Rio vs Vivaldi
Rio and Vivaldi are both Chromium browsers for Mac that run Chrome Web Store extensions and block ads. Rio is open source under GPL-3.0, interface included, while Vivaldi keeps its interface closed. Rio keeps Arc's spaces, each with its own pinned tabs, folders and profile, and imports your Arc setup in one step.
Side by side
| Rio | Vivaldi | |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | Yes, GPL-3.0, interface included | Interface closed; "only the UI layer is closed-source" |
| Grouping tabs | Spaces, each with its own pinned tabs, folders, Today tabs, colors and profile | Workspaces group tabs in the same window |
| Arc import | Spaces, profiles, pinned tabs, folders, favorites, Today tabs, history, passwords and sign-ins in one step | Arc is not named in Vivaldi's import help |
| Speedometer 3.1, Chrome = 100 | 97.8, our run on one Mac | 94.8, from BrowseRating's scores on a different Mac |
Every Vivaldi cell comes from Vivaldi's own blog and help pages, or BrowseRating, listed at the end.
Where Rio is ahead
- All of it is open. Rio's code, interface included, is on GitHub under GPL-3.0, so anyone can read it, build it and keep it going. Vivaldi's own post says that of its three layers, only the UI layer is closed source.
- Spaces that keep logins apart. A Rio space has its own pinned tabs, folders and Today tabs, and can use its own profile, so your work accounts stay out of your personal space. Vivaldi's help describes Workspaces as a way to group tabs in the same window. See Profiles per space.
- Arc, brought over in one step. Rio reads Arc's files on your Mac and imports your spaces with their names, icons and colors, plus everything in them, saved passwords and sign-ins included. Arc is not among the browsers Vivaldi's import help names. See Move from Arc to Rio.
- Speedometer 3.1. Rio scored 97.8 against Chrome on our Mac. BrowseRating's scores put Vivaldi at 94.8% of its Chrome score, on a different Mac. We have not run Speedometer on Vivaldi ourselves.
How the speed numbers were taken
Speedometer 3.1 scores depend on the Mac, so each number is an index against Chrome on the same machine. Rio's 97.8 is our own run: Rio 158.0.8127.18 against Chrome 156.0.8078.81, 3 runs each, on an Apple M4 Max with 36 GB, November 9, 2026. Vivaldi's 94.8 comes from BrowseRating's published scores, 49.5 for Vivaldi 8.2.4133.80 and 52.2 for Chrome, on a Mac whose model BrowseRating does not publish.
More in Rio
- Peek: Shift-click a link to open it in a card over your page. See Peek.
- Today tabs that archive themselves once you have not opened them for 12 hours, or a day, a week or a month. See Today tabs.
- The Library in the sidebar, with your downloads, screenshots and archived tabs. See Library.
Who Rio is for
People who want Arc's spaces kept as spaces, their Arc setup brought over in one step, and a browser whose whole code they can read.
Questions
Is Vivaldi open source?
Not all of it. Vivaldi's own post says only its interface layer is closed source. Rio is open source under GPL-3.0, interface included, and its code is on GitHub.
Can I bring my Arc spaces into Rio?
Yes. On first launch, Bring everything over imports your Arc spaces with their names, icons and colors, plus profiles, pinned tabs, folders, favorites, Today tabs, history, saved passwords and sign-ins. Arc is not among the browsers Vivaldi's import help names.
Which is faster, Rio or Vivaldi?
Rio scored 97.8 on Speedometer 3.1 against Chrome's 100 on our Mac. BrowseRating's scores put Vivaldi at 94.8% of its Chrome score, on a different Mac.
Does Rio have AI features?
A few, each with its own switch in Settings, AI features. Tab tidying runs on Apple's on-device model on your Mac, and the Ask row opens ChatGPT, Claude or Grok only when you choose it.
Sources
- Vivaldi, Why isn't Vivaldi browser open-source? (September 9, 2021)
- Vivaldi Help, Workspaces
- Vivaldi Help, Import and export browser data
- BrowseRating, macOS ARM Speedometer 3.1 rankings (October 3, 2026)
- Rio source code on GitHub (GPL-3.0)
- Rio source, the import checklist (SwitchImport.tsx)
- Rio source, the AI features tab (AiPane.tsx)
