head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs auto-tab-discard
Zen Browser has 44,486 GitHub stars, 1,755 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. auto-tab-discard has 1,206 stars, 107 forks, 189 open issues and last shipped 13 days ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 3,589% (44,486 vs 1,206 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; auto-tab-discard is written in JavaScript under MPL-2.0. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, auto-tab-discard 9%. 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 | auto-tab-discard | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-05 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 107 |
| 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 auto-tab-discard if
- You want the auto-tab-discard feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and auto-tab-discard 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 auto-tab-discard
Auto Tab Discard A browser extension which uses the native tab discarding method ( chrome.tabs.discard ) to automatically reduce memory usage of inactive tabs. This extension is more efficient and should be less buggy compared to the alternatives extensions that use DOM replacement method. Preview Links Homepage: Privacy Policy: Chrome: Edge: Firefox: Opera: Product Review: Preview:
read the full auto-tab-discard overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or auto-tab-discard more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,486 GitHub stars and auto-tab-discard has 1,206. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and auto-tab-discard free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and auto-tab-discard under MPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and auto-tab-discard?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and auto-tab-discard in JavaScript. 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 auto-tab-discard?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,486 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose auto-tab-discard if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.