head to head · open source
uBlock vs just-the-browser
uBlock has 68,745 GitHub stars, 4,392 forks, 15 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. just-the-browser has 3,059 stars, 92 forks, 17 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. uBlock leads on adoption by 2,147% (68,745 vs 3,059 stars). uBlock is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0; just-the-browser is written in Shell under MIT. uBlock has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, just-the-browser 3%. uBlock was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (firefox), 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
| uBlock | just-the-browser | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 69K | ★ 3.1K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-10-21 | 2026-10-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 92 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick uBlock if
- You weight community size — 69K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick just-the-browser if
- You want the just-the-browser feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and just-the-browser fits your workflow better
About uBlock
[![Badge Commits]][Commit Rate] [![Badge Issues]][Issues] [![Badge Localization]][Crowdin] [![Badge License]][License] [![Badge NPM]][NPM] [![Badge Mozilla]][Mozilla] ![Badge Chrome] [![Badge Edge]][Edge] uBlock Origin (uBO) GitHub Releases Stable and development versions on Firefox, Chromium MV2, and Thunderbird. Must be placed manually into web browsers; the Chromium and Thunderbird versions usually won't auto update. Related: uBlock Origin Lite uBlock Origin (uBO) is a CPU and memory efficient [wide spectrum content blocker][Blocking] for Chromium and Firefox. It blocks ads, trackers, coin miners, popups…
read the full uBlock overview →
About just-the-browser
Just the Browser Just the Browser helps you remove AI features, telemetry data reporting, sponsored content, product integrations, and other annoyances from desktop web browsers. The goal is to give you "just the browser" and nothing else, using hidden settings in web browsers intended for companies and other organizations. This project includes configuration files for popular web browsers, documentation for installing and modifying them, and easy installation scripts. Install script The setup script can install the configuration files in a few clicks. You can also follow the manual guides for Google Chrome…
read the full just-the-browser overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is uBlock or just-the-browser more popular?
uBlock has 68,745 GitHub stars and just-the-browser has 3,059. uBlock has the larger community by that measure.
Are uBlock and just-the-browser free?
Both are open source. uBlock is licensed under GPL-3.0 and just-the-browser under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between uBlock and just-the-browser?
uBlock is written in JavaScript and just-the-browser in Shell. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, uBlock or just-the-browser?
Choose uBlock if you want the larger community (68,745 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose just-the-browser if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.