With version 8.5, released in 2005, the ads were completely removed, and the browser's primary financial support came through revenue from Google (by contract, Opera's default search engine). Subsequent versions have given users the choice of seeing banner ads or targeted text ads from Google. With version 5.0, released in 2000, Opera became ad-sponsored, displaying ads to users who had not paid for it. To this point, Opera was trialware and had to be purchased after the trial period. 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. Development for mobile device platforms started in 1998. 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. In 1994, Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner and Geir Ivarsøy started developing the Opera web browser while working at Telenor, a Norwegian telecommunications company. Main article: History of the Opera web browser In April 2023, the company announced a major overhaul to the browser, called Opera 100 and codenamed 'Opera One', adding a new user interface and several AI-related features, Opera 100 was released on June 20, 2023. The company released a gaming-oriented version of the browser, Opera GX, in 2019, and a blockchain-focused Opera Crypto Browser into public beta in January 2022. In 2018, Opera Software went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange. In 2016, Opera, developed in Norway, became a subsidiary of an investment group led by a Chinese consortium.

In 2013, it switched from the Presto engine to Chromium.

It was commercial software for its first ten years and had its own proprietary layout engine, Presto. Opera was initially released on 10 April 1995, making it one of the oldest desktop web browsers still actively developed. Opera users also have access to Opera News, a news app based on an AI platform.

There are also mobile versions called Opera Mobile and Opera Mini. Opera is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS (Safari WebKit engine). The current edition of the browser is based on Chromium. Opera is a multi-platform web browser developed by its namesake company Opera. (Formerly FreeBSD, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo DS Lite)

Free Opera GX 102.0.4880.82