Opera Introduces $20 Neon Browser: Can AI Rethink Research?

Opera has officially opened public access to its long-anticipated AI browser, Neon, marking one of the most ambitious attempts yet to merge everyday browsing with advanced artificial intelligence. 

After several months of private testing that began in October and an initial reveal in May, Neon is now available to anyone willing to pay its subscription fee of $19.90 per month (Yahoo). The launch places Opera squarely in the emerging category of agentic browsers, a space also occupied by tools like Perplexity’s Comet, OpenAI’s Atlas, and The Browser Company’s Dia. These platforms aim to transform the traditional browsing experience by embedding powerful AI directly into the interface.

Neon stands out by allowing users to ask questions about any webpage, build mini apps, generate images and videos, and offload routine or complex tasks to an integrated chatbot. It uses browsing history as context, enabling features like retrieving information from videos watched days earlier or summarizing posts that users recently viewed. Beyond simple chat capabilities, Opera emphasizes Neon’s “Chat, Do and Make” framework, illustrating its three core functions: conversational assistance, task automation through agentic AI, and creation tools that include an in-browser image generator (Tom’s Guide).

Another distinguishing feature is Neon's deep research agent, capable of gathering detailed insights on virtually any topic, including a rapid 1-minute research mode designed for fast but thorough analysis. Users can also create custom “Cards” for repeatable tasks and organize their workflow using “Tasks,” a system of contained workspaces that blends tab groups with AI-augmented context switching (Yahoo). During early testing, reviewers noted that Neon performed these functions with impressive speed and reliability, particularly across its Chat, Do, and Make components (Tom’s Guide).

The subscription model gives users access not only to Neon’s AI systems but also to leading models such as Gemini 3 Pro, GPT-5.1, Veo 3.1, and Nano Banana Pro, along with entry into Opera’s Discord community and direct communication with developers shaping the browser’s future (TechCrunch; Yahoo). Opera positions Neon as a product built for early adopters who want rapid innovation, promising significant new updates every week. While Opera’s other browsers, including Opera One, Opera GX, and Opera Air, offer free AI tools, Neon represents a more premium and experimental direction for the company (Yahoo).

Unlike many AI browsers that run on top of Chromium or other engines, Neon is built entirely on Opera’s own technology. This gives the company deeper control over customization and performance, distinguishing it from competitors like Perplexity Comet or ChatGPT Atlas, and placing it closer to Microsoft’s Copilot ecosystem, which also integrates agentic capabilities but without a comparable paywall (Tom’s Guide). Still, Opera’s pricing signals confidence that users will pay for a tightly integrated, feature-rich AI browser designed with autonomy and creativity in mind.

As Neon enters a market where giants like Google and Brave are cautiously rolling out AI features with heightened security considerations, Opera is taking a bold, accelerated approach. Whether consumers embrace a $20 monthly AI browsing experience remains to be seen, but Neon’s launch underscores a broader shift toward AI-enhanced, task-oriented browsing that could redefine how people interact with the internet (TechCrunch).

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Works Cited

“Opera Neon is now available to the public — here’s how to use the new AI browser.” Tom’s Guide, https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/opera-neon-is-now-available-to-the-public-heres-how-to-use-the-new-ai-browser.

“Opera wants you to pay $20 a month to use its AI-powered browser Neon.” TechCrunch, https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/11/opera-wants-you-to-pay-20-a-month-to-use-its-ai-powered-browser-neon/.

“Opera wants you to pay $20 a month to use its AI-powered browser Neon.” Yahoo, https://tech.yahoo.com/ai/deals/articles/opera-wants-pay-20-month-130000011.html.

Digital Watch Observatory. “AI-Powered Opera Neon Browser Launches with Premium Subscription.” Digital Watch Observatory, 30 Sept. 2025, https://dig.watch/updates/ai-powered-opera-neon-browser-launches-with-premium-subscription.

Opera Neon. “Opera Neon Ships: This AI Agentic Browser Is Built to Act.” Opera Neon, 30 Sept. 2025, https://www.operaneon.com/news/opera-ships-the-opera-neon-ai-agentic-browser.