head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs mocha
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. mocha has 22,894 stars, 3,151 forks, 222 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 94% (44,481 vs 22,894 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; mocha is written in JavaScript under MIT. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, mocha 14%. 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 | mocha | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 23K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 3.2K |
| 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 mocha if
- You want the mocha feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and mocha 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 mocha
Mocha is a classic, reliable and trusted test framework for Node.js and the browser, distributed as an open source JavaScript module under the MIT licence and aimed at JavaScript developers and package maintainers who need to write and run automated tests inside a Node.js process or in a browser environment.
read the full mocha overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or mocha more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and mocha has 22,894. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and mocha free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and mocha under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and mocha?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and mocha 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 mocha?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose mocha if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.