head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs chromium
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. chromium has 24,799 stars, 9,244 forks, 28 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 79% (44,481 vs 24,799 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; chromium is written in various languages under BSD-3-Clause. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, chromium 37%. chromium 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 | chromium | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 25K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | C++ | — |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 9.2K |
| 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 chromium if
- You want the chromium feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- You evaluated both and chromium 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 chromium
The official GitHub mirror of the Chromium source — read only snapshot of the codebase behind the Chromium open source browser project, aimed at developers and packagers who need to read, build, or audit browser source rather than end users looking for a browser download.
read the full chromium overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or chromium more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and chromium has 24,799. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and chromium free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and chromium under BSD-3-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and chromium?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and chromium in various languages. 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 chromium?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose chromium if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.