About
Zen is a free, open source browser built on Firefox and redesigned around focus. Tabs live in a sidebar, Workspaces keep projects separate, and Compact Mode hides the interface entirely until you need it. Glance opens links in a floating preview so you never lose your place, and Split View puts two pages side by side for proper comparison work.
Because it inherits Firefox's Gecko engine, Zen avoids the Chromium monoculture while keeping full extension support. A community library of Zen Mods lets you retheme almost every surface. Development moves quickly: version 1.21.6 shipped in July 2026, and the project is entirely donation funded, with no telemetry-driven business model behind it. For anyone who finds mainstream browsers noisy, it is the most considered alternative on the Mac.
Alternatives
- Firefox
Pick Firefox if you want the engine Zen is built on straight from Mozilla: it is free, runs on macOS 10.15 or later, and has its own extensions and themes catalogue.
- Dia
Pick Dia if you want a browser with AI built in: it is free to download for macOS, with Windows listed as coming soon, and includes a Morning Brief and profiles.
- Safari
Stay with Safari if you want a browser that is already on your Mac: it is free, and its guide covers tab groups, profiles and extensions.
At a Glance
- Price
- Free and open source, funded by donations
- Also On
- Windows and Linux
- Get It From
- zen-browser.app
Curator's Note
“The first browser in years that made me rethink what a tab bar should be, and it costs nothing.”
Theo, Mac Dept.
