head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs servo
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. servo has 38,001 stars, 3,798 forks, 3,209 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 17% (44,481 vs 38,001 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; servo is written in Rust under MPL-2.0. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, servo 10%. 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 | servo | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 38K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 3.8K |
| 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 servo if
- You want the servo feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and servo 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 servo
Servo is a prototype web browser engine written in the Rust programming language. It is developed on 64 bit macOS, 64 bit Linux, 64 bit Windows, 64 bit OpenHarmony, and Android, and it lives in the Rust ecosystem as an open source project licensed under MPL 2.0. The repository carries the topics browser, rust, servo, web, webbrowser, webengine, and webplatform, and the project describes itself as aiming to empower developers with a lightweight, high performance alternative for embedding web technologies in applications. Documentation lives in the Servo Book, with news and guides at servo.org.
read the full servo overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or servo more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and servo has 38,001. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and servo free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and servo under MPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and servo?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and servo in Rust. 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 servo?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose servo if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.