YabZen is a free, open-source browser built on Firefox that brings Arc’s layout, tabs down the side with spaces, folders and Split View, to Mac, Windows and Linux.
Brave is an open-source Chromium browser that blocks ads and trackers by default, with Leo, an AI chat that needs no account, on every desktop and phone.
The short answer
- if you want Arc’s layout, free and open source
- if you prefer Firefox’s engine and its add-ons
- if you want no AI in your browser at all
- if you want ads and trackers blocked by default
- if you want AI chat without an account, or on your own local model
- if you need the same browser on every desktop and phone
- if you miss Arc and want spaces, pins and folders kept, on a Mac
- if you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT and want it to work in your signed-in tabs
At a glance
Zen and Brave, with Yab beside them for a Mac.
| What | Zen Browser | Brave | Yab |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | Zen Browser team (open-source community project) | Brave Software | Serafim Korablev |
| Status | Updated | Updated | Updated |
| Runs on | Mac, Windows and Linux | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android | Mac |
| Phone app | None; Zen says it has no plans for a mobile version | iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history, no account | Not yet |
| Price | Free and open source | Free, with Leo; Leo Premium $14.99/month; Brave VPN $9.99/month | Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan |
| AI | No AI | Chat about pages, on its own AI or yours | An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan |
| Driven by outside agents | No | No | MCP and a command line |
| Engine | Gecko | Chromium | WebKit |
| Tabs down the side | Yes | A setting | Yes |
| Spaces | Yes | No | Yes |
| Split View | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extensions | Firefox add-ons | Chrome Web Store | Chrome Web Store |
| Ad blocker | No | Built in | Built in |
| Open source | Yes | Yes | No |
Checked October 9, 2026 on each maker’s own pages, linked under Sources. Prices are per month, in US dollars.
Where they differ
What separates them, area by area. Where one plainly has more, it says who; where it comes down to taste, it says so.
AIBrave leads
Brave has AI built in; Zen has less of it. Zen has no AI: Firefox’s AI features are switched off by default. Leo chats about your tabs, PDFs and images, with no account, on Brave’s models or your own; an agent is in early testing behind a flag, in a separate profile without your sign-ins.
Tabs and windowsZen leads
Zen has tabs down the side, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep. Brave has tabs down the side as a setting, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.
PriceBrave leads
Zen: Free and open source. Brave: Free, with Leo; Leo Premium $14.99/month; Brave VPN $9.99/month.
Where it runsBrave leads
Zen runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Brave runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Zen needs macOS 10.15 or later and Brave needs macOS 13 or later. Zen has no phone app: Zen says it has no plans for a mobile version. On the phone, Brave: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history, no account.
Engine and extensionsa matter of taste
Zen is built on Gecko, Firefox’s engine; Brave on Chromium, as Chrome is. Zen takes extensions from Firefox’s add-ons, Brave from the Chrome Web Store.
PrivacyBrave leads
Zen has open code. Zen sends no telemetry or crash reports, by its privacy policy; optional sync keeps encrypted data on Mozilla’s servers. Brave has an ad blocker built in, a VPN and open code. Brave says Leo doesn’t keep or share chats, doesn’t train on them and doesn’t collect identifiers like IP addresses.
What their pages don’t lead with
Real limits, from the makers’ own words and our own use.
