In addition to integrating Mastodon, which the company calls “a key component of decentralised social networking,” Vivaldi has released a number of updates designed to improve the browser’s usability and efficiency.

To appeal to the growing number of people who are “tired of Big Tech social networks and their lock-in algorithms,” Vivaldi, which calls itself the “first web browser company to have a Mastodon instance,” has added the social networking platform to the browser’s sidebar.

Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner, co-creator of the Opera browser and now CEO of Vivaldi’s parent company Opera Software, founded the company with the intention of creating a privacy-focused platform that doesn’t need funding from outside sources.

Vivaldi’s Mastodon

In a press release, the company stated, “While you’ll find Vivaldi Social in the Panel of the browser, you can also add any Mastodon instance of your choice as a Web Panel to this sidebar”.

You can create a split-screen view of the website or any Mastodon instance by setting your browser to display content in a separate panel.

In addition to being compatible with this emerging platform, Vivaldi has also refined some of its fundamental features to better suit the needs of advanced users.

Previously, users could only pin individual tabs to the bar, but now they can pin entire “Tab Stacks,” or collections of frequently-used tabs, to the bar for instant access. The Settings page has also been given a facelift to make it easier to use and move around.

When it comes to personal information, you can now use the private search engine You.com, though it is currently only available to users in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

Version 5.6 of the browser, which is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux, has been updated with the new features and is now available for download from the Vivaldi website.