head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs GhostText
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. GhostText has 3,641 stars, 133 forks, 40 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 1,122% (44,481 vs 3,641 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 | ★ 44K | ★ 3.6K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-05-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 133 |
| 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 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 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 GhostText
GhostText is a JavaScript project that connects a browser text field to a local text editor. It lives in the browser extension and editor plugin ecosystem, with published versions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Sublime Text, Visual Studio Code, Emacs, Vim, Neovim, Helix, and another Ghost package listed in the README.
read the full GhostText overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or GhostText more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and GhostText has 3,641. 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 (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose GhostText if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.