head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs Requestly
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Requestly has 6,757 stars, 694 forks, 274 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 558% (44,481 vs 6,757 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; Requestly is written in various languages under a custom or non-standard licence. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, Requestly 10%. 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 | Requestly | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 6.8K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | C++ | — |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 694 |
| 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 Requestly if
- You want the Requestly feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- You evaluated both and Requestly 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 Requestly
Requestly is an API client for designing, building, and testing APIs, distributed as a desktop application for macOS, Windows, and Linux. It lives in the developer tools and API client ecosystem, positioned as a privacy first alternative to Postman, and is part of a wider Requestly ecosystem that also includes an HTTP Interceptor browser extension and web app, a desktop proxy, an MCP server, a Web SDK, and Cypress, Selenium, and Playwright integrations. This particular GitHub repository is not the product source: it is the community hub where bugs, feature requests, questions, and the public roadmap are tracked. …
read the full Requestly overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or Requestly more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and Requestly has 6,757. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and Requestly free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0, and Requestly has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and Requestly?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and Requestly in various languages. 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 Requestly?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose Requestly if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.