Opera (web browser)
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. 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 features related to gaming. 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.
Ownership and location
According to Opera Limited's 20-F filing for the fiscal year ending December 31 2024 to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, 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. 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 both Chair of Opera's Board and its CEO: "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. In addition, Mr. Zhou, our chairman of the board and chief executive officer, is also a controlling shareholder of Kunlun. As a result of the foregoing, Kunlun and Mr. Zhou have the ability to control or exert significant influence over important corporate matters."
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.
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 web sites. 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, 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.
On 16 December 2010, Opera 11 was released, featuring extensions, tab stacking, visual mouse gestures and changes to the address bar. Opera 12 was released on 14 June 2012.
On 12 February 2013, Opera Software announced that it would drop its own Presto layout engine in favor of WebKit as implemented by Google's Chrome browser, using code from the Chromium project. Opera Software planned as well to contribute code to WebKit. On 3 April 2013, Google announced it would fork components from WebKit to form a new layout engine, Blink. That day, Opera Software confirmed it would follow Google in implementing Blink.
On 28 May 2013, a beta release of Opera 15 was made available, the first version based on the Chromium project. Many distinctive Opera features of the previous versions were dropped, and Opera Mail was separated into a standalone application derived from Opera 12.
In 2016, Opera was acquired by an investment group led by a Chinese consortium, the consortium included several Chinese companies such as Kunlun Tech and Qihoo 360. On 27 July 2018, Opera Software went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange, raising $115 million in its initial public offering. Opera began repurchasing its shares in 2022 following the closure of 360 Security Technology Inc. that year.
In January 2017, the source code of Opera 12.15, one of the last few versions still based on the Presto layout engine, was leaked. The source code of Presto, which is proprietary software, was uploaded to GitHub on 13 January, but was taken down four days later after Opera Software lawyers issued a DMCA notice. The code repository was later reuploaded to Bitbucket. It was later taken down there too, and the Bitbucket repository now returns a 404.
The source is currently available at https://git.drk.sc/presto/presto.
To demonstrate how radically different a browser could look, Opera Neon, dubbed a "concept browser", was released in January 2017. PC World compared it to demo models that automakers and hardware vendors release to show their visions of the future. Instead of a Speed Dial Browsing feature it displays the frequently accessed websites in resemblance to a desktop with computer icons scattered over it in an artistic formation.
On 10 May 2017, Opera 45 was released. Notably this was the last version of the browser compatible with 32-bit Linux distributions, with later versions requiring a 64-bit Linux distribution. This version, inspired by the previous Opera Neon design, was called "Opera Reborn" and which redoes parts of the user interface, such as adding light and dark modes, and integrates the messenger applications Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Telegram. Additionally, new ad-blocking settings were added along with security changes.
On 4 January 2018, Opera 50 was released. This version updated the browser to utilize the built-in ad blocker to provide cryptocurrency mining protection that stops sites from running scripts that attempt to use the CPU to mine cryptocurrency. Additionally the browser added Chromecast support, VR support enhancements, saving pages as PDFs, and improved VPN performance with region-based locations rather than country-based.
On 9 April 2019, Opera 60 was released. This version, codenamed Reborn 3, focused on moving the browser towards a more minimal design, further improving the free VPN service, and was marketed as being the "World's first Web3 ready browser", as it included out of the box integrations with blockchain and cryptocurrency applications.
On 21 May 2019, Opera GX is announced and opened for early access. The only information available in this announcement is that the browser would be a special version of the browser aimed at those who play games. The early-access program was opened on 11 June 2019.
On 24 June 2021, Opera 77, codenamed Opera R5, was released. As one of the larger updates to the browser, it added more music streaming services in the sidebar, integrating native support for Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Tidal, SoundCloud, and Gaana. The "Pinboards" feature was also added, letting users create a shareable collection of websites, images, links, and notes in a visual form. A video popout feature was also added for video conferencing, which happens automatically when switching tabs, popping out of the window when navigating away and popping back in when navigating back. Later, in Opera 83 released on 19 January 2022, this feature would be implemented for all video players, not just video conferencing platforms.
On 31 Jan 2023, Opera announced that given the discontinuation of support for Windows 7 and 8.1 by Microsoft, Chromium based browsers are also ending support, so Opera will no longer get updates on those versions, but older versions will continue to function on those versions of Windows.
On 22 March 2023, Opera and Opera GX incorporated features with AI-powered tools. These features include AI Prompts that are suggested to the user, and sidebar access to ChatGPT and ChatSonic. The prompts show up on sites that contain content like articles, offering to shorten the text or summarize them.
On 20 June 2023, Opera launched Opera 100, codenamed Opera One, a version of the browser built from the ground up around AI which was unveiled on 25 April 2023. This browser includes a native AI called Aria, a GPT-based AI engine that was developed collaboratively with OpenAI that sifts through web information, generates text and code, and more. Tab islands were also introduced, allowing browser tabs to be grouped together, bookmarked, collapsed, and more. Major UI changes were made, and a Multithreaded Compositor was introduced, allowing the browser to function and render in animations much smoother than it was previously capable. In February 2025, the platform launched preview of its Browser Operator, an AI assistant that handles browsing tasks for users. In May 2025, Opera Neon is introduced, which is an AI browser designed to understand user's intent, assist with tasks, and take actions.