head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs obsidian-clipper
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. obsidian-clipper has 5,207 stars, 713 forks, 269 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 754% (44,481 vs 5,207 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; obsidian-clipper is written in TypeScript under MIT. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, obsidian-clipper 14%. Zen Browser was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (firefox), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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 | obsidian-clipper | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 5.2K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 713 |
| 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 obsidian-clipper if
- You want the obsidian-clipper feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and obsidian-clipper 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 obsidian-clipper
Obsidian Web Clipper is the official Obsidian browser extension for Chrome, Brave, Arc, Orion, Edge, Firefox, Firefox Mobile, and Safari on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, built for Obsidian users who want what they read on the web to land in their vault as durable Markdown.
read the full obsidian-clipper overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or obsidian-clipper more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and obsidian-clipper has 5,207. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and obsidian-clipper free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and obsidian-clipper under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and obsidian-clipper?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and obsidian-clipper 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 obsidian-clipper?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose obsidian-clipper if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.