Blanc

• Island control surface. The Island combines search, navigation, open tabs, the current site address and page controls into one compact floating element. It expands into a command palette and quick switcher so the page itself stays fully visible without a permanent toolbar or tab strip taking space.
• Network-level ad and tracker blocking. Blanc Blocker stops known ads and trackers directly at the browser network layer instead of using an extension. It is not limited by Manifest V3 rule caps because no extension runtime exists. A shield indicator shows exactly what was blocked on the current site, whether the connection uses HTTPS and allows blocking to be disabled for one site only.
• Glance temporary side view. Glance opens a reference page beside the one currently in use without leaving the original place. The temporary page disappears when no longer needed, stays local to the device and is never restored after a restart or synced across devices.
• Private tabs. Private pages do not enter the browser history, session restore or the reopen-closed tab list. A distinct private chip appears while private browsing is active and closes completely when finished, leaving no recoverable trail inside the application.
• Keyboard-first command palette. Pressing Command or Control L blends open tabs, Favorites, history entries and Named Groups into one searchable list. Typing a forward slash runs browser commands, and a recently closed tab or entire group can be reopened without manually reconstructing the previous session state.
• Named Groups. Named Groups keep related tabs clustered under a single user-defined name. The active group appears on the Island while the remaining groups stay folded away from the page, reducing visual clutter without losing access to any open tab.
• Named Workspaces. A Named Workspace saves all tabs and groups from a full window and allows switching between saved sets in place. The saved state updates automatically as changes are made. Active Patron subscription is required to create and save Named Workspaces; previously saved workspaces remain accessible if the subscription ends.
• Vertical tab rail. Tabs can be moved to a resizable left-side rail for a persistent overview of open pages. The Island remains the only address and command surface, nothing reloads during the transition and the vertical rail can be hidden again without affecting session state.
• Quiet background tabs. Tabs left untouched for a user-defined period automatically release their memory back to the operating system. When the tab is selected again, Blanc reloads the page. Any tab with half-finished work such as form input or unsaved text stays awake and is not released.
• Local profiles and read-only sync. Browsing identities can be separated using local profiles, and more than one Blanc window can be open at the same time. Opt-in sync shows what each signed-in device has open in an end-to-end encrypted, read-only view. No single merged live session is ever created across devices.
• Structural security. Pages run inside sandboxed processes, releases are signed, network-level blocking is pinned and Touch ID passkeys are bound to the device on macOS. An optional user-invoked 1Password fill action is available on macOS, and all quiet security components are documented rather than hidden from inspection.
• Patron subscription. An optional Patron subscription costs thirty dollars per year or four dollars per month. It adds three macOS Dock colorways and unlocks Named Workspaces on every supported platform. The core browser, blocking, groups, private tabs and sync remain free without a subscription.

Blanc development began as a focused attempt to remove the traditional browser chrome that occupies vertical and horizontal screen space. The first public versions appeared for macOS, with Windows and Linux support added later to reach a wider desktop audience. The program is written primarily in Swift for the macOS version, while the Windows and Linux builds rely on platform-specific system languages and shared core components to maintain consistent behavior across operating systems. The source code is publicly available on GitHub but is not released under an open-source licence, meaning viewing and auditing are permitted while redistribution and modification rights remain restricted.