Dia
A browser where the assistant is the interface.
why this verdict
Keep it — OpenAI has not replaced it
OpenAI's version overlaps, but does not finish the productivity job, so this one is still worth keeping open.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- Assistants bolted onto other browsers. OpenAI, June 1, 2025 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers not the job editorial call
- Parts of it. The job still needs the tool to get finished.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 3 of 3 listed replacements have a usable free tier: Arc, Perplexity Comet and Microsoft Edge.
- What the call is worth nothing to cancel
- No paid entry tier tracked, so there is no subscription to cancel.
- Threatened by
- OpenAI
- Since
- June 1, 2025
- List price
- free
- Per year
- —
The backstory
Dia is a browser from The Browser Company, the makers of Arc, built so the assistant is the interface: it reads your open tabs and can act across them instead of living in a chat panel stapled to the side. The threat is that Chrome, Edge, and others are bolting assistants onto existing browsers, so an AI sidebar is table stakes now. Dia survived so far because deep tab-aware context and a rethought browsing UX are harder to copy than adding a chat button, though it's an early, contested bet.
Escape hatches
The Browser Company's original power-user browser
arc.net open_in_newAI-first browser built around an answer engine
perplexity.ai open_in_newFree browser with Copilot built in
microsoft.com open_in_new3 of 3 replacements have a usable free tier.