Vivaldi 8.3 Adds Customizable Ad Blocker

Vivaldi 8.3 has been released. The proprietary browser is built on the Chromium engine by former developers of the Opera Presto engine, and builds are available for Linux, Windows, macOS, Android and iOS.

The headline change in this version is a completely redesigned ad and tracker blocker. Users can now define their own blocking levels and save separate protection settings for each website.

Four levels are provided by default. Disabled turns the blocker off entirely. Weak blocks most tracking and some ads. Medium blocks nearly all tracking and ads, though some sites may break. Strong also blocks nearly all tracking and ads, but sites are more likely to malfunction.

The desktop version also adds automatic expansion of the tab bar when the cursor hovers over it (with the tab bar placed at the side), and pinned tabs appear as icons in that mode. Users can now open several links from the clipboard at once and copy links with trackers removed. Support for the Chromium group API has been added, allowing extensions to be used for tab management, and Reader Mode has been improved.

The mobile versions are updated as well. On Android, the release adds copying of tracker-free links, opening links in an external app, opening a link in a selected group and support for Proton VPN. On iOS, it introduces a setting for the position of a new tab and the option to copy tracker-free links.

The project aims to deliver a flexible, feature-rich browser that also protects user privacy. Its main features include tracker and ad blocking, managers for notes, history and bookmarks, a private browsing mode, synchronization protected by end-to-end encryption, tab grouping, a side panel and a configurator with a large number of settings. The browser also offers horizontal tab display, a built-in email client, an RSS reader and a calendar.

The browser interface is written in JavaScript using the React library, the Node.js platform, Browserify and various ready-made NPM modules. The interface source code is available but distributed under a proprietary license, while the changes made to the Chromium codebase are published under an open license.