Here Are 8 Good Lightweight Browsers For Linux

With rapid advancements in technology, some people cherish their older computers and the fond memories attached to them. For those who wish to put their vintage systems to use, there are various lightweight browsers that can run on these machines. Such browsers facilitate smooth performance, even on less powerful systems.

1. Abaco

Abaco is an effective web browser designed for the Plan 9 operating system. As a moderate-sized, multi-threaded program, it hosts features such as inline images, tables, and an original multiple document interface inspired by acme’s interface, making it suitable for less formidable hardware configurations.

2. Chromium

Chromium is the base project for Google Chrome, sharing core code and functionalities, albeit with some minor feature and licensing differences. The primary objective of the Chromium project is to evolve Chrome into a tabbed window manager or a web shell, diverging from standard browsing software.

3. Arora

Arora is an open-source, cross-platform web browser that exceptionally facilitates browsing in lightweight systems. Its capabilities include tabbed browsing, bookmarks, browsing history, OpenSearch, session management, privacy mode, a download manager, WebInspector, and AdBlock.

4. Hv3

The Html Viewer 3 (hv3) is a minimalistic but powerful browser that uses Tkhtml3 for rendering and SEE (Simple ECMAScript Engine) for script interpretation and is created in Tcl.

5. Midori

Midori stands out as a swift web browser utilizing the WebKit rendering engine and the GTK+ 2 or GTK+ 3 interface. It’s the designated browser in a handful of Linux distributions such as the elementary OS, SliTaz, Bodhi, Trisquel Mini, and SystemRescueCD.

6. Conkeror

Conkeror is a Mozilla-based web browser designed primarily for keyboard navigation. Its design takes inspiration from the GNU Emacs text editor and incorporates features from other software, including vi.

7. Kazehakase

Kazehakase is a Unix-like browser that uses GTK+ libraries. Being capable of embedding the Gecko layout engine and GTK+ WebKit, it makes a compelling choice for older systems.

8. Dillo

Dillo is a barebones browser specifically designed for older systems or slower networks. It displays plain HTML/XHTML (with CSS rendering) and images over HTTP while not supporting any script interpretation, making it operational on various platforms including Linux, BSD, Solaris, DOS, and OS X.

Source: Saurabh Singh/EFYTIMES News Network

Light edits were made in 2025 to improve clarity and relevance.