Browser AI
Opera has unveiled Neon, its vision for the future of web browsing: a fully AI-native, “agentic” browser designed not just to support your online activity – but to do it for you. Neon is still in early access, available by invitation only, and most of its ambitious features remain untested in the wild.
Still, the concept behind Neon is too intriguing to ignore. But how does it compare, at least on paper, to Microsoft Edge and its built-in Copilot intelligent AI assistant? Here’s what you need to know.
Opera Neon introduces three distinct AI-powered modes, each accessible via a sidebar:
Chat: A conversational AI assistant that can search the web, manage tabs, analyze images, summarize content, answer questions, and support multilingual and voice-based queries. It’s essentially an always-available, context-aware smart companion for web navigation.
Do: This feature, powered by Opera’s Browser Operator AI, handles practical tasks like filling out forms, booking travel, and managing actions online. It operates locally for enhanced privacy and speed, acting like a true autonomous agent that performs tasks on your behalf.
Make: Using a cloud-based virtual machine, this mode can generate websites, games, code, and reports from simple prompts. Impressively, it can keep working while you’re offline and supports multiple workflows running in parallel.
Opera Neon positions itself as an agentic browser. It’s built to understand your intent and autonomously carry out complex digital tasks, without constant input.
Also read: AI agents explained: Why OpenAI, Google and Microsoft are building smarter AI agents
That includes executing multi-step processes like booking flights, auto-filling paperwork, or even building a website while you’re away from your keyboard. This is a stark contrast to Copilot’s user-driven approach, where each task still requires your manual prompt and confirmation.
If Opera’s agentic model works in practice, it could drastically reduce the friction of everyday digital tasks – and possibly shift the entire browsing paradigm.
Opera Neon also aims to differentiate itself on privacy, multitasking performance and monetization (that’s a first in browsers, isn’t it?). Here’s what we know so far:
Privacy First: Most AI-powered functions run locally within the browser. Sensitive data such as login credentials, cookies, and browsing history don’t leave your device. Only the “Make” feature leverages the cloud, and even then, it’s in an isolated, secure environment.
Multitasking Power: Neon supports running several tasks at once – like building a game while auto-filling travel forms – something no mainstream browser currently does natively.
Premium Experience: Opera Neon will follow a subscription model. While pricing and specific tiers haven’t been revealed yet, the core AI capabilities are expected to be part of the paid offering.
| Feature | Opera Neon | Microsoft Edge + Copilot |
| AI Approach | Agentic, autonomous task execution | Integrated assistant, prompt-based |
| Task Automation | Multi-step, proactive, offline-capable | Single-step, reactive, cloud-based |
| Privacy | Mostly local processing, secure cloud use | Cloud-based, tied to Microsoft services |
| Multitasking | Parallel workflows across features | Single-threaded task execution |
| User Interface | Creative, sidebar-driven AI modes | Traditional browser UI with sidebar Copilot |
| Pricing | Subscription-based | Free, with some features behind Microsoft 365 |
Also read: 5 features that make Microsoft Edge a better browser than Google Chrome
Opera Neon is staking out a bold position in the browser wars, offering a tool that promises to transform the web from something you navigate into something that works for you. It’s less a browser and more a digital co-pilot – if it works as promised.
But for now, that remains speculative. Neon is not yet publicly available beyond a closed waitlist. There’s no public track record for its performance, reliability, or how intuitive this new AI-centric experience will actually feel. And with a premium pricing model on the horizon, it will need to substantially outperform free alternatives like Edge + Copilot to justify its value. Still, it’s a bold experiment – and one worth watching closely.
Don’t uninstall Edge just yet because we’ll be taking a closer look at Opera Neon in action as soon as it becomes publicly available. Stay tuned for our full hands-on review when the browser officially launches.
Also read: Google introduces new AI and accessibility features for Android and Chrome: Here’s what’s new
