Opera is a multi-platform web browser developed by its namesake company Opera. The current edition of the browser is based on Chromium. Opera is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS (Safari WebKit engine). Opera offers two mobile versions, called Opera Mobile and Opera Mini.
Opera was first developed at Telenor as part of the MultiTorg project. After four beta versions, the first stable version was released on 10 April 1995, making it one of the oldest desktop web browsers to exist. It was commercial software for its first ten years and had its own proprietary layout engine, Presto. In 2013, it switched from the Presto engine to Chromium.
In 2019, Opera introduced Opera GX, a gaming-themed version of Opera with additional gaming-related features. The browser has a feature called mods which made it possible to change the look of the browser with dynamic backgrounds, custom Opera logos, etc.
In 2025, Opera released Opera Air, a more lightweight version of the browser designed with a focus on mindfulness and user well-being. It integrates standard browsing functionalities with tools aimed at reducing digital stress and enhancing productivity.
In the same year, Opera released Opera Neon, an AI agentic browser which has similar functions to ChatGPT Atlas.
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Ownership and location
According to Opera Limited's 20-F filing for the fiscal year ending 31 December 2024 to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (required as it is listed on NASDAQ), Opera Limited is incorporated in Cayman Islands, and is a subsidiary of Kunlun Tech Co, which is based in Beijing and listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
Opera Limited wholly owns Opera Holdings AS, which in turn wholly owns Opera Services AS, which in turn wholly owns Opera Norway AS (all incorporated in Norway). The filing notes "Our corporate headquarters is located in Oslo, Norway. Our principal technical development facilities are located in Wroclaw, Poland; Dundee, Scotland; Beijing, China, and both Linköping and Gothenburg, Sweden".
The filing notes that Opera is owned by Chinese company Kunlun Tech Co: "In 2021, Kunlun, a Chinese public company and our largest investor, increased its ownership stake in us beyond 50%, and as a result we became a consolidated subsidiary of Kunlun … as a subsidiary of Kunlun, we are additionally subject to certain of the listing rules of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and Chinese corporate governance standards."
James Yahui Zhou, the controlling shareholder of Kunlun, is executive chairman of Opera's board: "As of the date of this annual report, Kunlun, a Chinese public company listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, indirectly owns 68.8% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares. As such, we are a consolidated subsidiary of Kunlun."
History
In 1994, Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner and Geir Ivarsøy started developing the Opera web browser while working at Telenor, a Norwegian telecommunications company.
In 1995, they founded Opera Software AS. Opera was initially released on 10 April 1995, and then it was released publicly in 1996 with version 2.10, which ran on Microsoft Windows 95. Development for mobile device platforms started in 1998.
Opera 4.0, released in 2000, included a new cross-platform core that facilitated the creation of editions of Opera for multiple operating systems and platforms.
To this point, Opera was trialware and had to be purchased after the trial period. With version 5.0, released in 2000, Opera became ad-sponsored, displaying ads to users who had not paid for it. Subsequent versions have given users the choice of seeing banner ads or targeted text ads from Google.
With version 8.5, released in 2005, the ads were completely removed, and the browser's primary financial support came through revenue from Google (by contract, Opera's default search engine).
Among new features introduced in version 9.1, released in 2006, was fraud protection using technology from GeoTrust, a digital certificate provider, and PhishTank, an organization that tracks known phishing websites. This feature was further expanded in version 9.5, when GeoTrust was replaced with Netcraft, and malware protection from Haute Secure was added.
In 2006, Nintendo released the Nintendo DS Browser and Internet Channel for Nintendo's DS and Wii gaming systems, respectively, which were Opera-based browsers.
A new JavaScript engine, called Carakan (after the Javanese alphabet), was introduced with version 10.50. According to Opera Software, it made Opera 10.50 more than seven times faster in SunSpider than Opera 10.10.
Features
Opera has originated features later adopted by other web browsers, including: Speed Dial, pop-up blocking, reopening recently closed pages, private browsing, and tabbed browsing. Additional features include a built-in screenshot tool, Snapshot, which also includes an image-markup tool; built-in ad blockers, and tracking blockers.
Built-in messengers
Opera's desktop browser includes access to social media messaging apps WhatsApp, Discord, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, X (Formerly Twitter), Instagram, Bluesky, Slack, TikTok, and VK.
Usability and accessibility
Opera includes a bookmarks bar and a download manager. It also has "Speed Dial" which allows the user to add an unlimited number of pages shown in thumbnail form in a page displayed when a new tab is opened.
Opera was one of the first browsers to support Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) in 1998.
Opera Turbo, a feature that compresses requested web pages (except HTTPS pages) before sending them to the users, is no longer available on the desktop browser. Opera Turbo is available in Opera Mini, the mobile browser.
Privacy and security
One security feature is the option to delete private data, such as HTTP cookies, browsing history, items in cache and passwords with the click of a button.
When visiting a site, Opera displays a security badge in the address bar which shows details about the website, including security certificates. Opera's fraud and malware protection warns the user about suspicious web pages and is enabled by default. It checks the requested page against several databases of known phishing and malware websites, called blacklists.
In 2016, a free virtual private network (VPN) service was implemented in the browser. Opera said that this would allow encrypted access to websites otherwise blocked, and provide security on public WiFi networks. Security experts at Deloitte inspected Opera VPN's technical infrastructure to ensure users' data linked to their activities is never stored or logged as stated in Opera's no-log policy.
