head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs Betterfox
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Betterfox has 10,862 stars, 258 forks, 5 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 310% (44,481 vs 10,862 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; Betterfox is written in JavaScript under MIT. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, Betterfox 2%. Zen Browser 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
| Zen Browser | Betterfox | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 11K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-07 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 258 |
| 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 Betterfox if
- You want the Betterfox feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and Betterfox 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 Betterfox
Betterfox is an MIT licensed user.js preference file that makes Mozilla Firefox more private, secure, and fast without adding third party code, and it targets everyday Firefox users who want hardened defaults without site breakage.
read the full Betterfox overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or Betterfox more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and Betterfox has 10,862. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and Betterfox free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Betterfox under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and Betterfox?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and Betterfox 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 Betterfox?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose Betterfox if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.