head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs eventemitter3
Zen Browser has 44,486 GitHub stars, 1,755 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. eventemitter3 has 3,538 stars, 236 forks, 22 open issues and last shipped 8 months ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 1,157% (44,486 vs 3,538 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; eventemitter3 is written in JavaScript under MIT. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, eventemitter3 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 | eventemitter3 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 3.5K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-01-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 236 |
| 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 eventemitter3 if
- You want the eventemitter3 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and eventemitter3 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 eventemitter3
EventEmitter3 is a high performance, MIT licensed event emitter library for JavaScript that is API compatible with the Node.js built in EventEmitter and intended for Node.js and browser developers who need faster event handling without rewriting existing event code.
read the full eventemitter3 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or eventemitter3 more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,486 GitHub stars and eventemitter3 has 3,538. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and eventemitter3 free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and eventemitter3 under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and eventemitter3?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and eventemitter3 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 eventemitter3?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,486 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose eventemitter3 if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.