Zen Browser
Open-source, Firefox-based desktop browser with sidebar tabs and an Arc-inspired interface.
HN commenters recommend it as a near drop-in, Firefox-based replacement for Arc12345, with Firefox extensions like uBlock Origin available and a smooth migration.678 The most common caveats are Arc features it lacks or the developers reject910, and some users report bugs, crashes, slowdowns and incompatible extensions or streaming sites.111213
Why people recommend it
Arc replacement · 3
Former Arc users call it a near drop-in replacement with Arc's sidebar tabs, spaces and pinned tabs.
“Can highly recommend it as a near drop-in replacement for Arc, albeit built on Firefox.”
“I'm pretty happy having switched to Zen”
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“it may be worth checking out the Firefox-based Zen Browser”
Firefox extensions · 3
Because it is built on Firefox, extensions like uBlock Origin, Vimium and Apple Passwords work.
“but it's really improved”
“I'm a big keyboard person so I love it, especially with the vimium plugin”
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“I recently switched from Safari to Zen and the Firefox extension for Apple passwords works well.”
Easy migration · 3
Switchers describe moving from Arc or Chromium browsers as painless, helped by an Arc-to-Zen import tool.
“Zen now appears to be a drop-in replacement”
“but it's really improved”
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“I use Zen (firefox under the hood) and I just don't understand all of the bitching people do about Firefox.”
Active development · 3
Commenters say it is actively maintained and has improved a lot in recent months.
“you should try Zen! It's basically Arc, but based on Firefox, open source and, more importantly, actively maintained.”
“I've been using Zen [1] primarily the last couple of hours and it seems to have come a long way since I last tried it.”
Show 1 more
Privacy, no AI · 2
Users like its privacy defaults and the absence of AI features.
“Don't use Firefox, use Zen Browser”
“i've installed zen on a modern mbp pro and so far really like it”
Cross-platform · 2
Commenters value that it runs across platforms.
“Switched to Zen never looked back.”
“Of course this comment section also warrants a mention of Zen Browser, another Arc alternative”
Caveats and dissent
Missing Arc features · 2
Some Arc features are absent or limited, such as Little Arc and auto-closing tabs.
“i've installed zen on a modern mbp pro and so far really like it”
Bugs and crashes · 1
One user reported a month of bugs, random crashes and slowness before switching away.
“Zen turned to shit for me in the last month. So many stupid bugs started happening.”
Site compatibility · 1
Some sites felt slower and some streaming platforms did not work well.
“Zen is my favorite browser experience by far”
Extension support · 1
One extension developer said supporting Zen is impossible.
“Impossible to support: Zen Browser”
Not Chromium · 2
Some note that being Firefox-based rather than Chromium matters for a few things.
“I'm pretty happy having switched to Zen”
“Can highly recommend it as a near drop-in replacement for Arc, albeit built on Firefox.”
Unfamiliar navigation · 1
Its keyboard-centric UI can confuse people used to other browsers.
“I'm a big keyboard person so I love it, especially with the vimium plugin”
Often compared with
5 moved from Firefox to Zen Browser
1 moved from Zen Browser to Firefox
11 moved from Arc to Zen Browser
2 moved from Zen Browser to Waterfox
1 moved from LibreWolf to Zen Browser
1 moved from Zen Browser to Brave
1 moved from Zen Browser to VivaldiSafari6 comments mention both
1 moved from Safari to Zen Browser
Who recommends it in their own words
From the makers not counted in the ranking
“connected my email and calendar to a simple agent I built via MCP and I get a summery of important emails”
“system-wide filtering disables ads and tracking not just in browsers, but desktop apps as well”
“Zen is simply a fork of Zed for those who are happy to use an IDE free from AI, telemetry, and other cloud-based services. I use it as my daily driver”
“I think this approach is promising”
Threads where it came up
- A farewell to Arc browser 11 mentions
- Vivaldi 8.0: our biggest design overhaul 5 mentions
- Ask HN: What browser should I use? (RIP Arc) 4 mentions
- Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features 4 mentions
- Nook Browser 4 mentions
- Crest – an Arc-inspired open-source browser for Mac 3 mentions
Also written as Zen, zen. Data: zen-browser.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 40
“Don't use Firefox, use Zen Browser”
“Switched to Zen never looked back.”
“Congratulations to the developers of Zen, they've done so well with it.”
“I use Zen btw”
“Zen now appears to be a drop-in replacement”
“nothing feels the same”
“but it's really improved”
“on Zen, I use Readability based Reader View and it does the job”
“i've installed zen on a modern mbp pro and so far really like it”
“I use Zen as my work browser”
“Ben Werdmuller recommends Zen”
“Can highly recommend it as a near drop-in replacement for Arc, albeit built on Firefox.”
“Zen Browser, it's based on Firefox but it's pretty sleek and borrows a lot of concepts from Arc”
“am now trying my luck with Zen browser”
“You could try Zen browser. It's like Arc, but Firefox based.”
“Zen turned to shit for me in the last month. So many stupid bugs started happening.”
“Zen Browser is what I've been using”
“I'm pretty happy having switched to Zen”
“I'd give Zen a try, too, but it's not in the repositories of my Linux machine”
“I'm a big keyboard person so I love it, especially with the vimium plugin”
“Why do we need this if there's already Zen?”
“promote Zen, i love it”
“Of course this comment section also warrants a mention of Zen Browser, another Arc alternative”
“Impossible to support: Zen Browser”
“I've been using Zen [1] primarily the last couple of hours and it seems to have come a long way since I last tried it.”
“it just doesn’t have the same level of polish”
“There is also Zen which is quite active”
“Does Zen have multi-account container tabs? Edit: Yes, it does!”
“you should try Zen! It's basically Arc, but based on Firefox, open source and, more importantly, actively maintained.”
“if you would like a super minimal daily driver”
> if all this effort went in to improving Firefox, or a fork of Firefox Someone tried to instigate that on Mastodon recently. It didn't work. https://mastodon.social/@sarahjamielewis/116959309031485270 Spread the word. Contact the developers, ask them. The forks I know about: • Waterfox -- https://www.waterfox.com/ • Librewolf -- https://librewolf.net/ • Floorp -- https://floorp.app/ • Zen browser -- https://zen-brow
“I've switched to Zen about a year ago after ~2 decades of Firefox.”
“Other people do fork Firefox though, like Zen browser”
“I use Zen (firefox under the hood) and I just don't understand all of the bitching people do about Firefox.”
“I recently switched from Safari to Zen and the Firefox extension for Apple passwords works well.”
This caused me to go back and try Firefox again, I struggled with performance years ago on Mac when I did this. This time it’s been great, I switched from Arc to Zen and don’t see any reason to go back.
“Zen is my favorite browser experience by far”
“it may be worth checking out the Firefox-based Zen Browser”
“I recommend giving a try to alternatives like Zen or Helium”
“I also use Zen as my secondary browser.”