head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs BookmarkHub
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. BookmarkHub has 2,555 stars, 231 forks, 67 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 1,641% (44,481 vs 2,555 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; BookmarkHub is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, BookmarkHub 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 | BookmarkHub | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 2.6K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-04-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 231 |
| 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 BookmarkHub if
- You want the BookmarkHub feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and BookmarkHub 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 BookmarkHub
BookmarkHub is a TypeScript browser extension, released under the Apache 2.0 licence, that synchronizes bookmarks between different browsers by keeping them in a GitHub Gist, and it is aimed at people who work across more than one browser or machine and already hold a GitHub account.
read the full BookmarkHub overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or BookmarkHub more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and BookmarkHub has 2,555. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and BookmarkHub free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and BookmarkHub under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and BookmarkHub?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and BookmarkHub 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 BookmarkHub?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose BookmarkHub if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.