No browser has managed to challenge Chrome's popularity, and it still reigns in the browser market. It's a common sight on desktops, laptops, and mobile phones, simply because Android ships it by default, and most Windows users prefer to install it over Edge. However, some Chromium browsers are hard to ignore because they try to stand apart from the basic browser design. They challenge innovation, try to offer features that actually benefit the end users, while remaining completely free.

After a week with Vivaldi, I realized how much I had missed out by sticking with Chrome as the default browser. Vivaldi has some fascinating features, like web panels, a mail client, and strong privacy tools, and packages everything in a layout that gives you control. Let's discuss how Vivaldi differs from Chrome and the features that make it worth a try.

First impressions

Setup experience

Like any other browser, you just need to run the setup file to install Vivaldi. It asked for some data collection, that I politely declined, and the interface greeted me with the welcome page. Whenever I try a new browser, I like to see how it imports the data from Chrome and other browsers on my PC. I picked Chrome as my default option, and Vivaldi managed to snag all the browsing data, some extensions, and a few other things. However, it couldn't import the passwords as they aren't freely accessible like other data.

Chrome protects the passwords inside Google's password manager, and the only way to import those files to Vivaldi is by using a CSV file. I did that to complete the setup and skipped the Vivaldi email creation prompt. After that, Vivaldi offers a peek into the customization options.

Vivaldi offers granular customization

Chrome doesn't explore this area

To be honest, I’ve never tried to make Chrome look good. The default settings support theming and accent color switch, and I can choose what icons appear on the toolbar, and that's pretty much it with Chrome. But Vivaldi dives a little deep into the appearance settings. The first major decision is to pick a layout, and there are quite a few to choose from. I suggest using the auto-hide option as it offers a true full-screen experience by hiding every other UI element from the browser window.

Like Chrome, Vivaldi supports themes but has a better collection, and there's a store to download more if you want. You can hide toolbar elements and other icons, and there's a long list of items to choose from. However, I'm impressed with the default as well as tracking prevention built into the browser. I chose the highest level, which blocks both trackers and ads, and the results were negligible ads on most webpages.

Like Brave, Vivaldi can block YouTube ads with ease. I tried more than two dozen videos and never saw an ad or promotional pop-up even once. So, you don’t need to install extensions just to block ads and then worry whether they’ll stop working in a few months. I hate using ad blockers in Chrome, as they often stop working or YouTube throws a warning about using them.

Tab stacks and web panels

Better tab management

Chrome can do basic tab grouping, but Vivaldi goes a tad beyond with Tab Stacks. It's an advanced form of grouping where you can put a bunch of tabs as a collection and then manage them without being confused with other open tabs. It adds a second level below the main tab bar where you can easily see the tabs inside the stack. You can also use tab tiling to arrange the tabs to view multiple tabs from the same stack. It arranges them side by side for better readability.

The feature is a lifesaver if you keep multiple tabs open on a whim. Vivaldi has a “hibernate” option for individual tabs and tab stacks, which basically suspends them and stops them from using the memory. Chrome has a global memory management toggle, but it lacks the manual controls present in Vivaldi’s interface.

Web panels are an interesting concept that's slightly different from the split view you normally use in Chrome and other browsers. It pins a webpage on the left sidebar and opens it in nearly 25 percent space, like a phone screen. It's useful if you want to keep a page open and continuously use it for referencing something while keeping the active tab window undisturbed. I can also toggle between mobile and desktop versions of the page to check which offers better readability. Web panels support resizing, but I prefer the default version.

A built-in mail client

All email accounts in one place

A mail client inside a browser is a rare occurrence, and the fact that Vivaldi decided to add it and keep improving it is wild. No other mainstream browser attempts it, and I was surprised by its presence. During setup, the browser nudges you to set it up, and honestly, that was a bad start to my day.

I tried adding one of my Gmail accounts to the mail client, and it downright refused to do so. I faced numerous errors and had no success while trying the OAuth mode. Out of frustration, I generated an app password from my Google account and then used it to complete the sign-in.

It's a mixed bag, and while I love keeping multiple email accounts from different providers under one roof, the client can act finicky and unresponsive at times. There’s no dearth of features inside it, but the initial setup might discourage inexperienced users. Vivaldi also supports workspaces, a feature that can group tabs into collections, and integrated calendar support with the mail client.

Don’t ignore Vivaldi

Vivaldi isn’t new, but when you compare the current version of Chrome with it, there's a visible feature gap between the two. Chrome has always been a standard browser that focuses on stability and core features while leaving the rest of the things to extensions. I don’t mind the unavailability of appearance modification tools in Chrome, but features like web panels, tab stacks, and a mail client make it difficult to go back to it.