Why I Love Vivaldi

Why Vivaldi on Linux? What's the Big Deal?#

Let's be honest, when you talk about browsers on Linux, two names usually come to mind: Firefox and... Chromium (or its derivatives). Firefox is the fortress of the FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) world. Chromium is Google's standard.

So where does Vivaldi fit into this picture?

When I first installed Vivaldi, I thought it was less of a browser and more of an "airplane cockpit." Its purpose isn't simplicity, but the exact opposite: Control. Vivaldi is made for the "power user" who wants to "manage" their browser and loves to tweak every corner to their liking. (In fact, if you want to make your browser more secure, be sure to check out my How to Configure DoH in Vivaldi guide).

• Tab Management: Grouping tabs (stacking), viewing two tabs at once in a split screen (tiling)... these are fantastic features. They are lifesavers, especially when you have 20+ tabs open.
• Sidebar: This is like Vivaldi's signature feature. You can pin downloads, notes, bookmarks, and even sites like WhatsApp Web to that panel.
• Built-in Toys: It has a built-in note-taking tool, an RSS reader, and a screenshot tool. It's truly a "Swiss Army Knife" 🇨🇭 without needing another extension.

In short, Vivaldi tells you: "This browser is yours. Take it, break it, spill it, reshape it as you wish."

So Why Doesn't Everyone Use It? (The Objections)#

We've praised it so much, so why don't all Linux distributions come with Vivaldi? Why do people get a little tense when its name comes up in FOSS communities?

This is where the rubber meets the road.

1. The Sin of Closed Source#

This is its biggest "sin" in the Linux world. Yes, Vivaldi's foundation (Chromium) is open source, but its user interface (UI), the layer that provides all the features we love, is closed source (proprietary).¹

2. Is It "A Bit Sluggish"? (Myths and Realities)#

Let's talk about performance. Vivaldi used to be called "heavy," and I would have agreed.

I remember using it on my old ThinkPad W520 laptop; the machine would literally groan. Moreover, there was no Sync feature back then, so everything was lost after a reinstall—a total pain.

But it's 2025, and things have changed a lot. I'm currently using Vivaldi on a modern system with an i5-13400F processor and 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and the result is surprising.

Right now, with 18 tabs open and 10 active extensions, RAM usage is only around 1.9 GB. Thanks to Vivaldi's Tab Hibernation feature, unused tabs don't bog down the system in the background. So, on modern hardware, the "Vivaldi is sluggish" argument is no longer valid; it runs very efficiently and quickly. 🚀

3. Feature Overload (The Paradox)#

It sounds strange, but yes. Some users just want their browser to open websites quickly. The settings menu, note panel, RSS reader, etc., that greet them when they open Vivaldi... it's overwhelming. For the person who just "wanted to Google something," Vivaldi is a complete headache.

Does It Have a Dirty Past? Any Scandals?#

When people hear "closed source," they immediately think, "It must be selling my data!" And they have a right to be suspicious.

So what's Vivaldi's situation? Let me tell you straight: No. It doesn't have a major incident like "Millions of users' data leaked" or "Sold your settings to China." The company (partly due to its European origins) has a clear stance on data privacy, saying, "We don't sell your data."

But... (yes, there's a 'but'):

• Default Settings: Some privacy tests (like those conducted by sites such as Avoid the Hack) have shown that Vivaldi's default settings aren't the "most secure." This means you need to do some tweaking right after installation.
• The Google Feud: Years ago, its founder (also the former CEO of Opera) had a spat with Google. They claimed Google stopped their AdWords ads "without a valid reason." That's competition for you, not too surprising.

Confessions of a Dinosaur: IE, Chrome, and the Return Home#

Now let's leave the technical details for a bit and return to real life.

I'm someone who has witnessed the crawling and growing phases of internet browsers with my own eyes. Those who suffered through that creature called Internet Explorer will understand me very well. 🦖 After those days, Google Chrome was not just a browser for us; it was a blessing, a whole universe.

Just as I'm not a "distro-hopper" (constantly changing distributions) in the Linux world, I haven't been fickle with browsers either. I used Chrome for years. Yes, they sometimes made absurd decisions that undermined the user experience, but I continued on my way, thinking, "only those who suffered know." I rarely gave Firefox a chance, but that was it.

So what happened now that brought Vivaldi back to my desk?

Recently, to provide you all with better visuals (even though I can't stream 😅), I switched to the KDE desktop environment. With my move to KDE, I also returned to my old friend Vivaldi.

If it weren't for Chrome, this would definitely be my primary browser. Why? Because I can customize everything about it. I use it with a minimum of 15-20 tabs open, and Vivaldi doesn't break a sweat. I love this tool much more than other alternative browsers.

My Gripe with Those Who Say, "But It's Closed Source!"#

Let's get to the infamous topic...

Frankly, I don't understand why such a powerful and customizable browser is ostracized and declared taboo just because a part of it is closed source. I can't make sense of it. 🤷‍♂️

Let's be a little realistic here:

1. At least they don't sell you a "privacy" story and then secretly sell your data to the companies you hate, unlike some other browsers.
2. We've seen what even your favorite, praised-to-the-skies Firefox has been involved in in the past. We've told these "FOSS bros" before, but they wouldn't listen.
3. Something being open source doesn't mean you have complete control.

For me, Vivaldi is the winner for now with its honesty, customizability, and compatibility with KDE. 😎