3) - not implemented, no anonymity claims todayPlanned | None documented | None documented | None built in (Tor Browser is a separate Firefox-derived project) | None documented | Private Windows with Tor on desktop | None documented | None - the built-in 'VPN' is a browser proxy, not Tor | None documented | Yes - all traffic is routed through the Tor network |
| Workspace model | Tab Mode + workspace foundationIn development | Tab groups and user profiles | Edge Workspaces and Collections | Multi-Account Containers (official extension) and profiles | Tab Groups and Profiles | Tab groups and profiles | Spaces and Profiles | Workspaces and tab islands | Workspaces, tab stacking, and profiles | None by design - anti-fingerprinting, no persistent identifiers by default |
| Business model | No monetization - independent project in developmentIn development | Free - Google (Alphabet) is funded primarily by advertising | Free - Microsoft; search advertising and services | Free - Mozilla; funded primarily by search-engine royalties | Bundled with Apple hardware - Apple's business is devices and services | Free - opt-in Brave Rewards ads and Brave Search advertising | Free - The Browser Company (venture-funded); its development focus moved to the Dia browser in 2025 | Free - Opera Norway; search and advertising partnerships | Free - Vivaldi Technologies (employee-owned); search partnerships and affiliate deals | Free - the Tor Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by grants and donations |
Disclaimer
This table describes publicly documented, default configurations of shipping browsers, sourced from each vendor's own documentation and last verified on 2026-09-02. Browsers evolve quickly - check the linked sources for current behavior. ITISYOU is in Phase 1 development: its column describes work in progress and plans, not shipped capabilities, and this page makes no performance or privacy superiority claims for it.
Citations
Sources, per browser
Each factual claim above links to the vendor's own documentation, with the date we last verified it. If you find one that has drifted out of date, it should be corrected — that is the standard this page holds itself to.
Google Chrome — Google
- Engine: Blink (Chromium) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Open source: No - proprietary, built on the open-source Chromium project — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Default search: Google — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Built-in ad blocking: No general ad blocker - removes ads only on sites violating the Better Ads Standards — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- AI integration: Gemini-powered features shipped in the browser (cloud-based) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Tor support: None documented — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Workspace model: Tab groups and user profiles — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Business model: Free - Google (Alphabet) is funded primarily by advertising — source (verified 2026-09-02)
Microsoft Edge — Microsoft
- Engine: Blink (Chromium-based) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Open source: No - proprietary, Chromium-based — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Default search: Bing (Microsoft) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Built-in ad blocking: No full ad blocker - tracking prevention is built in — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- AI integration: Copilot integrated in the browser (cloud-based) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Tor support: None documented — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Workspace model: Edge Workspaces and Collections — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Business model: Free - Microsoft; search advertising and services — source (verified 2026-09-02)
Mozilla Firefox — Mozilla
- Engine: Gecko — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Open source: Yes (Mozilla Public License 2.0) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Default search: Google via search partnership (varies by region) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Built-in ad blocking: No full ad blocker - Enhanced Tracking Protection is built in — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- AI integration: Optional AI chatbot sidebar using user-selected third-party providers — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Tor support: None built in (Tor Browser is a separate Firefox-derived project) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Workspace model: Multi-Account Containers (official extension) and profiles — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Business model: Free - Mozilla; funded primarily by search-engine royalties — source (verified 2026-09-02)
Apple Safari — Apple
- Engine: WebKit — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Open source: Engine (WebKit) is open source; the Safari application is proprietary — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Default search: Google (varies by region) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Built-in ad blocking: No built-in ad blocker - Intelligent Tracking Prevention plus a content-blocker extension API — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- AI integration: Apple Intelligence features on supported hardware (on-device plus Private Cloud Compute) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Tor support: None documented — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Workspace model: Tab Groups and Profiles — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Business model: Bundled with Apple hardware - Apple's business is devices and services — source (verified 2026-09-02)
Brave — Brave Software
- Engine: Blink (Chromium) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Open source: Yes (Mozilla Public License 2.0) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Default search: Brave Search — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Built-in ad blocking: Yes - Brave Shields ad and tracker blocking — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- AI integration: Leo assistant, optional (cloud models by default) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Tor support: Private Windows with Tor on desktop — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Workspace model: Tab groups and profiles — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Business model: Free - opt-in Brave Rewards ads and Brave Search advertising — source (verified 2026-09-02)
Arc — The Browser Company
- Engine: Blink (Chromium-based) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Open source: No - proprietary — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Default search: Google (changeable) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Built-in ad blocking: Not built in on desktop - Chrome extensions supported — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- AI integration: Arc Max AI features (cloud-based) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Tor support: None documented — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Workspace model: Spaces and Profiles — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Business model: Free - The Browser Company (venture-funded); its development focus moved to the Dia browser in 2025 — source (verified 2026-09-02)
Opera — Opera Norway
- Engine: Blink (Chromium-based) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Open source: No - proprietary, Chromium-based — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Default search: Google via partnership (varies by region) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Built-in ad blocking: Yes - built-in ad blocker — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- AI integration: Aria assistant built in (cloud-based) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Tor support: None - the built-in 'VPN' is a browser proxy, not Tor — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Workspace model: Workspaces and tab islands — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Business model: Free - Opera Norway; search and advertising partnerships — source (verified 2026-09-02)
Vivaldi — Vivaldi Technologies
- Engine: Blink (Chromium-based) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Open source: Partially - modified Chromium source is published; the UI layer is proprietary — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Default search: Varies by region; user-selectable at setup — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Built-in ad blocking: Yes - built-in tracker and ad blocker — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- AI integration: None built in - Vivaldi publicly declined LLM integration in 2024 — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Tor support: None documented — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Workspace model: Workspaces, tab stacking, and profiles — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Business model: Free - Vivaldi Technologies (employee-owned); search partnerships and affiliate deals — source (verified 2026-09-02)
Tor Browser — The Tor Project
- Engine: Gecko (based on Firefox ESR) — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Open source: Yes — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Default search: DuckDuckGo — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Built-in ad blocking: No ad blocker - NoScript is included; extra add-ons are discouraged for fingerprinting reasons — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- AI integration: None — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Tor support: Yes - all traffic is routed through the Tor network — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Workspace model: None by design - anti-fingerprinting, no persistent identifiers by default — source (verified 2026-09-02)
- Business model: Free - the Tor Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by grants and donations — source (verified 2026-09-02)