head to head · open source
monaco-editor vs Zen Browser
monaco-editor has 46,758 GitHub stars, 4,128 forks, 859 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. Zen Browser has 44,481 stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. monaco-editor leads on adoption by 5% (46,758 vs 44,481 stars). monaco-editor is written in JavaScript under MIT; Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0. monaco-editor has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, Zen Browser 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
| monaco-editor | Zen Browser | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 47K | ★ 44K |
| License | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-13 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.1K | ⑂ 1.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick monaco-editor if
- You weight community size — 47K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Zen Browser if
- You want the Zen Browser feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and Zen Browser fits your workflow better
About monaco-editor
Monaco Editor is the fully featured code editor from VS Code, packaged as an npm library so that developers can embed the same editing experience inside their own browser based applications.
read the full monaco-editor overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is monaco-editor or Zen Browser more popular?
monaco-editor has 46,758 GitHub stars and Zen Browser has 44,481. monaco-editor has the larger community by that measure.
Are monaco-editor and Zen Browser free?
Both are open source. monaco-editor is licensed under MIT and Zen Browser under MPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between monaco-editor and Zen Browser?
monaco-editor is written in JavaScript and Zen Browser in C++. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, monaco-editor or Zen Browser?
Choose monaco-editor if you want the larger community (46,758 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Zen Browser if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.