qutebrowser
The facts below are what the maker publishes about qutebrowser, checked and dated. Our editors have not written about it yet.
Plans and prices
From qutebrowser's own pricing page, checked 11 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| qutebrowser | Free | Free software under the GPL; donations are optional |
The facts
Each one read from qutebrowser's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Ad blocking
- When the Python adblock library is available, qutebrowser integrates Brave’s Rust adblocker using ABP-like filter lists, but the blocker does not support cosmetic filtering.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Alternative backend limitation
- The optional QtWebKit backend has no process isolation or sandboxing, and the installation page warns that it has known security issues.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Built-in ad blocking
- Yeschecked 23 Sep 2026
- Codecs
- The Windows and macOS binary releases ship with QtWebEngine without proprietary codec support such as H.264/MP4.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Extension support
- nonechecked 23 Sep 2026
- External integrations
- The FAQ describes configuring key bindings to open video links in mpv, optionally using link hints.checked 11 Oct 2026
- JavaScript controls
- Users can disable JavaScript by default and grant exceptions for a session, a host, subdomains, or an individual URL.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Keyboard use
- Its key bindings are designed to be compatible with dwb, and the browser supports configurable key bindings.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Maintainer
- The site identifies Freya Bruhin (The Compiler) as qutebrowser’s primary author and says the primary maintainer works part-time on it, funded by donations.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Open source
- Yeschecked 23 Sep 2026
- Purpose
- qutebrowser is a keyboard-focused browser with a minimal GUI.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Security
- With an up-to-date Qt, the FAQ says QtWebEngine receives security fixes through Qt patch releases and Chromium process isolation and sandboxing are enabled.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Support
- The help page lists IRC, a mailing list, GitHub Discussions, and Reddit as ways to get help.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Technology
- It is based on Python and Qt and uses QtWebEngine by default, which is based on Chromium.checked 11 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Browser engine
- chromiumchecked 23 Sep 2026
- Linux packaging
- The installation guide lists packages in multiple Linux distributions and says packaging other than specified maintainer releases is community-maintained.checked 11 Oct 2026
- macOS downloads
- Prebuilt macOS app files are available, and the page says users must upgrade them manually.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Supported platforms
- desktopchecked 23 Sep 2026
- Windows downloads
- Standalone packages and installers are built for each release, and users must upgrade them manually.checked 11 Oct 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 23 Sep 2026
Alternatives to qutebrowser
- 1

Brave Browser
Free planOpen sourceAndroidiOSLinuxmacOS9.2Free plan - 2

DuckDuckGo Browser
Free planAndroidiOSmacOSWindows8.8Free plan - 3

AVG Secure Browser
Free planAndroidWebExtensionmacOS8.8From $39.99 a year - 4

Kameleo
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI8.8Free plan - 5

Opera
Free planAndroidiOSWebExtension8.7From $48 a year - 6

Waterfox
Free planOpen sourceAndroidExtensionLinuxmacOS8.7From $5 a month
