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Orion Browser Brings WebKit Speed and Privacy Focus to Mac Users

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Kagi, best known for its telemetry-free search engine, has released version 1.0 of Orion, its privacy-focused browser for Mac. After a long beta period, the WebKit-based browser is aimed at users who want Safari's speed without the data collection that comes with most other options.

orion-browser.jpeg

For users who want an alternative to Chromium browsers like Chrome, Edge, and Brave, without sacrificing speed or extension support, Orion could be worth a look. Moreover, unlike some recent browser launches, there's no integration of AI features, and Kagi says it collects no telemetry or usage data of any kind.

For a browser claiming zero-bloat, there are some notable features, too. Focus Mode strips away the browser interface to turn any website into a distraction-free app, while Link Preview lets you peek at links from mail or notes without actually opening a new tab. You can set up separate profiles that keep work, personal browsing, and everything else completely isolated. Not only that, the browser also works with Chrome and Firefox extensions.

Orion is free to download and use, and also comes with 200 free searches on Kagi's premium search engine, while an optional Orion Plus subscription at $5 per month unlocks floating windows that stay on top of other apps, custom icons, and offers early access to new features.

Kagi's six-person team developed Orion over five years (the first two years handled by a single developer). The company plans to expand documentation and add new features over the coming year. You can grab it over on the Orion website, while iPhone and iPad versions can be downloaded from the App Store.

Article Link: Orion Browser Brings WebKit Speed and Privacy Focus to Mac Users
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/11/27/kagi-orion-webkit-based-privacy-browser-mac/
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As a web developer I hate WebKit and Safari and it annoys me when people praise it.
Safari for example didn't support .webp images to 2020 and the browser updates are tied to iOS/macOS releases, just like Internet Explorer was in the earl 2000s.
WebKit recently had a bug where fixed elements that were positioned using bottom: X broke on mobile devices causing elements to float in the middle of the viewport rather than being attached to the bottom.
Then we have the glacial pace of implementing new features or weird WebKit only quirks that require special work arounds, just like IE did back in the day.
 
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As I see it, they might have more traction on Windows and Linux, as an alternative to Chromium based browsers, than in macOS and iPadOS where we already have a decentlly privacy focused browser in Safari, though I also would like to see a comparison both in privacy and speed.

I will also mention, that the fact they support chrome extensions (all of them?) is a big plus, Safari Extensions is a gohst town.
 
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n-evo said:
How is it any different from Safari in that regard?
Click to expand...

Supporting Chrome and Firefox extensions appears to be the big thing.

This actually might be the goldilocks browser for me. I’ve always preferred the battery life and privacy of Safari, but the extensions of Chrome and Firefox.

Also, when I really like a browser and want to stick to it across all my devices so I have browser tab syncing, their iOS apps usually suck compared to Safari. I’m such a huge fan of the UI where the URL bar is at the bottom and you can slide left, right, or up to switch between tabs. It looks like Orion even included this UI in their iOS apps Wow, I’m excited to try this out!
 
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I've been trying out Kagi, which has been a pretty capable search engine.

As for Orion, though, if it's based off Webkit, what are the convincing differences that make it a better alternative to Safari? Can it really support Chrome and Firefox extensions, if it's a Webkit-based browser?

Someone above posted that Safari is tied to macOS releases whereas Orion might not be, which could be a plus... but again, we are talking about Webkit here, so whatever benefits and detriments the Webkit engine features, wouldn't those be carried over into Orion?

When it comes to alternative browsers for macOS, I must admit that I've never really been captivated enough by any of them to move away from Safari. Safari works great when you're moving between Apple devices—I don't see that other browsers can offer quite as seamless of an experience.

Regardless, it will be interesting to check out the preferences and settings of Orion...
 
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I have just downloaded it on my MacBook Air 2018 w/ macOS 14.
I don't know the minimum requirements so that I am not sure if I can use its most updated versions for a few years.

It's a webkit browser but with Firefox/Chrome extensions, not Safari.

The content blocker works great including YouTube, no ads when playing videos although I still see a small advertisement at the top right corner of the homepage. But I can still install uBlock.

In terms of privacy (especially fingerprinting) and security, I think Brave is still better?
 
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macfacts said:
Safari is tied to the OS, can't update it individually.
Click to expand...
That’s not true and it’s simply misinformation. They have released several Safari updates, and you can install them directly from System Settings.

I am on macOS Sequoia and I’ve already installed more than two Safari updates, including the latest one that’s in macOS Tahoe. Also, the fact that there aren’t many updates doesn’t mean anything bad. Apple will know when to update it if there’s an emergency, like patching an exploit to prevent attacks. I don’t need constant updates that add bloat to my browser.
 
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n-evo said:
How is it any different from Safari in that regard?
Click to expand...
It’s noticeably faster as it blocks ads and trackers natively, instead of an extension.

Also, as far as extensions go, while it does not support Safari extensions, it supports both Chrome and FireFox extensions, so there is huge ecosystem to choose from.

