Linux Web Browsers

**Linux Web Browsers**
*roughly in order of my personal preference*
Last update Jan 15, 2025.
Name	Author	Version	Engine	Lic	Notes
Firefox	Mozilla	133.x	Gecko	MPL*	for a long time, the browser. runs on many OSs.
Chrome	Google	131.x	Blink	P	based on Chromium. default Android browser.
Opera	Opera	106.x	WebKit	P	good commercial browser. runs on many OSs. (formerly, used Presto engine.)
Elinks	P. Baudis	0.111.1		GPL2	text-only. tables and wide char support! based on Links
Brave	Brave	131.73.x	Blink	MPL	based on Chromium. claim privacy, speed
Tor	Tor Project	14.0.x	Gecko	MPL	anonymizes searches via Tor network. Firefox fork.
Pale Moon	Moonchild	33.5.x.x	Goanna	MPL2	lightweight. Firefox fork. some CSS issues.
Dooble	Dooble	2024.x.x	WebKit	BSD+	clean Qt6 GUI, Chromium-based. “scientific” - has charts.
Floorp	Floorp Project	11.21-x	Gecko	MPL2	from Japan. Firefox fork. Claim privacy and customizability.
Midori	astian	11.5	Gecko	MPL2	Firefox fork. Claim fast, secure, lightweight.
Vivaldi	Vivaldi	6.2.x.x	Blink	P	Chromium-based. lightweight, all-in-one
Zen	Zen Team	1.0.2-x	Gecko	MPL2	Firefox fork. feature-rich, privacy focus
Chromium	Google project	131.x	Blink	BSD+	embedded in several apps, including browsers.
Lynx	Gnu	2.9.2		GPL2	text-only. supports wide char! no tables, no CSS, no JS.
Gnome Web	Gnome	47.2	WebKit	GPL3	aka Epiphany. was Galeon.
Otter		1.0.x	WebKit	GPL3	lightweight Qt5 based, emulates classic Opera. experimental
Links	M. Patocka	2.3.0		GPL2	text-only. HTML4 tables and frames! no wide char support, no CSS, no JS.
Dillo	Dillo guys	3.1.1		GPL3	in C, FLTK2. no wide char support. minimal CSS. no JS, no SVG.
SeaMonkey	Mozilla	2.53.x	Gecko	MPL2	all-in-one Internet app
NetSurf	NetSurf Devs	3.11	?	GPL2	in C. minimal interface. supports wide char! many CSS issues. JS non-functional.
Iron	SRWare	115.x	Blink	?	based on Chromium, but “without Google connections”. source code unavailable
browsers on hold
w3m	A. Ito	0.5.3		MIT	text-only. does tables! supports wide char. no change since 2011.
Eolie	Gnome	9.101	WebKit	GPL3	in Python. obvious bugs. no update since 2020.
wApua	A. Beckert	0.06.4		GPL2	for WML in Perl/Tk. No update since 2022
Konqueror	KDE	24.08.3	KHTML	GPL2	former browser/file manager of KDE. no means of independent installation.

Linux Web Browsers
roughly in order of my personal preference
Last update Jan 15, 2025.

Name

Author

Version

Engine

Lic

Notes

Firefox

Mozilla

133.x

Gecko

MPL*

for a long time, the browser. runs on many OSs.

Chrome

Google

131.x

Blink

based on Chromium. default Android browser.

Opera

106.x

WebKit

good commercial browser. runs on many OSs. (formerly, used Presto engine.)

Elinks

P. Baudis

0.111.1

GPL2

text-only. tables and wide char support! based on Links

Brave

131.73.x

Blink

MPL

based on Chromium. claim privacy, speed

Tor

Tor Project

14.0.x

Gecko

MPL

anonymizes searches via Tor network. Firefox fork.

Pale Moon

Moonchild

33.5.x.x

Goanna

MPL2

lightweight. Firefox fork. some CSS issues.

Dooble

2024.x.x

WebKit

BSD+

clean Qt6 GUI, Chromium-based. “scientific” - has charts.

Floorp

Floorp Project

11.21-x

Gecko

MPL2

from Japan. Firefox fork. Claim privacy and customizability.

Midori

astian

11.5

Gecko

MPL2

Firefox fork. Claim fast, secure, lightweight.

Vivaldi

6.2.x.x

Blink

Chromium-based. lightweight, all-in-one

Zen

Zen Team

1.0.2-x

Gecko

MPL2

Firefox fork. feature-rich, privacy focus

Chromium

Google project

131.x

Blink

BSD+

embedded in several apps, including browsers.

Lynx

Gnu

2.9.2

GPL2

text-only. supports wide char! no tables, no CSS, no JS.

Gnome Web

Gnome

47.2

WebKit

GPL3

aka Epiphany. was Galeon.

Otter

1.0.x

WebKit

GPL3

lightweight Qt5 based, emulates classic Opera. experimental

Links

M. Patocka

2.3.0

GPL2

text-only. HTML4 tables and frames! no wide char support, no CSS, no JS.

Dillo

Dillo guys

3.1.1

GPL3

in C, FLTK2. no wide char support. minimal CSS. no JS, no SVG.

SeaMonkey

Mozilla

2.53.x

Gecko

MPL2

all-in-one Internet app

NetSurf

NetSurf Devs

3.11

GPL2

in C. minimal interface. supports wide char! many CSS issues. JS non-functional.

Iron

SRWare

115.x

Blink

based on Chromium, but “without Google connections”. source code unavailable

browsers on hold

w3m

A. Ito

0.5.3

MIT

text-only. does tables! supports wide char. no change since 2011.

Eolie

Gnome

9.101

WebKit

GPL3

in Python. obvious bugs. no update since 2020.

wApua

A. Beckert

0.06.4

GPL2

for WML in Perl/Tk. No update since 2022

Konqueror

KDE

24.08.3

KHTML

GPL2

former browser/file manager of KDE. no means of independent installation.

licenses

P = proprietary

GPL = GNU Public License

MPL = Mozilla Public License

MPL* = MPL with a multiple-license option

BSD+ = Berkeley Software Distribution with a multiple-license option

Web browser engines

The behaviour of a Web browser in getting and displaying data, and in how it allows the user to interact with Web pages, is determined by the software, besides the software that handles the spp's user interface. In modern browsers, this software is modular and often portable, and is called a Web browser engine.

Most modern browsers are based on some open-source Web browser engine. These have just two idependent origins — the rest are derived from (“forked from”) the code of those two.

Web browser engines
name	by	origin	notes
Gecko	Netscape	Mozilla project	Built to be cross-platform. Runs on Linux/*nix, MacOS, Windows, iOS, Android, etc.
Goanna	Pale Moon	fork of Gecko	Used in Pale Moon browser.
KHTML	KDE	KHTML group	Used directly in Konquerer. Discontinued 2023.
WebKit	Apple	fork of KHTML	Used in Safari, and all browsers on iOS, and many other modern browsers
Blink	Google	fork of WebKit	Used in Chromium, Google Chrome, and many other browsers, especially on Android
Presto	Opera	proprietary	dropped in favor of WebKit 2013

licenses

see also

Web browser engines