Kagi Orion 1.0 Launches on macOS: A Fast, Private WebKit Contender Finally Exits Beta

After five years of beta testing and over 100 updates, Kagi officially released Orion 1.0 for macOS on November 25, 2025. It transforms the browser from an experimental tool into a stable, production-ready competitor in a market long dominated by Chrome and Safari.

Orion's pitch is simple but ambitious: take the guts of Safari—Apple’s rapid WebKit engine—and graft on the extensibility of Chrome. For Mac users tired of Chrome’s resource hogging but unwilling to lose their extensions in Safari, Orion finally bridges the gap.

Breaking the Safari-Chrome Duopoly

Why does another browser matter in 2025? For years, Mac users have faced a binary choice: pick Safari for battery life, or pick Chrome for extensions. Orion 1.0 attempts to break this dichotomy by using the same WebKit engine found in Safari to ensure deep macOS integration, while stripping out the tracking code endemic to mainstream alternatives.

Key Features and Differentiators

Orion 1.0 isn't just a clone of Safari. It introduces features that power users have long requested but Apple has been slow to implement.

• Universal Extension Support: This is Orion's "killer feature." It supports extensions from both the Chrome Web Store and Firefox Add-ons repository. This capability allows users to run uBlock Origin, React Developer Tools, or other critical plugins natively within a WebKit environment.
• Native macOS Integration: Because it uses WebKit, Orion supports Apple Intelligence, iCloud passkeys, Handoff, and Continuity out of the box. It feels like a native Mac app rather than a cross-platform port.
• Vertical Tabs and Focus Mode: The browser includes native vertical tabs for managing high-volume workflows and a "Focus Mode" that strips away UI distractions, features absent in vanilla Safari.
• Zero Telemetry: Kagi's product lead Yannick Burky emphasized that unlike Chromium rivals, Orion has "zero telemetry tracking."

The browser is free for standard use. Premium features, such as unlimited tabs and advanced configurations, are gated behind a Kagi Unlimited subscription ($25/month or $240/year). Crucially, this subscription bundles in Kagi’s ad-free Search engine; asking $300 a year for a standalone browser would be a tough sell, even for the most privacy-conscious users, but the combined package offers a sustainable model that avoids selling user data.

Early Verdicts and What’s Next

The response has been immediate. Kagi reported thousands of downloads within the first 24 hours of the stable release. Community sentiment on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) has been largely positive, with enthusiasts labeling it a "Safari killer" or a viable alternative to Arc for those who prefer minimalism over flashy UI. Reviews from outlets like AppleInsider have praised the v1.0 release for its stability, noting 99% uptime in tests—a significant improvement over earlier beta versions.

While the macOS release is the current headline, Kagi has aggressive expansion plans. The company confirmed that alpha testing for Linux is already underway, with Windows development in progress. The goal is full cross-platform support by mid-2026. Additionally, an iOS version is currently in beta, promising a unified experience across the Apple ecosystem soon.

For now, Mac users have a new, serious option that doesn't require choosing between performance and functionality.