I’ve used Chrome for so long that I stopped questioning how it works. If I wanted to organize tabs, switch between pages, or make browsing more convenient, I usually worked around whatever Chrome offered.
However, when I tried Vivaldi, I was surprised by how it solved the little annoyances I had learned to live with. It gives me a huge amount of control over tabs, sidebars, shortcuts, privacy settings, and even where different parts of the interface appear.
Here are the Vivaldi features that made me question how much I’ve been putting up with in Chrome.
I didn’t need an extension for basic privacy
Privacy protection was already built into Vivaldi
Chrome has protection against intrusive ads and tracking, but I thought ad blocking required an extension. However, Vivaldi integrates this feature into the browser.
I go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Tracker and Ad Blocking and choose whether Vivaldi blocks trackers, ads, or neither.
It uses lists of known tracker URLs to block those requests before they’re sent, and I can add or remove blocking lists for more control. I can also change the blocking level for individual websites from the shield icon beside the address bar.
The same system can deal with another annoyance: cookie-warning banners. Vivaldi includes blocking lists that hide many of those pop-ups, so I don’t have to repeatedly search for the right button to get a website out of my way.
I enable the cookie-warning lists under the same blocking settings, and turn them off for individual sites if something doesn’t work properly.
Some small conveniences made me wonder why they’re not standard
Some of Vivaldi’s most useful features save me from opening another tool.
The Capture tool is useful when I need a screenshot of something that doesn’t fit on the screen. I click the camera icon in the Status Bar and choose Full Page to capture the entire web page, or Selection to grab part of it.
I can save the image, copy it to the clipboard, or save the capture as a note with the page URL attached.
Then there’s Periodic Reload, which is useful for pages that update regularly but don’t refresh themselves. I right-click a tab, choose Periodic Reload, and pick an interval between one and 90 minutes. The browser puts a countdown on the tab so that I know when the next refresh will happen.
Mouse Gestures are another small convenience. After enabling them under Settings > Mouse > Gestures, I hold the right mouse button and draw a gesture to perform an action.
Vivaldi’s Tab Stacks go further than Chrome’s tab groups
My tabs finally had a system
Chrome lets me group tabs and put pages side by side, but Vivaldi offers more options.
For example, I can drag one tab onto another to create a Tab Stack, or select several tabs, right-click them, and choose Stack X Selected Tabs.
I can name the stack and give it a color, so something like “Research” or “Shopping” is easier to find among everything else I have open.
Vivaldi can display tabs in a stacked format on a second level instead of placing them in the same row as my other tabs.
For bigger categories, I create a Workspace by clicking the Workspaces button, choosing New Workspace, and naming it. I might have one for work and another for personal browsing.
When I switch between them, Vivaldi shows only the tabs belonging to that Workspace, rather than mixing everything. I still use Tab Stacks inside each Workspace, which gives me another level of organization.
When I need to use several of those tabs at once, I select them, right-click, and choose Tile. The browser can arrange them vertically, horizontally, or in a grid, and it can even tile an entire Tab Stack.
So instead of grouping tabs to make a crowded tab bar easier to manage, I can organize them. I use Workspaces for different activities, Tab Stacks for related pages, and Tab Tiling when I need to see several pages together.
Vivaldi puts me in control of how the browser works
I can set up my own shortcuts
Quick Commands are one of my favorite features. Pressing F2 opens a search box where I can find an open tab, bookmark, note, browsing history, or browser command.
Command Chains let me combine multiple browser actions into one command. I go to Settings > Quick Commands > Command Chains, create a chain, and add the actions I want. I can trigger it from Quick Commands, a keyboard shortcut, a mouse gesture, or a toolbar button.
For example, when I want to focus on a long article, I trigger a chain that turns on Reader View and Fullscreen Mode together. I can also add delays between commands when one action needs time to finish before the next begins.
Vivaldi’s Android app supports extensions
Meanwhile, Chrome still doesn’t offer this feature
This is one area where Vivaldi has a clear advantage over Chrome on Android: it lets me install browser extensions.
Chrome supports extensions on the desktop, but you can’t install them on mobile devices.
Vivaldi added full extension support to Android with version 8.2. To install one, tap the puzzle-piece icon in the address bar, choose Open Chrome Web Store, find the extension, and tap Add to Vivaldi.
Vivaldi made me rethink what a browser should do
I started using Vivaldi to see what a different browser could offer, but I didn’t expect so many of its features to impress me.
The tab tools changed how I organize pages, and built-in privacy and customization options mean I need fewer extra tools.
I’m not saying everyone needs to switch browsers. But if you’re tired of adding extensions or working around the way your browser wants you to use it, Vivaldi is worth a look.