Falkon vs Nyxt (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Falkon grades higher than Nyxt: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Falkon grades higher on ease of use. Nyxt grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Falkon if
- Fits if you run a KDE Plasma desktop and want a browser that follows its theme
- Makes sense if you want an ad blocker on from the first launch
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or macOS, since the download page lists only Linux
- Not for you if you want the newest web features at once: it follows QtWebEngine, not Chrome or Firefox
- Tight if you want frequent updates: releases arrive with KDE Gear about three times a year
- Too light for phones: no mobile version is listed
Pick Nyxt if
- Fits if you want to change your browser's behavior in Lisp
- Makes sense if you work from the keyboard with fuzzy command search
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a point-and-click browser
- Not for you if you run Windows: it is not officially supported, only via WSL
- Watch out: only a subset of the Web Extensions API is supported
- Tight if you want a settled product: the GitHub page says it is under active development
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAFalkonGood | 2.6GPANyxtGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source, with no paid plan. KDE takes donations. That is below this category's $7 cheapest quarter. | AFree, with no price listed on the download page and the source on GitHub, so under 60% of this category's cheapest quarter. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole browser, ad blocker and password manager included, installs from distribution packages, Snap or Flatpak at no cost. | AThe whole browser downloads with no listed price or paid plan. |
| Features | CAd blocker, password manager, themes, extensions, bookmarks and history. Web compatibility follows QtWebEngine rather than Chrome or Firefox releases. | CLink hinting, tab search, an ad blocker and two web engines, but only a subset of the Web Extensions API is supported. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record. You install it from your distribution and use it, with nothing to set up. | DNo rating on record. It is built for keyboard use and customization in Lisp, which is a steep curve for most people. |
| Platforms and integrations | DThe download page lists Linux only. No Windows or macOS installer is shown, and no phone version. | CLinux and macOS, with Windows only through WSL for now. Desktop only, no phone version. |
| Best for | a light KDE browser on Linux | a keyboard-first browser you can reprogram |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Falkon and Nyxt. How we grade
Price against what you get
Falkon has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Nyxt has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
Falkon scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other browsers on the chart, none scores higher than Falkon for less, and none scores higher than Nyxt for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Falkon is open source, according to its own site.
- Falkon also covers password manager.
- Nyxt also covers bookmarks.
In commonFree planLinuxWeb browserAd and tracker blocking
At a glance
| Falkon | Nyxt | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Falkon is free and open source. KDE accepts donations but the site lists no paid plan. | Downloads are offered without a listed price, and the source is on GitHub. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | KDE | Atlas Engineer |
| Price read from | falkon.org | nyxt.atlas.engineer |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Falkon
- The download page lists Linux only (distribution packages, Snap and Flatpak); no Windows or macOS installer is shown there.
- It uses QtWebEngine, so web compatibility follows that engine rather than Firefox or Chrome releases.
- Falkon releases arrive with KDE Gear, about three times a year.
- The about page says the project was started for educational purposes.
Nyxt
- Windows is not officially supported; it runs through WSL on Windows 10 and 11 while an official port is in development.
- Only a subset of the Web Extensions API is supported.
- The GitHub page says the project is under active development.
Key features
Falkon
- Ad blocker on by default
- A built-in AdBlock plugin is enabled by default, and the 25.04 release notes mention fixes and new features for it.
- Password manager
- Falkon ships with a password manager and lets you tighten privacy and security settings further.
- Theming and extensions
- Themes change how the browser looks, and the site has an extensions page, including a Greasemonkey-style plugin mentioned in release notes.
- Plasma integration
- The site says Falkon integrates inside Plasma and follows Plasma theming preferences.
- Standard browser features
- Bookmarks, history and tabs are included, with bookmarks and history also shown in the sidebar.
Nyxt
- Link hinting and jump headings
- Follow links from the keyboard and jump to page headings by fuzzy search.
- Tab search and multi-tab actions
- Fuzzy-search open tabs, search across several tabs at once and run commands on selected groups of tabs.
- Fully customizable
- Every class, method and function can be overwritten and reconfigured, and any variable can be inspected at runtime.
- Built-in ad blocker
- Ships with an ad blocker that uses uBlock Origin rules, plus vi bindings and a subset of the Web Extensions API.
- Two web engines
- Works with WebKit and WebEngine through a minimal engine interface.
Plans
Falkon
Free$0
The full browser, with its ad blocker and password manager, installed from distribution packages, Snap or Flatpak.
Nyxt
Free$0
The full browser; the download page lists no price.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Falkon or Nyxt?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Falkon and Nyxt are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Falkon or Nyxt?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Falkon and Nyxt have a free plan.
Which platforms do Falkon and Nyxt run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Nyxt lists a macOS app. Both list a Linux app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.