head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs ublacklist
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. ublacklist has 6,639 stars, 347 forks, 2 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 570% (44,481 vs 6,639 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; ublacklist is written in TypeScript under MIT. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, ublacklist 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.
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Side by side
| Zen Browser | ublacklist | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 6.6K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 347 |
| 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 ublacklist if
- You want the ublacklist feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and ublacklist 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 ublacklist
uBlacklist is a browser extension that blocks specific sites from appearing in search engine results. It is written in TypeScript, licensed under MIT, and lives in the WebExtensions ecosystem, with published builds for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari on macOS and iOS. The project has been maintained for roughly eight years and carries 6,636 stars and 347 forks on GitHub, with two open issues at the time of writing. Its homepage and documentation live at ublacklist.github.io.
read the full ublacklist overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or ublacklist more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and ublacklist has 6,639. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and ublacklist free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and ublacklist under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and ublacklist?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and ublacklist 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 ublacklist?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose ublacklist if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.