head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs random-user-agent
Zen Browser has 44,486 GitHub stars, 1,755 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. random-user-agent has 759 stars, 81 forks, 30 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 5,761% (44,486 vs 759 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; random-user-agent is written in TypeScript under MIT. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, random-user-agent 11%. 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 | random-user-agent | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 759 |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 81 |
| 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 random-user-agent if
- You want the random-user-agent feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and random-user-agent 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 random-user-agent
Automatically replaces the User Agent with a randomized one Random User Agent is an open source MIT licensed browser extension that is designed to replace the original browser User Agent identifier (is a sort of "fingerprint") with a randomized (based on your preferences). 🔥 Features list Incredibly lightweight ( 150KiB archived) Available in the official stores ([Chrome][link chrome store], [Firefox][link ff store], [Edge][link edge store], [Opera][link opera store]) Can automatically change the User Agent after a specified period of time Change User Agent on browser startup Replaces the User Agent HTTP header …
read the full random-user-agent overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or random-user-agent more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,486 GitHub stars and random-user-agent has 759. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and random-user-agent free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and random-user-agent under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and random-user-agent?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and random-user-agent 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 random-user-agent?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,486 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose random-user-agent if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.