head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs javascript-obfuscator
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. javascript-obfuscator has 16,257 stars, 1,741 forks, 24 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 174% (44,481 vs 16,257 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; javascript-obfuscator is written in TypeScript under BSD-2-Clause. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, javascript-obfuscator 11%. 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.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Zen Browser | javascript-obfuscator | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 16K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-09 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 1.7K |
| 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 javascript-obfuscator if
- You want the javascript-obfuscator feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-2-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and javascript-obfuscator 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 javascript-obfuscator
JavaScript Obfuscator is a free, BSD 2 Clause licensed TypeScript obfuscator for JavaScript and Node.js source code, built for developers who need to ship browser or server side JavaScript that is hard to read, tamper with, or reverse engineer.
read the full javascript-obfuscator 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 Zen Browser or javascript-obfuscator more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and javascript-obfuscator has 16,257. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and javascript-obfuscator free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and javascript-obfuscator under BSD-2-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and javascript-obfuscator?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and javascript-obfuscator 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, Zen Browser or javascript-obfuscator?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose javascript-obfuscator if its feature set, stack or BSD-2-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.