head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs SmartProxy
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. SmartProxy has 2,741 stars, 162 forks, 27 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 1,523% (44,481 vs 2,741 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; SmartProxy is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, SmartProxy 6%. 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 | SmartProxy | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 2.7K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 162 |
| 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 SmartProxy if
- You want the SmartProxy feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and SmartProxy 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 SmartProxy
SmartProxy is a browser extension for Firefox, Chrome, and Edge, built with the WebExtensions and Chrome Extensions APIs. It lives in the browser extension ecosystem for productivity and utilities, and it focuses on proxy switching during normal web browsing. The project is written in TypeScript and distributed under the GPL 3.0 license.
read the full SmartProxy overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or SmartProxy more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and SmartProxy has 2,741. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and SmartProxy free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and SmartProxy under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and SmartProxy?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and SmartProxy 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 SmartProxy?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose SmartProxy if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.