Vivaldi Browser FAQ's
Some commonly asked questions about Vivaldi, with clear, community-approved replies.
Below are commonly asked questions about Vivaldi, with clear, community-approved replies.
- Why should I use Vivaldi? What makes it better than Chrome or Edge?
Vivaldi isn’t built for advertisers. It’s built for you. That means no profiling,
no tracking, and no trade-offs on features. It’s a powerhouse of a browser,
with serious tools like tab tiling, built-in mail, calendar, feeds, and total
customization so you can make it truly yours. While others strip things
away, Vivaldi gives you more control, not less. - Is Vivaldi free like other browsers?
Yes! Vivaldi is free and there is no catch. No hidden costs, no tracking-
based business model. Just a feature-rich browser you can shape to fit
your workflow. - Will Vivaldi work on all web pages like Chrome does?
Vivaldi works on all web pages just like any other major browser. - What features does Vivaldi have that other browsers don’t?
There are many unique features. For example, advanced tab
management like tiling, built-in Mail and RSS clients, a calendar, and a
powerful history manager. There’s much more but these features are at
your fingertips in the browser itself. With Vivaldi, all the features can be
personalized to match your workflow.
Here are some of the features and tools worth highlighting:
• Tab Tiling & Tab Stacks
• Built-in Mail, Calendar, RSS & Notes
• Workspaces
• Web Panels
• Quick Commands & Command Chains
• Customizable Keyboard Shortcuts and Mouse Gestures
• Powerful Themes & UI Tweaks
• Dashboard
• Built-in Ad-Blocker
• Built-in Proton VPN - How safe and private is Vivaldi?
Vivaldi does not collect user data and unlike other browsers, Vivaldi does
not sell data to advertisers and others willing to pay for it. Vivaldi doesn’t
even know how you use the browser.
Your synced data? End-to-end encrypted.
Your browsing? Protected with built-in tracker and ad blocking.
Your privacy? Respected, always. - Does Vivaldi have a VPN?
Yes. On desktop, Vivaldi comes with a built-in VPN powered by Proton,
one of the world’s most trusted privacy companies. - What platforms does Vivaldi support?
Vivaldi works on all major platforms including: Windows, macOS, Linux,
Android, iOS, even on cars equipped with Android Automotive! - Does Vivaldi offer sync between devices?
Yes. Vivaldi has its own Sync, and all data is end-to-end encrypted. - Is Vivaldi easy to use despite all the features?
You can keep it simple or dive deep. Vivaldi works great out of the box
just as any other popular browser. You decide how much time and effort
you spend on making Vivaldi adapt to you. Vivaldi has more customization
to offer than any other browsers and the more you explore, the more you
get. If someone says “it’s too complex,” you can say: “It’s like a DSLR. You can
use it on auto, or go full manual. It’s your choice.” - Where is Vivaldi developed and where is my data stored?
Vivaldi is developed in Norway and Iceland. User data is stored on secure
servers in Iceland, under strong privacy laws. Our servers are powered by
geothermal energy. - How does Vivaldi make money?
Vivaldi makes money through the following sources:
• Search engine partnerships
• Bookmarks and Direct Match partnerships
• Other partnerships (such as Proton)
• Donations
• Vivaldi Store - Is Vivaldi faster than other browsers?
In real-world use? Yes. Vivaldi’s built-in tools and customizations help you
move faster, work smarter, and reduce clutter.
Vivaldi works with web-pages at the same speed as other big browsers.
Tests show that there are minor differences in performance. But Vivaldi's
customization capabilities and powerful features allow users to work more
efficiently so that the real work speed in Vivaldi is much higher than with
other browsers. - Is Vivaldi open source?
Vivaldi is based on Chromium, which is open-source, and all the improvements we make to this code are published under the same open-source license (which can be checked here). That’s roughly 95% of the code. The remaining 5%, related to Vivaldi's UI, remains proprietary to this day, although it is still possible to make sense of the obfuscated code and edit it to mod the browser to your liking (something some of the
community members do). - Does Vivaldi have an ad blocker?
Yes! And it’s excellent. Users are in full control to decide what level of
blocking they want and can fine-tune it with custom block lists. - Is Vivaldi just another Chrome clone?
Not even close. Vivaldi has its own UI, features Chrome doesn’t dare
touch, and a different philosophy entirely. Same base engine, totally
different car and performance.
As for the reasons for not going fully open-source at the moment, despite
many of Vivaldi's employees being proponents and users of open-source
software, the devil is in the details. The UI is what makes Vivaldi a unique
browser, we wouldn’t want our work to be used to create a forked browser
that opposes our ethics, and given our limited resources, we cannot
commit to review submitted patches.
This is what works for our company now, but the discussion is, regardless,
far from settled.