head to head · open source
ego-lite vs nanobrowser
ego-lite has 21,332 GitHub stars, 1,193 forks, 169 open issues and last shipped yesterday. nanobrowser has 14,222 stars, 1,521 forks, 81 open issues and last shipped 10 days ago. ego-lite leads on adoption by 50% (21,332 vs 14,222 stars). ego-lite is written in JavaScript under MIT; nanobrowser is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. ego-lite has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, nanobrowser 11%. ego-lite was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (automation, browser, browser-automation), 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| ego-lite | nanobrowser | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 21K | ★ 14K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-24 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.2K | ⑂ 1.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick ego-lite if
- You weight community size — 21K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick nanobrowser if
- You want the nanobrowser feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and nanobrowser fits your workflow better
About ego-lite
The fastest browser for AI agents to run browser automation ego (lite) is a browser where you and your AI agents work in parallel. Your agents run multiple browser tasks in their own Spaces while your tabs stay yours, and tasks complete faster on fewer tokens. Existing tools like browser use and agent browser are browser automation frameworks: they need a separate browser to drive, logins never carry cleanly, and you and the agent end up fighting for the same tabs. ego lite is one browser designed from the start for the two of you to share. No extra setup, and the agent can always reach your real logins and tabs…
read the full ego-lite overview →
About nanobrowser
🌐 Nanobrowser Nanobrowser is an open source AI web automation tool that runs in your browser. A free alternative to OpenAI Operator with flexible LLM options and multi agent system. ⬇️ Get Nanobrowser from Chrome Web Store for free 👏 Join the community in Discord X 🌟 Loving Nanobrowser? Give us a star and help spread the word! ❤️ Support the project by sponsoring us every contribution helps keep Nanobrowser free and open source! Nanobrowser's multi agent system analyzing HuggingFace in real time, with the Planner intelligently self correcting when encountering obstacles and dynamically instructing the…
read the full nanobrowser overview →
More in Productivity & Utilities
Related comparisons
More Browsers & Extensions projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Browsers & Extensions field.
Frequently asked questions
Is ego-lite or nanobrowser more popular?
ego-lite has 21,332 GitHub stars and nanobrowser has 14,222. ego-lite has the larger community by that measure.
Are ego-lite and nanobrowser free?
Both are open source. ego-lite is licensed under MIT and nanobrowser under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ego-lite and nanobrowser?
ego-lite is written in JavaScript and nanobrowser 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, ego-lite or nanobrowser?
Choose ego-lite if you want the larger community (21,332 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose nanobrowser if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.