YalqenMost web developers use Chrome because their users do. Switching engines means checking your work twice, so an alternative has to render and debug exactly like Chrome. Yalqen runs on Chromium, so it does.
What changes is the browser around the engine. Yalqen is an open-source Mac browser built for the way web developers work: vertical tabs, a command bar on ⌘L, and the tools you usually dig for in DevTools or add with extensions, a keystroke away.
What stays the same
- Chromium rendering, so layout, JavaScript and web APIs behave the way they do in Chrome.
- The full Chromium DevTools on ⌥⌘I, and the page source on ⌥⌘U.
- Chrome Web Store extensions, with limits. See extensions.
Your usual tasks, side by side
| Task | In Chrome | In Yalqen |
|---|---|---|
| Check a page at phone sizes | DevTools device toolbar | Phone view on ⌥⌘M, with DevTools closed |
| Test on a slow connection | DevTools network throttling | Per-tab throttling from the command bar |
| Block or mock a request | DevTools request blocking and local overrides | Saved request rules, switched on per tab |
| Redirect a script to a local build | An extension | A redirect rule |
| Add or remove request headers | An extension | A header rule |
| Switch the user agent | DevTools network conditions | One command, reset with another |
| Test dark mode and reduced motion | DevTools rendering panel | One command each |
| Reload a tab on a timer | An extension | Every 5, 10, 30 or 60 seconds |
| Full-page screenshot | DevTools command menu | One command |
| Sign in to a test account | A second profile or a guest window | A developer window with its own session |
| Block ads and trackers | An extension | Built in, on by default |
Chrome can do most of this too, inside DevTools. The difference is that in Yalqen each tool is a command you can run without opening a panel, and settings like request rules are saved between sessions. Every tool is described on the developer tools page.
Beyond the tools
- Vertical tabs by default, so a dozen localhost tabs, docs and dashboards stay readable.
- A command bar that searches, jumps to open tabs and history, and runs every developer command by name. Type
>to list them. - No Google account and no telemetry. Ad and tracker blocking is on from the first launch.
- Open source under the MIT license. If a tool is missing, you can ask for it or add it yourself.
Where Chrome is still ahead
- Chrome runs on Windows, Linux, Android and iOS. Yalqen is macOS 13+ on Apple silicon only.
- Chrome has Beta, Dev and Canary channels for testing upcoming web features. Yalqen’s Chromium version follows Electron’s releases, which can trail Chrome.
- Chrome syncs bookmarks, history and settings between devices. Yalqen has no sync yet.
- Chrome supports the full extension platform. Yalqen supports part of it.
Many developers keep Chrome for testing and use Yalqen for the day-to-day. That works well, since both render the same way. For a broader comparison, see Yalqen vs Chrome.
Try it
- Install Yalqen with Homebrew or the disk image.
- Open a project on localhost and press ⌥⌘M for phone view.
- Press ⌘L, type
>and look through the developer commands. The keyboard shortcuts page lists the rest.