head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs ghostty-web
Zen Browser has 44,486 GitHub stars, 1,755 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. ghostty-web has 2,852 stars, 173 forks, 59 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 1,460% (44,486 vs 2,852 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; ghostty-web is written in TypeScript under MIT. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, ghostty-web 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 | ghostty-web | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 2.9K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-07-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 173 |
| 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 ghostty-web if
- You want the ghostty-web feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and ghostty-web 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 ghostty-web
ghostty web is an MIT licensed TypeScript library that brings Ghostty's WASM compiled VT100 terminal emulator to the browser behind an xterm.js compatible API, built for web developers who want a correct terminal in the page without abandoning their existing xterm.js integration.
read the full ghostty-web overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or ghostty-web more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,486 GitHub stars and ghostty-web has 2,852. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and ghostty-web free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and ghostty-web under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and ghostty-web?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and ghostty-web 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 ghostty-web?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,486 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose ghostty-web if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.