head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs pasteguard
Zen Browser has 44,486 GitHub stars, 1,755 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. pasteguard has 753 stars, 38 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped 25 days ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 5,808% (44,486 vs 753 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; pasteguard is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, pasteguard 5%. 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.
← all 13541 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Zen Browser | pasteguard | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 753 |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-08-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 38 |
| 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 pasteguard if
- You want the pasteguard feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and pasteguard 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 pasteguard
PasteGuard is a local first privacy proxy that masks personally identifiable information and secrets before prompts reach ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, Codex, or Claude Code, built for teams that cannot send raw client data, customer records, logs, credentials, or production details directly to model providers.
read the full pasteguard overview →
More in Productivity & Utilities
Related comparisons
More Browsers & Extensions projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Browsers & Extensions field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or pasteguard more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,486 GitHub stars and pasteguard has 753. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and pasteguard free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and pasteguard under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and pasteguard?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and pasteguard 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 pasteguard?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,486 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose pasteguard if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.