Opera Limited Surpasses Expectations in Q1 2026 with Record-Breaking Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA
Opera Limited, the global technology company, has announced outstanding first quarter results for 2026, surpassing internal expectations and market forecasts. The company's CEO, Song Lin, revealed that revenue exceeded the high end of guidance range by $4 million, while adjusted EBITDA surpassed the high end of guidance range by $2 million.
In a call with investors, Lin highlighted the impressive growth in both advertising and query revenue, which grew 24% and 23%, respectively. The strong momentum in these areas helped offset seasonality, resulting in an excellent starting position for the remainder of the year. The company's advertising partners have also experienced success, allowing Opera Limited to increase its share of wallet and continue scaling e-commerce partnerships.
Lin emphasized the importance of the three core pillars of Opera Ads: a unified media technology ecosystem, consistent execution, and deep collaborative alignment with partners. These factors have contributed to the company's reputation as a trusted partner in the industry, with recent awards from AliExpress and Shopee serving as testament to its success.
The growth in query revenue was driven by non-search query revenue, which showed significant expansion and reached 14% in the quarter - a level not seen since 2024. This increase presents new monetization potentials for Opera Limited's browsers, particularly with the integration of AI capabilities that enable conversation with native Opera AI assistants and back-end understanding of user intentions.
Lin noted that the browser is a unique gateway to almost every service available online, offering opportunities for targeted advertising and revenue growth. As the company enters the travel-heavy second and third quarters, it sees potential to establish Opera Ads as a source of well-targeted audiences for the travel industry.
Frode Jacobsen, CFO, provided further insight into the financials, discussing expectations for the second quarter and full year. The company's results demonstrate its ability to execute on strategy and drive growth across key areas of its business.
