head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs brie-extension
Zen Browser has 44,486 GitHub stars, 1,755 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. brie-extension has 724 stars, 52 forks, 25 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 6,044% (44,486 vs 724 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; brie-extension is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, brie-extension 7%. 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 | brie-extension | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 724 |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-06-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 52 |
| 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 brie-extension if
- You want the brie-extension 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 brie-extension 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 brie-extension
Brie is an open source browser extension that captures screenshots, console errors, network issues, and user actions into a single shareable bug report, and it is built for the developers who fix bugs as much as for the testers, QA staff, and support teams who report them.
read the full brie-extension overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or brie-extension more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,486 GitHub stars and brie-extension has 724. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and brie-extension free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and brie-extension under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and brie-extension?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and brie-extension 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 brie-extension?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,486 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose brie-extension if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.