Yalqen
Firefox is the long-standing independent browser from Mozilla, built on its own Gecko engine and available on every major platform. It added vertical tabs in version 136 and tab groups in version 137, both in 2025.
Yalqen is a smaller, open-source Mac browser on Chromium, the engine behind Chrome. Sites built and tested in Chrome behave the same, and the Chromium DevTools come with it.
Is Yalqen more private than Firefox?
What each browser does out of the box, before you change a setting.
- Blocks ads
- Blocks trackers
- No usage analytics
- Works without an account
- Open source
How do the features compare?
- Vertical tabs
- Tab groups
- Command bar with developer commands
- Renders pages like Chrome
- Chrome Web Store extensions
- Sync between devices
- Windows, Linux and mobile
What Yalqen does differently
- Chromium engine, so pages render the way they do in Chrome and the full Chromium DevTools are built in. Firefox renders with Gecko and ships its own DevTools.
- Ad blocking built in from the first launch. Firefox blocks known trackers by default but leaves ads to add-ons.
- Vertical tabs are the default layout. In Firefox they are a setting to switch on.
- Developer tools built in: phone view with device presets, network throttling, request rules, user-agent switching and screenshots.
- No telemetry. Firefox collects technical and usage data by default, which you can turn off.
Where Firefox is ahead
- Firefox runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. Yalqen is macOS 13+ on Apple silicon only.
- Firefox syncs between devices with a Mozilla account. Yalqen has no sync yet.
- Firefox has tab groups and a large add-on catalogue, where Chrome extensions work in Yalqen with limits.
- Gecko is an independent engine, which keeps the web from depending on Chromium alone.
Yalqen and Firefox side by side
| Topic | Yalqen | Firefox |
|---|---|---|
| Source code | Open source (MIT) | Open source (MPL 2.0) |
| Engine | Chromium, through Electron | Gecko |
| Platforms | macOS 13+ on Apple silicon | macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS |
| Vertical tabs | Default layout | Optional, since version 136 |
| Tab groups | Not yet | Yes, since version 137 |
| Command bar | Yes, with developer commands | Address bar |
| Ad blocking | Built in, on by default | Trackers blocked; ads need an add-on |
| Extensions | Chrome Web Store, with limits | Firefox add-ons |
| Developer tools | Chromium DevTools plus phone view, throttling and request rules | Firefox DevTools |
| Price | Free | Free |
Questions about Yalqen and Firefox
Will sites work the same as in Chrome?
Yes. Yalqen uses Chromium, the engine behind Chrome. Firefox uses its own engine, Gecko.
Do Firefox add-ons work in Yalqen?
No. Yalqen installs Chrome extensions from the Chrome Web Store, with limits.
Does Firefox collect usage data?
Firefox sends technical and usage data by default, which you can turn off. Yalqen has no telemetry.
Does Yalqen have tab groups?
Not yet. Firefox has had them since version 137.
Try it next to Firefox
Yalqen does not need to replace your current browser to be worth a try. Install it, learn the keyboard shortcuts and see whether the layout suits you. Missing something? Open an issue, and see what is coming on the roadmap.
Other comparisons: 
Arc · 
Chrome · 
Brave · 
Zen · 
Orion · 
Dia
Sources: Firefox, Wikipedia · Firefox 136 launches with vertical tabs, gHacks · Firefox 137 brings tab groups, OMG! Ubuntu