Opera unveils Neon: a subscription-based AI browser that can build websites

In early April, Opera showcased AI Browser Operator, a first look at its vision for agentic browsing in the AI era. Now, the company is detailing what that actually looks like: rather than being just a feature, Operator is part of an entirely new browser called Opera Neon.

Opera’s bet on the “agentic web”

Opera says Neon doesn’t just help you browse, but actively performs tasks on your behalf. That includes researching, designing, and even building things like websites, code snippets, reports, and games.

The company explains that these tasks are handled by AI agents running in the cloud, which means they can continue processing even when your machine goes offline. At the same time, Neon will also count with Browser Operator, a built-in AI agent that users can chat with to get contextual answers, automate web tasks (like filling out forms or booking a hotel), and interact directly with webpage content.

Here’s Henrik Lexow, Opera’s Senior AI Product Director, in a buzzword-heavy statement:

“We’re at a point where AI can fundamentally change the way we use the internet and perform all sorts of tasks in the browser. Opera Neon brings this to our users’ fingertips. (…) We see it as a collaborative platform to shape the next chapter of agentic browsing together with our community.”

The AI browser war is on

Opera’s new browser joins what’s quickly becoming a crowded AI-enhanced category, alongside Microsoft Edge with Copilot, Chrome with Gemini, Perplexity’s Comet, Brave with Leo, Firefox’s recent beta launch of Link Previews, and even Apple’s more subtle AI-powered Summaries tucked away within Reader Mode in Safari.

For now, though, there are more questions than answers: we don’t know how well Neon will actually perform in real-world tasks beyond the cliché trip planning demo, how much it will cost, or when users will get access beyond joining a waitlist.

But if Opera delivers on even half of what it’s promising, Neon could really be a preview of what to expect from web browsing in the near future.