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Side-by-side comparison ยท AI Browsers & Agents

Microsoft Edge 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

Microsoft Edge

3.9

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: Windows and Microsoft 365 users who want AI help with reading, comparing and researching in the browser they already have.

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

AttributeMicrosoft EdgeOpera Neon
In one lineMicrosoft's free browser with Copilot built in to read pages, compare tabs 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.

AttributeMicrosoft EdgeOpera Neon
Overall rating3.9Winner3.4
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.
3.5
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.
4.0
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.

AttributeMicrosoft EdgeOpera 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.

AttributeMicrosoft EdgeOpera Neon
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Most people: summaries, tab comparisons and Journeys.

Free

Free

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

Microsoft 365 Premium

$19.99/mo, or $199.99/yr

US households and sole traders who want the agent and Office apps in one bill.

StandardOur pick

$19.90/mo

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

Microsoft 365 Copilot (business)

See website

Companies on Microsoft 365 business plans.

Which plan to pickStay on free. The side panel, tab comparisons and Journeys cover what most business owners need, and they cost nothing. Microsoft 365 Premium is only worth it if you're in the US and already want Office for the household; don't buy it just for the browser agent, which Microsoft still calls experimental.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

AttributeMicrosoft EdgeOpera Neon
Standout features
  • Copilot side panel
  • Journeys
  • Browse with Copilot
  • Memory and history
  • Study, write, listen
  • Voice and Vision on mobile
  • Neon Do
  • Neon Make
  • Deep research
  • Tasks and Cards
  • Top models in one place
  • Bring your own AI

Pros and cons

AttributeMicrosoft EdgeOpera Neon
Pros
  • Already installed on Windows, nothing new to learn
  • Free Copilot reads pages and compares open tabs well
  • Journeys makes it easy to pick research back up
  • Chrome extensions and bookmarks work
  • Strong admin controls for businesses on Microsoft 365
  • 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
  • The agent is US only and needs Microsoft 365 Premium
  • Several features are US or English-language only, so Australian users get less
  • Microsoft calls the agent experimental and warns it can misread instructions
  • Copilot prompts are pushed into many corners of the browser, which some find cluttered
  • Screenshots from agent sessions are kept with the chat for up to 30 days
  • $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

AttributeMicrosoft EdgeOpera Neon
Best for
  • Summarising long pages and PDFs
  • Comparing products or quotes across open tabs
  • Picking research back up days later with Journeys
  • Businesses already paying for Microsoft 365
  • 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
  • Office workers
  • Small business owners
  • Students
  • Windows users
  • Founders
  • Marketers
  • Researchers
  • Power users

Questions people ask

Which is better, Microsoft Edge or Opera Neon?

Microsoft Edge scores highest overall in our ratings (Microsoft Edge 3.9/5 and Opera Neon 3.4/5). Microsoft Edge is best for summarising long pages and PDFs and comparing products or quotes across open 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, Microsoft Edge or Opera Neon?

Microsoft Edge: 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, Microsoft Edge or Opera Neon?

Microsoft Edge rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Windows and Microsoft 365 users who want AI help with reading, comparing and researching in the browser they already have.

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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