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Side-by-side comparison ยท AI Browsers & Agents

Google Chrome vs Opera Neon

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Best overall

Google Chrome

4.1

From $19.99/mo

Opera Neon

3.4

From $19.90/mo

Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

Best overallBest valueEasiest to use

Pick it if: Anyone already using Chrome and Google's apps who wants AI help reading, comparing and researching without switching browsers.

Pick it if: Business owners and power users who want an AI that does web tasks for them and are happy to pay for access to several top models in one place.

Overview

AttributeGoogle ChromeOpera Neon
In one lineThe world's most used browser, now with Gemini built in to read pages and do tasks.Opera's agentic AI browser that browses, researches and builds things for you.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$19.99/mo$19.90/mo
Free plan Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code No Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeGoogle ChromeOpera Neon
Overall rating4.1Winner3.4
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
3.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
3.5
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.5
3.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
3.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeGoogle ChromeOpera Neon
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes No
Desktop app Yes Yes
Browser extension Yes No
API access No Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes No
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes No
Connects to other apps Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes
Understands images Yes Yes
Makes images Yes Yes
Makes video No Yes
Writes code No Yes
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style No No
Works in many languages Yes Yes
Capabilities score12/ 1711/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeGoogle ChromeOpera Neon
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Most people: summaries, tab comparisons and AI search.

Free

Free

Trying Neon, or letting your own AI agent use a browser.

Google AI Pro

$19.99/mo

US users who want Gemini to do tasks on websites for them.

StandardOur pick

$19.90/mo

Anyone who wants Neon's agents to do web tasks for them.

Google AI Ultra

From $99.99/mo

Heavy users who hit Pro's limits.

Which plan to pickUse it free. The side panel is what most business owners will actually use, and it's free in Australia. Only pay for AI Pro if you're in the US or India and want auto browse, or you want Gemini's better models anyway. Nobody needs Ultra for the browser.If you're choosing Neon, it's for the agents, so Standard at $19.90 a month is the plan that matters. Month to month, so try it for one month on a real job. The free plan's chat is more basic than the free AI in Opera One, so only stay on Free if you want to plug in your own Claude or ChatGPT.

Key features

AttributeGoogle ChromeOpera Neon
Standout features
  • Gemini side panel
  • Auto browse
  • Works with Google apps
  • AI Mode in the address bar
  • Skills
  • Scam protection
  • Neon Do
  • Neon Make
  • Deep research
  • Tasks and Cards
  • Top models in one place
  • Bring your own AI

Pros and cons

AttributeGoogle ChromeOpera Neon
Pros
  • Most people already use it, so there's nothing to switch
  • Free Gemini side panel, available in Australia
  • Works with Gmail, Calendar and YouTube
  • Huge extension library
  • Asks before sign-ins and purchases during auto browse
  • One of the strongest browser agents in reviews
  • Several top models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google in one subscription
  • Free plan lets your own AI drive the browser
  • Tasks keep each project's tabs and chat together
  • Month to month, no annual lock-in
Cons
  • Auto browse is paid, US and India only, and not on iPhone
  • Early reviews found auto browse unreliable and prone to claiming tasks it hadn't done
  • Page content you share with Gemini is sent to Google
  • Not yet available in the EU
  • Gemini prompts are increasingly pushed into the browser whether you want them or not
  • $19.90 a month when Comet and Opera One have free AI sidebars
  • Three separate modes (Chat, Do, Make) confuse new users
  • Windows and Mac only, no mobile app
  • Still labelled experimental by Opera
  • Prompt injection risk, as with every AI browser agent

Who each one is for

AttributeGoogle ChromeOpera Neon
Best for
  • Summarising pages and YouTube videos
  • Comparing products or suppliers across tabs
  • Adding events to Google Calendar from a page
  • Google Workspace users who don't want a new browser
  • Handing off web chores like bookings and form filling
  • Deep research reports on a market or competitor
  • Building quick reports, pages or images from research
  • Letting Claude or ChatGPT use a real browser (free plan)
You'll find it used by
  • Small business owners
  • Marketers
  • Students
  • Google Workspace users
  • Founders
  • Marketers
  • Researchers
  • Power users

Questions people ask

Which is better, Google Chrome or Opera Neon?

Google Chrome scores highest overall in our ratings (Google Chrome 4.1/5 and Opera Neon 3.4/5). Google Chrome is best for summarising pages and YouTube videos and comparing products or suppliers across tabs. Opera Neon is best for handing off web chores like bookings and form filling and deep research reports on a market or competitor.

Which is cheaper, Google Chrome or Opera Neon?

Google Chrome: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo. Opera Neon: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.90/mo.

Which is easier to use, Google Chrome or Opera Neon?

Google Chrome rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone already using Chrome and Google's apps who wants AI help reading, comparing and researching without switching browsers.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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