head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs firefox-ios
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. firefox-ios has 13,039 stars, 3,265 forks, 1,827 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 241% (44,481 vs 13,039 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; firefox-ios is written in Swift under MPL-2.0. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, firefox-ios 25%. firefox-ios was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (firefox), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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 | firefox-ios | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 13K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | Swift |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 3.3K |
| 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 firefox-ios if
- You want the firefox-ios feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Swift
- You evaluated both and firefox-ios 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 firefox-ios
Firefox for iOS is the Mozilla maintained, Swift written monorepo that holds the complete source for the Firefox and Focus browsers on Apple's mobile platform, released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 and intended for iOS engineers, Mozilla contributors, and anyone who wants to build, audit, or modify the browser running on an iPhone or iPad.
read the full firefox-ios overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or firefox-ios more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and firefox-ios has 13,039. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and firefox-ios free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and firefox-ios under MPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and firefox-ios?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and firefox-ios in Swift. 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 firefox-ios?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose firefox-ios if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.