Opera
High Trafficaddons.opera.com
Overview
Opera is a Norwegian web browser developer known for its feature-rich browsers including built-in ad blocking, free VPN, and a battery saver mode. The company operates addons.opera.com as its official extension and wallpaper hub, bundled with the Opera browser ecosystem. Opera serves hundreds of millions of users globally across desktop and mobile platforms.
By the Numbers
Founders
Icelandic-Norwegian entrepreneur who co-founded Opera in 1995 while working at Telenor. He led Opera as CEO for many years before departing in 2011 to later found Vivaldi browser.
After leaving Opera, he founded Vivaldi Technologies in 2014, essentially competing with the company he helped create.
Norwegian software engineer who co-founded Opera alongside Jon von Tetzchner, originally as a research project at Telenor. He was instrumental in the technical architecture of the early Opera browser.
Opera began as an internal research project at Telenor in 1994 before spinning out as an independent company in 1995.
Funding
Competitors
Dominant market share browser backed by Google's ecosystem; lacks built-in VPN or ad blocker by default
Open-source, privacy-focused browser with a large extension ecosystem but no built-in VPN
Chromium-based browser deeply integrated with Windows and Microsoft 365 services
Highly customizable browser co-founded by Opera's former CEO, targeting power users
Privacy-first browser with built-in ad blocking and crypto rewards via BAT token
Key People
CEO of Kunlun Tech, the Chinese gaming and internet company that acquired a majority stake in Opera. He oversees Opera's strategic direction from the board level.
Has led Opera as CEO following the company's acquisition by a Chinese consortium. Focused on monetization and expansion in emerging markets.
Serves as Chief Financial Officer at Opera, overseeing financial reporting and investor relations for the NASDAQ-listed company.
Revenue & Model
Hiring Signals
Tech Stack
Notable Customers
Web Presence
Verified from public records — not AI-estimated.
Trackers & Analytics
Scanned from the HTML addons.opera.comserves — scripts a tag manager injects later won't appear here.
How They're Doing
Opera continues to operate as a publicly listed company on NASDAQ, maintaining a loyal user base particularly strong in emerging markets and among power users. The company has diversified into fintech in Africa and Asia through its OPay and Opay-related investments, and continues to update its browser with AI features. Revenue has been relatively stable with monetization via search deals and advertising.
●Launched Opera One with redesigned UI and integrated AI (Aria) assistant in 2023
●Continued expansion of Opera Mini and Opera News in African and Asian markets
Prognosis
Opera faces an uphill battle against Chrome's overwhelming market dominance but has carved out a niche with privacy and built-in feature differentiation. The company's best growth opportunities lie in emerging markets and AI-powered browser features. Fintech and news aggregation diversification may provide additional revenue streams.
●Integration of generative AI features (Aria/ChatGPT) to attract tech-savvy users
●Growth in African and Asian markets via Opera Mini and Opera News
●Expansion of built-in VPN and privacy tools as privacy concerns rise globally
●Chrome and Edge continuing to dominate global browser market share
●Regulatory scrutiny over Chinese ownership (Kunlun Tech) and data privacy
●Declining desktop browser usage as mobile ecosystems consolidate
Recent News
Opera launched Opera One, a redesigned browser with a modular UI and integrated Aria AI assistant powered by ChatGPT
Opera Blog
Opera introduced native ChatGPT integration and AI prompts directly into the browser sidebar
The Verge
Opera reported strong growth in Opera News and Opera Mini MAU in Africa, reaffirming emerging market strategy
Opera IR
Opera GX gaming browser surpassed 20 million monthly active users
Opera Blog
Acquisitions
Controversies
Opera sold to a Chinese consortium (Kunlun Tech-led) for $600M, raising concerns about data privacy and Chinese government access to user data.
Hindenburg Research published a short-seller report accusing Opera's African lending apps of predatory loan practices and misleading disclosures, causing Opera's stock to drop sharply.
Google removed several Opera-affiliated loan apps from the Play Store following investigations into abusive short-term lending practices in Africa.
Fun Facts
- 01Opera invented the concept of browser tabs in the late 1990s, years before Firefox or IE adopted them.
- 02Opera was the first major browser to introduce Speed Dial, a visual new-tab page of favorite sites.
- 03The Opera GX browser is specifically designed for gamers and allows users to cap CPU and RAM usage to avoid impacting game performance.
- 04Opera's co-founder Jon von Tetzchner once walked from Reykjavik to Malmö (over 600km) to fulfill a bet he made with his team about user growth.
Timeline
Opera One launched with modular design and integrated Aria AI assistant
Opera GX gaming browser surpassed 10 million users
Hindenburg Research short-seller report triggered stock decline and scrutiny of African lending apps
Opera listed on NASDAQ under ticker OPRA, raising $115M in IPO
Opera sold to a Chinese consortium led by Kunlun Tech for approximately $600M
Opera switched its rendering engine from Presto to Chromium/Blink
Opera 4.0 launched with cross-platform support including Linux and Mac
Opera Software spun out as an independent company in Oslo, Norway
Opera started as a research project at Telenor by Jon von Tetzchner and Geir Ivarsøy