head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs browserify
Zen Browser has 44,499 GitHub stars, 1,759 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. browserify has 14,695 stars, 1,202 forks, 387 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 203% (44,499 vs 14,695 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; browserify is written in JavaScript under MIT. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, browserify 8%. browserify 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 | browserify | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 15K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 1.2K |
| 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 browserify if
- You want the browserify feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and browserify 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 browserify
Browserify is an MIT licensed JavaScript command line bundler, installed from npm, that lets browser code use Node style require() calls and bundles the whole dependency graph into a single script you serve with a tag.
read the full browserify overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or browserify more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,499 GitHub stars and browserify has 14,695. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and browserify free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and browserify under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and browserify?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and browserify 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 browserify?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,499 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose browserify if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.