head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs luakit
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. luakit has 2,315 stars, 254 forks, 253 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 1,821% (44,481 vs 2,315 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; luakit is written in Lua under GPL-3.0. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, luakit 11%. 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 | luakit | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 2.3K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C++ | Lua |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-06-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 254 |
| 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 luakit if
- You want the luakit feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Lua
- You evaluated both and luakit 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 luakit
Luakit is a fast, small, and simple micro browser framework built around the WebKit web content engine and the GTK+ toolkit. It is extensible by Lua, so browser behavior and user workflows can be shaped through Lua configuration files instead of only through fixed settings screens.
read the full luakit overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or luakit more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and luakit has 2,315. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and luakit free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and luakit under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and luakit?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and luakit in Lua. 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 luakit?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose luakit if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.