head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs plasmo
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. plasmo has 13,151 stars, 460 forks, 371 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 238% (44,481 vs 13,151 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; plasmo is written in TypeScript under MIT. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, plasmo 3%. 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 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Zen Browser | plasmo | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 13K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 460 |
| 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 plasmo if
- You want the plasmo feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and plasmo 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 plasmo
Plasmo is an MIT licensed, TypeScript based browser extension framework that packages the build toolchain, manifest generation, and runtime APIs for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox add ons into a single SDK for React and TypeScript developers.
read the full plasmo 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 plasmo more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and plasmo has 13,151. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and plasmo free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and plasmo under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and plasmo?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and plasmo 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 plasmo?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose plasmo if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.