head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs Flow
Zen Browser has 45,517 GitHub stars, 1,946 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Flow has 1,092 stars, 61 forks, 59 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 4,068% (45,517 vs 1,092 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; Flow is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, Flow 6%. 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 | Flow | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-05-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 61 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Zen Browser if
- You weight community size — 46K 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 Flow if
- You want the Flow feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Flow fits your workflow better
About Zen Browser
Zen Browser Zen is a firefox based browser with the aim of pushing your productivity to a new level! Download • Website • Documentation • Release Notes Firefox Versions Release Is currently built using Firefox version 155.0.1 ! Twilight Is currently built using Firefox version RC 155.0.1 ! Contributing If you'd like to report a bug, please do so on our GitHub Issues page and for feature requests, you can use GitHub Discussions. Zen is an open source project, and we welcome contributions from the community! Please take a look at the contribution guidelines before getting started! Partners Thanks to all the…
read the full Zen Browser overview →
About Flow
Flow Browser A modern, tabbed web browser with Chrome extension support—built on Electron. Overview Flow Browser is a lightweight, feature rich web browser that combines the power of Chromium with a clean, modern interface. Built on Electron, it offers full support for Chrome extensions, making it a versatile alternative to mainstream browsers. Install Choose the file you need and download from GitHub Releases. Screenshots Features Profiles : Multiple profiles support, allowing you to use different settings and extensions for each profile. Spaces : Multiple spaces support, allowing you to organize your tabs into…
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or Flow more popular?
Zen Browser has 45,517 GitHub stars and Flow has 1,092. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and Flow free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Flow under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and Flow?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and Flow 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 Flow?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (45,517 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose Flow if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.