In July 2026, Opera introduced Paste Protect, a security feature designed to protect against clipboard-based attacks such as ClickFix. It monitors content copied to the clipboard for potentially malicious commands and blocks suspicious content before it can be pasted, while also warning the user.
Crypto-wallet support
In 2018, a built-in cryptocurrency wallet for the Opera browser was released, with an announcement that Opera would be the first browser with such a feature. On 13 December 2018, Opera released a video showing many decentralized applications like Cryptokitties running on the Android version of the Opera Web Browser.
In March 2020, Opera updated its Android browser to access .crypto domains (IPFS), making it the first browser to be able to support a domain name system (DNS) which is not part of the traditional DNS directly without the need of a plugin or add-on. This was through a collaboration with a San Francisco–based startup, Unstoppable Domains. In 2021 iOS and desktop versions have support for IPFS.
In January 2022, Opera introduced Opera Crypto Browser into public beta, combining a non-custodial wallet with a dedicated browser for blockchain-enabled services and Web3 technologies. On 14 April 2022, Opera launched its Crypto Browser available on iOS devices. As of 2023, Opera Crypto Browser has been discontinued, with the browser's features being integrated into Opera and Opera GX.
AI chatbot
In 2023, Opera added an AI chatbot called Aria into the browser. This is powered by Opera's Composer AI engine and connects to OpenAI's GPT model.
Other versions
Opera GX
Opera GX is a gaming-oriented alternative to Opera. The browser was announced on 21 May 2019 and released in early access for Windows on 11 June 2019, during E3 2019. The macOS version was released in December of the same year.
Opera GX adds features geared toward gamers and other audiences, with the regular Opera browser features included. The limiter allows users to limit network, CPU, and memory usage to preserve system resources. GX Cleaner is a tool that is said to allow users to clear cache, cookies, and other unwanted files etc. The browser also adds integrations with other websites such as Twitch, Discord, Twitter, and Instagram. The browser also has a built-in page called the GX Corner, which combines gaming-related releases, deals, and news articles.
On 5 September 2019, Opera won a Red Dot award in the Interface and User Experience Design category for Opera GX. Around the same time, Opera GX also marked its first one million downloads.
On 20 May 2021, a mobile version of Opera GX was released on iOS and Android.
On 12 November of the same year, Opera GX Mobile was awarded another Red Dot award in both the Apps category and the Interface and User Experience Design: Mobile UIs category.
On 19 August 2023, Opera GX introduced a VTuber named GX Aura for their social media accounts; she later became the mascot for the browser.
On 28 November of the same year, Opera GX launched a new advertising campaign titled "Bury Boring", featuring actor and comedian Eric André smashing and burying computers not using Opera GX.
In 2025, Opera made an advertising campaign titled "Your Setup wants Opera GX".
On 19 March 2026, Opera GX released for Linux.
Opera Air
Opera Air is a web browser released by Opera in February 2025. It has features that focus on mindfulness and relaxation to combat doomscrolling. The browser incorporates tools for relaxation and focus, such as Take-a-break reminders, customizable meditation and stretching exercises, and a Boosts feature that plays ambient sounds, music, and binaural beats. These tools and exercises are in the browser's sidebar.
Opera Neon
Opera Neon is an AI-powered and agentic browser released in late 2025 that acts as a personal assistant, researching, creating websites, generating code, and managing all complex tasks on the user's behalf, The browser is a "testing ground" for advanced AI tools, featuring auto-tab management, built-in VPN, and integration with high-end AI models like GPT-5.1.
Development stages
Opera Software uses a release cycle consisting of three "streams", corresponding to phases of development, that can be downloaded and installed independently of each other: "developer", "beta", and "stable". New features are first introduced in the developer build, then, depending on user feedback, may progress to the beta version and eventually be released.
The developer stream allows early testing of new features, mainly targeting developers, extension creators, and early adopters. Opera developer is not intended for everyday browsing as it is unstable and is prone to failure or crashing, but it enables advanced users to try out new features that are still under development, without affecting their normal installation of the browser. New versions of the browser are released frequently, usually a few times a week.
The beta stream, formerly known as "Opera Next", is a feature complete package, allowing stability and quality to mature before the final release. A new version is released every couple of weeks. Both streams can be installed alongside the official release without interference. Each has a different icon to help the user distinguish between the variants.
Market adoption
Integrations
In 2005, Adobe Systems integrated Opera's rendering engine, Presto, into its Adobe Creative Suite applications. Opera technology was employed in Adobe GoLive, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Dreamweaver, and other components of the Adobe Creative Suite. Opera's layout engine is also found in Virtual Mechanics SiteSpinner Pro. The Internet Channel is a version of the Opera 9 web browser for use on the Nintendo Wii created by Opera Software and Nintendo. Opera Software is also implemented in the Nintendo DS Browser and Nintendo DSi Browser for Nintendo's handheld systems.
As of April 2021, Opera's offerings had over 320 million active users.
Reception
Versions with the Presto layout engine have been positively reviewed, although they have been criticized for website compatibility issues. Because of this issue, Opera 8.01 and higher had included workarounds to help certain popular but problematic web sites display properly.
Versions with the Blink layout engine have been criticized by some users for missing features such as UI customization, and for abandoning Opera Software's own Presto layout engine. Despite that, versions with the Blink layout engine have been noted for being fast and stable, for handling the latest web standards and for having a better website compatibility and a modern-style user interface.