head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs GhostText
Zen Browser has 45,517 GitHub stars, 1,946 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. GhostText has 3,649 stars, 135 forks, 40 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 1,147% (45,517 vs 3,649 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; GhostText is written in JavaScript under MIT. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, GhostText 4%. 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 | GhostText | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 3.6K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-05-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 135 |
| 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 GhostText if
- You want the GhostText feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and GhostText 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 GhostText
Use your text editor to write in your browser. Everything you type in the editor will be instantly updated in the browser (and vice versa). Visit the ghosttext.fregante.com for more details and troubleshooting. If you love GhostText, consider sponsoring or hiring the maintainer @fregante Installation 1. Install your browser extension: [link chrome]: 'Version published on Chrome Web Store' [link firefox]: 'Version published on Mozilla Add ons' [link safari]: 'Version published on the Mac App Store' [ ][link chrome] [ ][link chrome] also compatible with [ ][link chrome] [ ][link chrome] [ ][link firefox] [ ][link…
read the full GhostText overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or GhostText more popular?
Zen Browser has 45,517 GitHub stars and GhostText has 3,649. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and GhostText free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and GhostText under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and GhostText?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and GhostText 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 GhostText?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (45,517 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose GhostText if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.