Vivaldi Browser: A Comprehensive Look at User Opinions, Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

In an ever-crowded browser market dominated by a few giants, Vivaldi continues to stand out for its heavy emphasis on power-user features, customization, and innovative tab management. From serious fans who praise it for its integrated email/calendar or tab-stacking to skeptics who worry about performance on certain platforms, Vivaldi inspires both loyalty and debate. Below is an in-depth summary of the most frequently discussed points, drawn from user comments, high-engagement threads, and real-world experiences across multiple discussions.

1. A Brief Introduction

Vivaldi was founded by Jon von Tetzchner, the former CEO and co-founder of Opera Software. Disappointed by Opera’s shift away from serving its original power-user community, Tetzchner launched Vivaldi to “build the browser for our friends”—which has come to mean advanced customizability, robust tab features, and tight privacy constraints. While it does run on Chromium under the hood, the team layers their own UI, features, and settings on top.

Quick Facts

Engine: Chromium (Blink) for rendering
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS (newly available)
Key Extras: Built-in email client, calendar, RSS feed reader, note-taking, tab tiling, vertical tabs, and more

2. Standout Features Vivaldi Users Love

a) Extreme Customizability

By far the most common praise is that Vivaldi allows you to move, resize, or even hide just about anything in the interface. Many users speak fondly of how they can:

Display tabs: horizontally, vertically, or as tab stacks
Auto-stack or tile tabs: for side-by-side browsing
Command Chains: custom macros to automate repetitive tasks
Panels: pinned side panels for web apps like WhatsApp, Twitter, or Reddit
Themes & Layout: from corner-shading to address-bar placement, every pixel can be tweaked

One long-time commenter put it simply: “It’s the browser for power users or people with 200+ tabs who need everything at once.”

b) Built-In Mail, Calendar, and Feeds

For those wanting an all-in-one productivity tool, Vivaldi includes a fully integrated Mail client and Calendar, plus Feed Reader. Users mention it can replace separate apps like Thunderbird for some workflows. Others call these “bloat” and wish Vivaldi offered a ‘lite’ version—so opinions vary, but the functionality is there.

c) Advanced Tab Management

Tab Tiling: lets you view multiple pages in one window, side by side or in a grid.
Tab Stacking: group related tabs under one “parent” tab for easier organization.
Workspaces (introduced in v7.0): you can keep sets of tabs for different contexts—like “Work,” “Research,” “Entertainment.”

d) Privacy Tools

Although Vivaldi is Chromium-based, it explicitly blocks Google’s invasive features like FLoC. It ships a built-in tracker and ad blocker (optional) and claims to store user data client-side in a fully encrypted form. Some privacy purists, however, note that part of Vivaldi’s UI is closed-source and that it “still relies on Google code for basic rendering.”

3. Pros Frequently Cited by the Community

Customization: Users consistently rave that no other major browser matches Vivaldi’s depth of tweaks—one user joked, “You can even put your bookmarks bar at the bottom if you want. And color it purple!”
Multiple Tabs, Done Right: If your workflow involves 50, 100, or more tabs, the ability to create tab stacks and tile them is a game-changer.
Built-In Tools: Many love that you can open side panels for notes, RSS feeds, or chat services instantly—no extra extensions needed.
Import from Chrome: Because it’s Chromium-based, it can also use most Chrome extensions. Migration from Chrome, Edge, or Opera typically goes smoothly.
Active Development and Community: The company’s CEO is active on the forums and does periodic AMAs. Users say bug fixes often come quickly, especially for high-profile regressions.

4. Cons and Common Critiques

Performance and Resource Use
1. Some users on Linux or lower-end PCs report that Vivaldi can feel “sluggish” or that it uses more RAM than a standard Chromium build. Others say on macOS it starts up slower than Safari or Brave. One user summarized: “Vivaldi runs fine on my new laptop, but on older hardware, it can get heavy.”
Sync Reliability
1. Sync is a big part of modern browsers, and a few longer threads report times where sync “gets stuck,” or certain items (like mail settings or pinned tabs) don’t transfer between devices as seamlessly as expected.
Potential “Bloat”
1. The integrated mail client and calendar get mixed reviews. Many call them “a dream for organizing my day.” Others find them “unnecessary overhead,” especially if they are happy using Gmail or a separate mail app. The flipside to “all-in-one” is that some want a more minimal approach.
Partially Closed Source
1. While the core (Chromium) is open source, the Vivaldi UI is proprietary. Some open-source advocates prefer Brave or LibreWolf, which are fully open or at least have fewer proprietary bits. That said, Vivaldi’s team has explained the rationale: they want to maintain full control over their user interface code to prevent clones.
Minor UI or Stability Quirks
1. A handful of threads mention small UI glitches (like pinned tabs overlapping clickable elements) that can appear. The general consensus is “it’s usually fixed fast if you report it,” but it can still catch new users off guard.

5. Alternative Browsers and Why People Switch

Though many Vivaldi fans stick with it long-term, some have hopped between different browsers for a variety of reasons.

Firefox
- Pros: Only truly independent engine left besides WebKit; excellent privacy; large extension ecosystem (with powerful containers).
- Cons: Mobile version is behind on advanced tab management; some advanced Vivaldi-like features require multiple add-ons, which can slow the browser if overused.
Brave
- Pros: Good built-in ad/tracker blocker; fully open source; lighter footprint for some users; strong anti-tracking stance.
- Cons: Has a crypto angle some find off-putting; lacks the deep customization that Vivaldi users enjoy.
Arc (Mac-only, in early dev)
- Pros: Fresh take on UI with “spaces” or “notebooks” for tab grouping. Some find it extremely modern.
- Cons: Not fully cross-platform yet; many advanced features are still in Beta, so stability can vary.
Opera or Edge
- Pros: Opera was once known for speed and unique features (like a built-in VPN); Edge has improved a lot, especially vertical tabs.
- Cons: Opera is now owned by a Chinese consortium and has come under fire for questionable practices (like predatory loan apps). Edge is deeply integrated with Microsoft, which often tries to funnel you into the Microsoft ecosystem.

6. Final Thoughts

If you love tailoring your workspace, juggling lots of tabs, or want an all-in-one solution with built-in mail and notes, Vivaldi may well be your best pick. Its highly customizable interface, robust tab stacking and tiling, and company ethos—still led by Opera’s ex-CEO—stand apart from the “one-size-fits-all” approach of bigger browsers.

On the other hand, if you prioritize raw speed on older machines, or if you’re uneasy about partial closed-source code, you might prefer Firefox or a minimal Chromium fork (like Brave). For Mac enthusiasts who want experimental designs and “invisible” tab bars, Arc is also generating excitement.