Tor Browser vs Zen Browser
Tor Browser
torproject.orgZen Browser
zen-browser.appSide by side
| Figure | Tor Browser | Zen Browser |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Web browsers | 9.1 (#10) | 8.6 (#32) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Supported platforms | both | desktop |
| Purpose | Tor Browser routes web traffic through the Tor network to help hide a user's real IP address and resist tracking, surveillance, and censorship. | Zen Browser describes itself as a privacy-focused browser designed to help users stay productive and focused. |
| Support | Tor Project provides a user support team and recommends its public forum for help; its support channels focus on assisting Tor users in censored regions. | Users can report browser bugs on GitHub, and the FAQ says the small team may take time to review requests and prioritizes critical and popular issues. |
Plans
In their own words
Tor Browser
Tor Browser routes its own web traffic through the Tor network to help hide a user's real IP address and resist tracking, surveillance, and censorship. Based on Mozilla Firefox ESR, it adds measures such as letterboxing, user-agent spoofing, and first-party isolation to make browser fingerprinting harder. Connections to different websites use different Tor circuits, while connections to the same website address use the same circuit. HTTPS-Only Mode upgrades connections to HTTPS where possible. Standard, Safer, and Safest security levels restrict browser features to varying degrees, which can cause some pages to work improperly. The browser can access onion services, and users in censored regions can configure bridges during setup. It is free, open-source software for Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows. Only Tor Browser traffic goes through Tor; other applications on the device are not automatically protected. The Tor Project recommends verifying download signatures and strongly discourages extra browser add-ons because they can affect privacy, security, or functionality.
Zen Browser
Zen Browser has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.