head to head · open source
BrowserOS vs Flow
BrowserOS has 14,245 GitHub stars, 1,531 forks, 82 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Flow has 1,093 stars, 61 forks, 59 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. BrowserOS leads on adoption by 1,203% (14,245 vs 1,093 stars). BrowserOS is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; Flow is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. BrowserOS has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, Flow 6%. BrowserOS was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (browser, chromium), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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
| BrowserOS | Flow | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 14K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-05-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.5K | ⑂ 61 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick BrowserOS if
- You weight community size — 14K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Flow if
- You want the Flow feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Flow fits your workflow better
About BrowserOS
Website · Docs · Enterprise Free · Open source · Everything runs on your machine A second browser, just for your AI agents. Import your logins from Chrome in one click, connect Claude Code, Codex, or any MCP agent, and hand off your web tasks. Agents run in parallel in their own tabs. You watch live, or replay any session like a video. BrowserOS neo is not a Chrome replacement. It is a secondary browser that sits next to Chrome, made friendly to agents. Get started 1. Install BrowserOS neo Prefer a direct download? Grab it for macOS or Windows. 2. Import from Chrome One click brings over your logins, bookmarks…
read the full BrowserOS overview →
About Flow
Flow Browser A modern, tabbed web browser with Chrome extension support—built on Electron. Overview Flow Browser is a lightweight, feature rich web browser that combines the power of Chromium with a clean, modern interface. Built on Electron, it offers full support for Chrome extensions, making it a versatile alternative to mainstream browsers. Install Choose the file you need and download from GitHub Releases. Screenshots Features Profiles : Multiple profiles support, allowing you to use different settings and extensions for each profile. Spaces : Multiple spaces support, allowing you to organize your tabs into…
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Frequently asked questions
Is BrowserOS or Flow more popular?
BrowserOS has 14,245 GitHub stars and Flow has 1,093. BrowserOS has the larger community by that measure.
Are BrowserOS and Flow free?
Both are open source. BrowserOS is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Flow under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between BrowserOS and Flow?
BrowserOS is written in TypeScript and Flow in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, BrowserOS or Flow?
Choose BrowserOS if you want the larger community (14,245 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Flow if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.