Zen vs Chrome

We make Yab, the third column.facts checked Oct 9 ↓

Zen 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.

Chrome is Google’s browser on every desktop and phone, with Gemini built in. Its auto browse agent works in your own signed-in Chrome on a paid Google AI plan, in the US and India.

The short answer

Pick Zen

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

Pick Chrome

if you live in Google’s apps and want Gemini across Gmail, Calendar and your tabs
if you pay for Google AI Pro and want an agent in your own signed-in browser
if you need the same browser on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android

Or Yabours

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
if you want Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to drive a real browser over MCP

At a glance

Zen and Chrome, with Yab beside them for a Mac.

Zen vs Chrome
What	Zen Browser	Google Chrome	Yab
Made by	Zen Browser team (open-source community project)	Google	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	Not yet
Price	Free and open source	Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra	Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
AI	No AI	An agent that works in pages, on its own AI service	An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan
Driven by outside agents	No	MCP and a command line	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	No	Built in
Open source	Yes	No	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.

AIChrome leads

Only Chrome has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks in your pages. Zen has no AI: Firefox’s AI features are switched off by default. Gemini chats about your tabs and sums up pages and videos; auto browse clicks, types and fills forms in your own Chrome, on Google AI Pro or Ultra, in the US and India.

Agents like Claude Code and CodexChrome leads

Zen has no MCP server or command line for outside agents. Chrome can be driven over MCP and a command line, through Google’s Chrome DevTools MCP, which starts its own profile unless you let it attach to your Chrome.

Tabs and windowsZen leads

Zen has tabs down the side, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep. Chrome has tabs down the side as a setting, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.

PriceChrome leads

Zen: Free and open source. Chrome: Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra.

Where it runsChrome leads

Zen runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Chrome runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Zen needs macOS 10.15 or later and Chrome needs macOS 13 or later. Zen has no phone app: Zen says it has no plans for a mobile version. On the phone, Chrome: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.

Engine and extensionsa matter of taste

Zen is built on Gecko, Firefox’s engine; Chrome on Chromium, as Chrome is. Zen takes extensions from Firefox’s add-ons, Chrome from the Chrome Web Store.

PrivacyZen 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. Chrome has no ad blocker of its own. Tabs you share with Gemini go to Google; with Keep Activity on, chats are kept 18 months by default and may be reviewed and used to train models.

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

Google Chrome

Auto browse needs Google AI Pro ($19.99 a month) or Ultra, in the US and India only
Gemini needs a signed-in Google account
With Keep Activity on, people may review your Gemini chats and Google may train on them
No ad blocker of its own

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)
April 7, 2026Chrome: Vertical tabs began rolling out as an option
February 28, 2026Zen: Live folders for GitHub issues, pull requests and RSS (1.19b)
February 19, 2026Chrome: Split view for two tabs in one window
January 28, 2026Chrome: Auto browse agent launched in preview for Google AI Pro and Ultra in the US
August 27, 2025Zen: Tab folders added (1.15b)

Questions

Is Zen Browser free?

Yes. Free and open source.

Is Google Chrome free?

Yes, with limits on its AI. Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra.

Which has an AI agent, Zen or Chrome?

Chrome. Zen has no AI: Firefox’s AI features are switched off by default. Gemini chats about your tabs and sums up pages and videos; auto browse clicks, types and fills forms in your own Chrome, on Google AI Pro or Ultra, in the US and India.

Do Zen and Chrome run on Windows?

Yes, both. Zen runs on Mac, Windows and Linux; Chrome on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android.

Do Zen and Chrome have phone apps?

Chrome does. Zen has no phone app: Zen says it has no plans for a mobile version. On the phone, Chrome: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.

Can I move from Chrome to Zen?

Yes: Zen’s own help says it brings in from Chrome.

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 in your signed-in tabs like Chrome’s, 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 vs Arc Zen vs Vivaldi Orion vs Zen SigmaOS vs Zen Zen vs Safari Zen vs Edge Zen vs Firefox Zen alternatives Yab vs Zen Safari vs Chrome Edge vs Chrome Firefox vs Chrome Brave vs Chrome Opera vs Chrome Arc vs Chrome Dia vs Chrome Chrome alternatives Yab vs Chrome

Sources, read October 9, 2026. Something out of date? Write to hello@serafimlabs.io and we fix it.

Yab, Yet Another Browser.

Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.

it’s freeMove from Chrome Download