ZepperDownload
Zepper

Tabs in their place.Trackers out of it.

A free, open-source browser for your Mac, with Spaces, a sidebar built for tabs, and privacy that's on from the very first page.

Download for MacView on GitHub

What's new in 0.1.7 · Apple silicon and Intel · macOS 14 or later

Free and open source
GPL-3.0, no account needed
Built on Chromium
Sites work as they do in Chrome
Apple silicon and Intel
Native on both, macOS 14 or later
Updates itself
Quietly, in the background
SpacesSplit viewEssentialsAd and tracker blockingPasskeysPicture in pictureCommand barBangsMemory SaverChrome extensionsWidevine supportSecure DNS

Spaces ⌃1⌃2⌃3

A space for every side of you.

Each space keeps its own colours, pinned tabs and Essentials, and if you like, its own sign-ins, kept apart like separate profiles. Swipe between them on the trackpad, or switch with a shortcut.

  • Personal
  • Work
  • Reading
Zepper's Personal space, with its own colours and tabsZepper's Work space, with its own colours and tabsZepper's Reading space, with its own colours and tabs

Command bar⌘T

Find anything. Go anywhere.

One bar for the web, your history and the tabs you already have open. Bangs like !w !yt !gh skip the search page and go straight to the site.

Split view⌥⌘V

Two pages, one window.

Side by side, stacked, or a grid of four, with dividers you can drag. Read the docs while you write the code, then put it all back with ⌥⌘U.

Compact mode⌘S

Out of the way, until you reach for it.

Compact mode gives the whole window to the page. Move the pointer to the edge and the sidebar floats back in, then tucks itself away again.

Only in Zepper

Things your browser can't do.

Tidy, in one click.

Apple Intelligence sorts a messy space into folders with sensible names, right on your Mac. Not what you wanted? Undo puts every tab back.

Capture just the part you need. ⇧⌘2

Click an element, drag a region, or take the whole page. It's on your clipboard at once, ready to paste, with a thumbnail you can drag into other apps.

Privacy

Private before you change a thing.

Every protection is on from the start. If a site ever needs one off, the lock in the address bar turns it off for that site alone. Private windows leave nothing behind when they close.

  • Ads and trackers
    uBlock Origin's filter lists, YouTube ads included
  • Cookie banners
    Hidden before they get in the way
  • Fingerprinting
    Per-site noise on canvas, WebGL and audio
  • Cross-site cookies
    Embedded third parties can't follow you
  • HTTPS upgrades
    Plain-HTTP pages load securely when they can
  • Clean links
    fbclid, gclid and AMP wrappers removed
  • Secure DNS
    DNS over HTTPS via Cloudflare, Quad9 or Google
  • Global Privacy Control
    Asks every site not to sell your data

And the rest

Everything you'd expect, already there.

Essentials

Your most-used sites a click away, signed in with each space's accounts.

Pinned tabs and folders

Tabs that stay, sorted into folders you can nest.

Passwords and passkeys

Built in, encrypted on your Mac, unlocked with Touch ID.

Picture in picture

Leave a playing video and it comes with you.

Widevine support

Protected video and music from streaming sites, whenever you turn it on.

Memory Saver

Tabs you haven't looked at in hours give their memory back.

Chrome extensions

Install them straight from the Chrome Web Store.

Captures

⇧⌘2 copies an element, a region or the whole page.

Translate and summarise

On Macs with Apple Intelligence, without leaving your computer.

Right where you left it

Every window, space and tab comes back when you reopen Zepper.

For developers

No Chromium to compile.

Most browsers worth changing are Chromium forks: tens of gigabytes of source and hours of building before you move a pixel. Zepper's Chromium comes prebuilt, and everything you see is TypeScript, React and CSS. A fork runs in minutes, and your changes show the moment you save.

Rebrand itChange the defaultsReshape the sidebarBring your own filter lists
Read the source on GitHub
Terminal
# fork it on GitHub, then
git clone github.com/you/zepper-browser
cd zepper-browser
npm install
npm run dev
✓ your Zepper is running

Questions

Good to know.

Something else? Ask on GitHub.

Is Zepper free?
Yes. It's free and open source under the GPL-3.0. There's no account to make and nothing to pay for.
Which Macs does it run on?
Any Mac on macOS 14 or later, with Apple silicon or Intel: the download button gets the right one for yours. Translate and summarise use Apple Intelligence, so they need a Mac with Apple silicon.
Why does macOS stop it the first time?
Zepper isn't notarized by Apple yet. The first time you open it, go to System Settings › Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway. After that it opens like any other app, and updates install themselves.
Can I bring my history and passwords?
Yes. A short setup on first launch brings them over from Chrome, Brave, Edge, Arc, Firefox, Safari and others, or from 1Password and Bitwarden exports.
Do Chrome extensions work?
Yes. Install them from the Chrome Web Store, as you would in Chrome.
Do streaming sites work?
Yes. Zepper has Widevine support: turn it on in Settings › Media, or accept the prompt when a streaming site asks for it.

Give your tabs a home.

Free, open source and updated on its own. Bring your history and passwords over from the browser you use now in about a minute.

Download for Mac

Version 0.1.7 · Apple silicon and Intel · macOS 14 or later

Also for Intel Macs and Apple silicon
  1. 1
    Install

    Open the .dmg and drag Zepper into Applications.

  2. 2
    Open it once

    In System Settings › Privacy & Security, click Open Anyway. Only the first time.

  3. 3
    Move in

    Bring over your history and passwords, choose your colours, and you're set.