Zen Browser
A Firefox build with vertical tabs, workspaces and split view, aimed at people who found Arc appealing.
These buttons open the developer's own site, repository or store listing in a new tab. wares.gg does not host downloads.
3 more ways to get Zen Browser
Other download sites
Run by third parties, not by Zen. Prefer the official page above when it works.
Package managers
- Chocolatey
choco install zen-browser - Flathub
flatpak install flathub app.zen_browser.zen
About Zen Browser
Zen is built on Firefox rather than Chromium, and rearranges the interface around a vertical tab strip, named workspaces for separating work from everything else, and a split view that puts two pages side by side in one tab. Essentials sit pinned at the top of the strip and stay there between sessions.
Because it tracks Firefox releases closely, security fixes arrive quickly and Firefox extensions work. It is a young project, and the team is candid that some releases are rough.
Strengths
- Vertical tabs, workspaces and split view built in, no extensions needed
- Firefox engine, so Firefox extensions and containers work
- Tracks upstream Firefox releases, currently on the 156 line
- Windows, macOS and Linux, including ARM64 builds
Limitations
- Young project; interface changes between releases and bugs surface
- A small team maintaining a Firefox fork is a real long-term risk
- The Twilight channel is explicitly a preview build
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree and open source, funded by donations.
- License
- MPL-2.0
- Developer
- Zen
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- No
- Best suited for
- Someone who wants an Arc-style layout on top of Firefox
- Categories
- Web browsers
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (Browsers); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 2 sources on file.
Alternatives to Zen Browser
Compare allSoftware that can replace Zen Browser for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
Arc
Chromium browser organised around spaces, a sidebar and split views.
Arc is the Chromium browser this layout follows, with spaces, a sidebar and split view, but it is closed source, has no Linux build and receives limited feature work.
Floorp
A Firefox build from Japan with vertical tabs, workspaces, split view and web panels already wired in.
Floorp is another Firefox build with vertical tabs, workspaces, split view and web panels, packaged for Homebrew, Flathub and Snap, and customisable without editing userChrome.css.
Firefox
The main browser not built on Chromium, with tracking protection turned on by default.
Firefox is the upstream with tab groups, containers and a configurable interface, plus Android and iOS builds, maintained by Mozilla rather than a small team.
Vivaldi
A Chromium browser for people who want tab stacks, split screen and a mail client in the same window.
Vivaldi offers vertical tabs, tab stacking and tiling on Chromium with built-in mail and calendar, but it is not fully open source.
SigmaOS
macOS browser that organises tabs into workspaces and treats them as tasks.
SigmaOS organises tabs into workspaces treated as tasks, but it is closed source, macOS only, and its free tier pushes regular users toward a paid plan.
Waterfox
A Firefox build with telemetry stripped out, ad blocking and encrypted DNS turned on from the start.
Waterfox keeps Firefox extensions and profiles with telemetry removed and ad blocking on by default, focusing on privacy defaults rather than an Arc-style layout.
Zen Browser as an alternative
Listings that name Zen Browser as an alternative.
LibreWolf
A Firefox build with the privacy settings already turned up and uBlock Origin included.
Zen Browser is a Firefox build with vertical tabs, workspaces and split view built in, focused on layout rather than LibreWolf's strict privacy defaults.
Min
Browse with a minimal interface and grouped tabs.
Zen Browser is a Firefox build with vertical tabs, workspaces and split view built in, offering Firefox extensions instead of Min's userscripts.
Orion
WebKit browser from Kagi that runs Safari, Chrome and Firefox extensions.
Zen Browser is an open-source Firefox build with vertical tabs, workspaces and split view, using Gecko and Firefox extensions instead of WebKit.
Shift
Workspace browser for juggling several email and SaaS accounts.
Zen Browser is free and open source, pairing workspaces with Firefox containers for separate logins, but it is a young project whose interface changes between releases.
Wavebox
Workspace browser for juggling many web apps and multiple accounts of the same service.
Zen Browser is free and open source, pairing workspaces with Firefox containers for separate logins, but it is a young project whose interface changes between releases.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
Dia
AI-first browser with a chat sidebar that works across your tabs.
Perplexity Comet
Agentic browser with a built-in research assistant and task automation.
