head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs web-ext
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars, 1,754 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. web-ext has 3,138 stars, 385 forks, 223 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 1,317% (44,481 vs 3,138 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; web-ext is written in JavaScript under MPL-2.0. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, web-ext 12%. 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 | web-ext | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 3.1K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 385 |
| 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 web-ext if
- You want the web-ext feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and web-ext 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 web-ext
web ext is a command line tool for building, running, and testing WebExtensions. It lives in the JavaScript and npm ecosystem, and it targets browser add ons that use the WebExtensions API. The project is licensed under MPL 2.0 and is distributed through npm, with an unofficial Homebrew formula maintained by the community. It provides one command line interface for common extension development tasks.
read the full web-ext overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or web-ext more popular?
Zen Browser has 44,481 GitHub stars and web-ext has 3,138. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and web-ext free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and web-ext under MPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and web-ext?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and web-ext in JavaScript. 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 web-ext?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (44,481 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose web-ext if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.