head to head · open source
Zen Browser vs WebChat
Zen Browser has 45,517 GitHub stars, 1,946 forks, 689 open issues and last shipped yesterday. WebChat has 2,574 stars, 207 forks, 23 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. Zen Browser leads on adoption by 1,668% (45,517 vs 2,574 stars). Zen Browser is written in C++ under MPL-2.0; WebChat is written in TypeScript under MIT. Zen Browser has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, WebChat 8%. 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 | WebChat | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 2.6K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 207 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Zen Browser if
- You weight community size — 46K 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 WebChat if
- You want the WebChat feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and WebChat fits your workflow better
About Zen Browser
Zen Browser Zen is a firefox based browser with the aim of pushing your productivity to a new level! Download • Website • Documentation • Release Notes Firefox Versions Release Is currently built using Firefox version 155.0.1 ! Twilight Is currently built using Firefox version RC 155.0.1 ! Contributing If you'd like to report a bug, please do so on our GitHub Issues page and for feature requests, you can use GitHub Discussions. Zen is an open source project, and we welcome contributions from the community! Please take a look at the contribution guidelines before getting started! Partners Thanks to all the…
read the full Zen Browser overview →
About WebChat
English 简体中文 WebChat Chat with anyone on any website. WebChat is a decentralized browser extension that lets people visiting the same website chat anonymously. It uses WebRTC for end to end encrypted, peer to peer communication, so there is no central chat server and your data remains on your device. Turn any website into a shared chat room and connect with the people who are already there. Install Chrome Web Store · Microsoft Edge Add ons · Firefox Add ons Usage After installing WebChat, a ghost icon appears in the bottom right corner of each website. Select it to join that site's chat room and…
read the full WebChat overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zen Browser or WebChat more popular?
Zen Browser has 45,517 GitHub stars and WebChat has 2,574. Zen Browser has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zen Browser and WebChat free?
Both are open source. Zen Browser is licensed under MPL-2.0 and WebChat under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zen Browser and WebChat?
Zen Browser is written in C++ and WebChat 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 WebChat?
Choose Zen Browser if you want the larger community (45,517 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose WebChat if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.