Zen Browser
- Releases are still labeled beta
- No phone app, and none planned
- Firefox add-ons only, not the Chrome Web Store
- No ad blocker of its own beyond Firefox’s tracking protection
Brave
- More Leo models and higher limits need Leo Premium at $14.99 a month
- Its AI agent is an early test behind a flag, without your sign-ins
- The VPN is $9.99 a month extra
- Tabs down the side are a setting, and there are no spaces
Yab, honestly
- Mac only: macOS 15.4 or later, no Windows, iPhone or Android
- New: first released in September 2026
- Its AI needs a Claude or ChatGPT plan; ChatGPT’s free plan may work with low limits
- WebKit, as in Safari: a site tested only in Chrome can misbehave
- Closed source
What changed lately
- September 5, 2026Zen: Spaces, folders and tabs sync between devices with a Mozilla account (1.22b)
- July 2, 2026Brave: Containers added in Brave 1.92 for separate cookies per tab
- June 4, 2026Brave: Brave Origin launched: a paid, minimal Brave without Leo, Rewards, Wallet and VPN
- May 5, 2026Brave: Leo agentic AI browsing opened for early testing on all release channels, behind a flag
- February 28, 2026Zen: Live folders for GitHub issues, pull requests and RSS (1.19b)
- August 27, 2025Zen: Tab folders added (1.15b)
Questions
Is Zen Browser free?
Yes. Free and open source.
Is Brave free?
Yes, with limits on its AI. Free, with Leo; Leo Premium $14.99/month; Brave VPN $9.99/month.
Which has an AI agent, Zen or Brave?
Neither has an agent that does tasks in your pages. Zen has no AI: Firefox’s AI features are switched off by default. Leo chats about your tabs, PDFs and images, with no account, on Brave’s models or your own; an agent is in early testing behind a flag, in a separate profile without your sign-ins.
Do Zen and Brave run on Windows?
Yes, both. Zen runs on Mac, Windows and Linux; Brave on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android.
Do Zen and Brave have phone apps?
Brave does. Zen has no phone app: Zen says it has no plans for a mobile version. On the phone, Brave: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history, no account.
Is there a third option on a Mac?
Yab, Yet Another Browser, is free for the Mac: tabs down the side with spaces, folders and Split View, as in Zen; an agent that works in your signed-in tabs, on the Claude or ChatGPT plan you already pay for. Claude Code, Codex and any MCP client can drive it too. It runs on WebKit, the engine Safari uses, and takes Chrome extensions. It is Mac only, and new.
More comparisons
- Zen home page
- Zen download page (macOS universal, Windows, Linux; beta)
- Zen 1.23.2b release (macOS universal dmg; Info.plist minimum 10.15)
- Zen 1.23.1b release (Firefox 157.0.1)
- Zen license (MPL-2.0)
- Zen AI preferences (all off)
- Zen welcome flow (Firefox import wizard)
- Firefox import from another browser
- Zen 1.15b release (folders)
- Zen 1.19b release (live folders)
- Zen 1.22b release (sync)
- Zen 1.12.9b release (tab unloader uses Firefox tab discarding)
- Zen FAQ (no mobile plans, donations)
- Zen Workspaces
- Zen Split View
- Zen Extensions (addons.mozilla.org)
- Zen Privacy and Security (Firefox password manager, tracking protection)
- Zen privacy policy
- Firefox 157 system requirements
- Brave Leo page
- Brave blog: AI browsing early testing (updated 2026-05-05)
- Brave Premium prices
- Brave Origin page
- Brave blog: Brave Origin launch
- Brave blog: Containers (v1.92)
- Brave blog: vertical tabs
- Brave desktop changelog (split view, tab groups, memory)
- What’s new in Brave desktop
- Brave Help: system requirements
- Brave release v1.97.56 notes
- Brave Help: import or export browsing data
- Brave: import passwords via CSV
- brave-browser repository (open source)
- Brave blog: Sync v2 for desktop and Android (Aug 13, 2020)
- Brave Help Center: How do I set up Sync?
- Brave release notes (iOS: Sync Chain and Tabs on Other Devices, 2026)
- Brave iOS source: sync types (bookmarks, history, passwords, open tabs)
- Brave on the App Store (iPhone and iPad)
- Brave on Google Play
- Yab Manual: Bringing in from another browser
- Yab Manual: Connecting Claude or ChatGPT
- Yab Manual: Extensions
- Yab Manual: Yab’s tools over MCP
- Yab Manual: Privacy
Yab, Yet Another Browser.
Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.