head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs Brave
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Brave has 23,659 stars, 3,214 forks, 10,752 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 88% (44,481 vs 23,659 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; Brave is written in various languages under MPL-2.0. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, Brave 14%. Zen Browser was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Zen Browser | Brave | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 24K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | — |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 3.2K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Zen Browser if
- You weight community size — 44K stars and counting
- You want the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Brave if
- You want the Brave feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- You evaluated both and Brave fits your workflow better
About Zen Browser
Zen Browser is a privacy focused, open source web browser built on Firefox’s Gecko engine. It inherits Firefox’s compatibility and extension ecosystem while introducing a streamlined interface and productivity oriented features. The project lives in the desktop browser ecosystem, targeting users who want a Firefox based experience with reduced clutter and enhanced customization.
read the full Zen Browser overview →
About Brave
Brave is a Chromium based web browser for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, released under the MPL 2.0 licence, and this repository is the project's public issue tracker, release channel, and developer wiki rather than the home of its source code.
read the full Brave overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or Brave more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and Brave has 23,659. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and Brave free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Brave under MPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and Brave?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and Brave in various languages. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Zen Browser or Brave?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose Brave if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.