Verified Sep 2026

ExperimentalLadybird engine 22/30 documented

Ladybird

An independent browser engine and browser project that remains experimental and unsuitable as a daily replacement.

Published by Ladybird Browser Initiative (United States) · Verified September 2026

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Runs on

macOSmacOS: Partial
WindowsWindows: Unknown
LinuxLinux: Partial
AndroidAndroid: Unavailable
iOSiOS: Unavailable

Choose it when

Choose Ladybird to follow or contribute to independent browser-engine development, not to replace a stable browser today.

Avoid it when

Avoid it for daily browsing, production web applications, extensions, private data, or any workflow that needs broad compatibility.

Quick answers

Read straight off the verified record - every one of these is expanded with its source below.

Which platforms does Ladybird run on?: No platform in this record documents a current Ladybird build.
Can I install Chrome extensions?: No - the Chrome Web Store is not supported.
Does it block trackers out of the box?: Not documented by the publisher.
Does it have built-in AI features?: No AI capability in this record is documented as built in.
Is it open source?: Open source project under its published licenses
Is it still being developed?: Experimental - Experimental project under active development; web compatibility and platform support are incomplete.

What Ladybird does

Open any row for the wording and the source behind it

Privacy and tracking

1 not available · 3 undocumented

Blocks trackers by defaultBlocks trackers by default: Unknown
Anti-fingerprintingAnti-fingerprinting: Unknown
Telemetry postureTelemetry posture: Unknown
No stable end-user telemetry posture is claimed for development builds.
Built-in VPN or proxyBuilt-in VPN or proxy: Unavailable
No browser VPN is included.
Private windowsDo not rely on development-build privacy modes for sensitive browsing.
Do not rely on development-build privacy modes for sensitive browsing.
Default search engineConfigurable

Extensions and blocking

1 built in · 4 not available

Chrome Web StoreChrome Web Store: Unsupported
Firefox Add-onsFirefox Add-ons: Unsupported
Native content blockingNative content blocking: Built in
Native content blocking with configurable filter lists shipped in 2026, built on adblock-rust.
Manifest V3Manifest V3: Unavailable
Manifest V3 support is not a stable Ladybird feature.
Manifest V2Manifest V2: Unavailable
Browser extension support is not a stable Ladybird feature.
Known limitationsThe project is not an extension-compatible replacement for mainstream browsers.
The project is not an extension-compatible replacement for mainstream browsers.

Workflow

1 built in · 6 not available · 4 undocumented

Vertical tabsVertical tabs: Built in
A native vertical tab strip landed in 2026 development builds; the whole product remains pre-alpha.
Tab treesTab trees: Unavailable
Workspaces or spacesWorkspaces or spaces: Unavailable
ProfilesProfiles: Unknown
Profile support is development-build dependent.
Split viewSplit view: Unavailable
No stable split view.
SidebarSidebar: Unknown
Sidebar behavior is not treated as a stable feature.
Reader modeReader mode: Unavailable
No stable reader mode.
Command paletteCommand palette: Unknown
Development-build controls may change.
Sync across devicesSync across devices: Unavailable
No account sync is included.
TranslationTranslation: Unavailable
No stable translation feature.
Progressive web appsProgressive web apps: Unknown
PWA support is not treated as stable.

AI features

9 not available

Built-in assistantBuilt-in assistant: Unavailable
Page summarisationPage summarisation: Unavailable
Acts on pages for youActs on pages for you: Unavailable
AI answer engineAI answer engine: Unavailable
Works across open tabsWorks across open tabs: Unavailable
Text or image generationText or image generation: Unavailable
Choice of modelChoice of model: Unavailable
Retention or training controlsRetention or training controls: Unavailable
Voice or image inputVoice or image input: Unavailable

On a phone

10 undocumented

Undocumented is not the same as absent - it means the publisher does not state it.

Extensions on mobileExtensions on mobile: Unknown
Extension support on mobile is not documented.
Can be the phone defaultCan be the phone default: Unknown
Default-browser capability is not documented.
Biometric lockBiometric lock: Unknown
Biometric locking is not documented.
Offline readingOffline reading: Unknown
Offline reading is not documented.
Desktop-site modeDesktop-site mode: Unknown
Desktop-site mode is not documented.
Download managerDownload manager: Unknown
A built-in download manager is not documented.
Background playbackBackground playback: Unknown
Background or picture-in-picture playback is not documented.
Web pushWeb push: Unknown
Web push support is not documented.
Data saverData saver: Unknown
Address-bar placementAddress-bar placement: Unknown
Address-bar placement is not documented.

Under the hood

Rendering engine: Ladybird
JavaScript engine: LibJS
Upstream project: Ladybird Browser Initiative
Release channel: Experimental
Code and licence: Open source project under its published licenses
Install method: Development build or source build from the project.
Hardware support: Build requirements and supported targets are project-specific and changing.

Source repository

Experimental. Experimental project under active development; web compatibility and platform support are incomplete.

Editorial view

Ladybird is the only project in this directory building a browser engine from scratch, and that makes it interesting in a way no fork can be, and unusable in a way no fork is. The Ladybird Browser Initiative, a US non-profit, is writing its own engine with its own LibJS JavaScript engine, independent of Chromium, Gecko, and WebKit. In a world where engine diversity keeps shrinking, that is the whole significance, and it is real.

Where it actually stands

Pre-alpha, and the project says so itself.

Development builds target Linux and macOS, with an alpha aimed at those platforms and Windows explicitly later
Nothing for Android or iOS
You compile it or grab a development build; sites misrender or fail routinely
Most fields in this record are unknown or unavailable because honest answers do not exist yet

The 2026 trajectory

Progress has been visible, which is why the entry is worth reading at all. Native content blocking shipped, built on the adblock-rust filter engine with configurable lists. A vertical tab strip landed in development builds. Profiles appeared. None of that changes the daily-driver verdict, but the trajectory is the story: a from-scratch engine acquiring real browser features at a steady clip, funded by donations rather than a corporation.

What it is for

Right now: following and contributing. If you care about the web not collapsing into a Chromium monoculture, this is one of perhaps two projects on earth attacking that problem directly, and it accepts code. What it is not for is browsing you care about. No extension support, no hardened privacy posture, no stability promises, and development-build private modes should not be trusted with anything sensitive.

The verdict

Watch it, star it, build it on a weekend, report the sites that break. Then close it and open a maintained browser for your banking. Both halves of that sentence are sincere, and the day the first half stops being necessary, this entry will be rewritten with pleasure. Until then the project publishes monthly progress updates, and reading one is the fastest way to calibrate how far away that day is.

Where these facts come from

Every capability above is read from a primary source and dated. 8 of 30 fields stay recorded as unknown rather than assumed.

Ladybird official site
Experimental project status and scope.
Verified Sep 2026

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