Zen is a free, open-source fork of Firefox available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It's not new, having been around since 2024 and remains in beta.
The project features a radical web browser that is NOT based on Chromium.
Zen tries to do things differently, and it's based on Mozilla's Firefox… Instead of the tired old horizontal tab bar you see in both Firefox and Chrome, Zen has its own tab bar.
It's a new attempt to modernize web browsing by bringing tiles, workspaces and so on, and of course it's free of any Google code.
Zen's great implementation “Compact Mode” is distraction-free (hide elements like sidebar and topbar).
It is a browser, written using CSS, C++, JavaScript and a few other programming languages, with a community of over 30 people.
Being based on Firefox means that in addition to existing extensions, it can connect to Mozilla's Sync service and collect not only your bookmarks, but also your open tabs or the passwords you use.
While it inherits many of the core artificial intelligence features and telemetry found in Firefox, Zen's developers have chosen to disable most of these elements by default – and they are currently discussing whether to remove them completely.
You can get Zen Browser for Linux, Windows, and macOS from the app's official website (also available via Flathub).
Version 1.19.5b
Zen is almost unrivaled on Linux – other operating systems have other fresh options, such as Perplexity's Comet browser, the aforementioned Arc, and the underwhelming Dia.
The fact that it doesn't follow the AI trend and isn't just another Chromium clone is, for some, remarkable in itself. Zen has a lot to offer, most notably the "philosophy" of its interface that is attached to the present rather than the past, see Firefox.
Those who can't stand Mozilla's lack of innovation in the browser space or its lackadaisical approach to adding features that make using a browser easier, try Zen.
It shows what Firefox could be like with new ideas.
Although the press releases will range from very select to rare, I said I'd pass...because sometimes the editors hide.