For me, it has replaced Safari as the main browser. I quite like it so far and the frequent updates/bug fixes are nice.
 
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DarkMatterCamoGrind said:
That’s not true and it’s simply misinformation. They have released several Safari updates, and you can install them directly from System Settings.

I am on macOS Sequoia and I’ve already installed more than two Safari updates, including the latest one that’s in macOS Tahoe. Also, the fact that there aren’t many updates doesn’t mean anything bad. Apple will know when to update it if there’s an emergency, like patching an exploit to prevent attacks. I don’t need constant updates that add bloat to my browser.
Click to expand...
Safari does not receive any feature updates throughout the year, and it only gets critical bug fixes. And yes, it is bad when the competition updates regularly, fixes smaller bugs, and adds web features. Safari’s lack of updates causes websites to break or have to deal with different versions of technologies. It’s annoying as hell.

The Safari version that receives frequent updates and fixes, is the Technology Preview, which is mostly used by developers. However, the average user doesn’t use it, and it’s quite buggy at times.

So yes, OP is right. If you want an up-to-date WebKit-based browser, it’s either DuckDuckGo or Orion. However, DDG has a mediocre amount of user features, compared to Safari or Orion. Of the three, Orion is currently the most feature rich WebKit browser I’ve used.
 
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Someone found out how to import bookmarks? Otherwise, after a few hours of testing, it seems just as fast as Safari and has Brave's advantages. If the bookmark issue persists—if I simply haven't found the option—then I'll just wait until developers grow up and start thinking like normal people.
 
I just can't deal with Orion, it is way too painful to configure if you come from Chromium browsers and their extensions.
 
dredlew said:
It’s noticeably faster as it blocks ads and trackers natively, instead of an extension.

Also, as far as extensions go, while it does not support Safari extensions, it supports both Chrome and FireFox extensions, so there is huge ecosystem to choose from.
Click to expand...
Actually, Orion does support at least some Safari extensions. You install them by clicking on the Add Extension button (found in the Manage Extensions window) and selecting the Safari extension's app.
 
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I like the concept of WebKit because Google has proven they will use literally any illegal means to stifle competition. Apple is single handedly holding off the most evil machinations of Chrome. Without Apple Google would do its very best to make the internet an unusable hellscape of overlapping non-skippable video ads. Google's vision for the internet is no different than Grandma's Internet Explorer of 2009 with 30 toolbars and 6000 popups.

That is the ONLY reason I use Safari. Because just the limitation on search engine choices is nearly enough to make me switch to Brave on iXX devices since there isn't much point in pretend privacy since all your searches are going to either Google, Microsoft, or Mossad. But we do what we can. Pro Tip: you can mitigate this with the XSearch browser extension (of course you have to remember to use it).

However, I am perplexed by the claim WebKit in general and Safari in particular is faster. Or even fast. Or even not slow.

In addition to no small number of rendering errors: some of them cripplingly bad, Safari even on Mac goes to multi second rendering times on very long web pages e.g. asking an AI coding questions. I literally had to switch browsers. Now this is a case of a "page" that contains hundreds, maybe thousands of DOM objects. But what takes Safari literally 10 seconds to render Brave will do in less than 1. I have no fancy open source benchmark tools to support that. Just V1.0 eyeballs of a repeatable performance problem so crippling it invalidates Safari as a tool for that application.

WebKit is an important weapon to balance the power structure on who controls the Internet. But our knight in shining armor has a lot of warts and his horse doesn't run very fast anymore.
 
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I've been using Orion off and on for a while. As someone earlier said, there's always been a bunch of small or quirky issues that prevented it from being one of my go-tos.

This 1.0 release, on the other hand, seems to have addressed nearly all of my concerns. I've been using it as my main for around a week and it's replaced Safari.

Brave is a popular choice, but it still suffers from the biggest problem Orion doesn't have – Brave is meant to be a source of revenue, and has a bunch of tracking and telemetry issues.

Orion literally ships with zero telemetry or tracking code. It's not that it's turned off, the code is not even there to begin with.
 
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macfacts said:
Safari is tied to the OS, can't update it individually.
Click to expand...
Why would you want to? One could use the tech preview version or run dev features. For me after the disclosures on Brave, FireFox, DuckDuckGo vulnerabilities or scummy behavior, with trust us they are fixed, we aren't evil. I'm just not inclined to trust 6 guy team. Safari works good enough
 
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It's interesting how Chromium has become synonymous with handing your soul over to either Google (via Chrome), or Microsoft (via Edge).

Safari was a good option but the UI overhaul in Tahoe has made it look awful. It's also pretty slow and clunky, which is only something you realise when you switch to an alternative. The limited number of extensions is also a reason to avoid.

Firefox was natural endpoint for people like me, then, but it's a weird beast. It does things its own unique way (a hallmark of many open source projects, sadly). But it is mature, it does have a wide range of extensions, and it is fast.

This is what Orion will have to topple. Not Chrome or Edge. Firefox. And I doubt it's probably there just yet.
 
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