Kagi announced in March that the Linux desktop version is under development:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/kag-orion-web-browser-co...
https://bsky.app/profile/kagi.com/post/3ljqsgjmkpk2n
You can signup to get notified at https://forms.kagi.com/?q=orion_linux_news
So I hate Safari with a burning passion and Firefox on iOS isn't much better. Ideally I'd run FF everywhere, but lacking Apple Pay support and iOS anti-competitively locking out extensions to non-Safari browsers make this a non-starter.
I VERY BADLY want to make this my daily driver across all of my devices, but between weird rendering bugs (which are decreasing), janky 1Pass support (which is improving), lacking history sync and the inability to run multiple instances like I can with Firefox*, it has been difficult to make the switch.
I know that Vlad and team are working hard to quash the bugs, so I'll keep trying the betas every once in a while.
*: I know that Safari and Orion have profiles. I prefer to isolate my browsers at a process level, i.e. a separate browser process for work and personal stuff. FF can mostly achieve this with Containers, which I used with the Multi-use Containers extension to create containers based on URL, but things gets weird with intermediate URLs. Safari cannot do this. Orion theoretically can, but I don't think it does right now.
I guess Safari is the only major browser left that is just a browser. Google is an ad company. Microsoft is an ad company. Mozilla is an ad company. Brave is a crypto company. And these next wave of browsers are all going to be infested with AI, I suppose. Apple sells phones.
I've used it previously and echo the other sentiments here about some bugs being blockers, but overall enjoyed the experience. Ultimately though, unless they get access to the APIs to auto-fill OTP codes from messages/email, I'm unlikely to switch from Safari
Related:
Bits 0x02: switching to Orion as a browser - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44681616 - July 2025 (28 comments)
Kagi Is Bringing Orion Web Browser to Linux - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43302073 - March 2025 (226 comments)
Orion Browser by Kagi: Lightweight, WebKit Based - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43203394 - Feb 2025 (3 comments)
A three month review of kagi search and the orion web browser (2024) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42652125 - Jan 2025 (160 comments)
Orion Browser by Kagi - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38441139 - Nov 2023 (188 comments)
Orion Browser 0.99.126.1 Release Notes: Orion+ Lifetime License Now Available - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38088208 - Oct 2023 (3 comments)
Kagi search and Orion browser enter public beta - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31584791 - June 2022 (201 comments)
My next main browser: a review of Orion - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30610651 - March 2022 (149 comments)
Orion is a new WebKit-based browser for Mac - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28799049 - Oct 2021 (184 comments)
It's interesting that they chose HN as the picture on their homepage; it makes you wonder how much of the company is supported by HN users. Is this site big enough to support a subscription based company that frequently advertises here?
Tried it, it suffers the same space in url bug that Mobile Firefox has, and they only are interested in bug reports from people who pay $150 for their Webkit skin.
I love Kagi and I’ve been using the Orion browser on iOS for months because it support uBlock Origin but its bugginess is emblematic of Kagi stretching its resources way too thin (and the tshirt thing…)
The iOS browser is buggy as all hell: the jump to top click around the notch stops working regularly, reflow/layout breaks throwing all the buttons and url input off screen, the entire page just go blank if it’s too long (like an HN post with 1k+ comments) necessitating a switch to Safari, and on and on. I have to restart Orion multiple times a day and switch to Safari on a regular basis. I just had to do it right now because the “Add Comment” button didn’t work!
That said, I will continue to be an ultimate subscriber because their search engine feels feature complete. Although I appreciate the small features they’re adding like the @ symbol to go along with bangs, as long as that core product doesn’t get enshittified I’m happy. The Kagi team is doing great work!
I love brave's native ad blocking, so the idea of _even MOAR_ ad blocking appeals to me. But what is the distinction between "1st party ads" vs 3rd party? I'm a noob in this arena, so I'd need an example.
other notes:
- Love the discussion of features instead of vibes
- Even though I don't understand the comparison table, I appreciate the attempt at quick summary.
- I'm not even a fan of Kagi, if anything I'm mildy opposed. But "a browser with less ads / more privacy" may legitimately win me over.
Can anyone comment on how fast it is on macOS compared to Safari or Brave? On browserbench speedometer I'm getting 29.3 on Orion and 7.70 on Safari. I'd appreciate more comparisons.
I see a picture of what looks like ublock origin, the non lite version. Does that mean Orion will continue to support manifest V2 to allow ublock origin to exist?
Just wish there was a windows version too. I want my browser bookmarks / experience to be shared across windows, iPad and iPhone.
I was using Orion for a while, but it was so hopelessly buggy that I had to go back to Arc. Hope that changes in the future.
I've been a Kagi subscriber for over a year now because I love the product and think they do a great job working on it and improving it. That being said, I've tried using Orion on my Macbook Pro and it always seems to get full of memory leaks. Freezing at times and making it troublesome to use the developer tools. I prefer Zen browser currently and don't see myself switching until Ladybird is stable
But does it have vertical tabs?
Why is going open source more difficult than not? isn't it enough to make sure all the code is legal and dump it as is?
The community might even help cleaning it. Documentation might or could come at some point in the future.
is there any idea when they're going to have the full ~99% API support for extensions as currently a lot of extensions don't work properly?
I use it on my macbook, It's great.
Monthly orion hacker news post ahha
Only on MacOS and iOS...
Installed on my iPhone. I will give it a test drive. Safari is awful.
I'm an Orion+ paid user though I still don't use it for my daily driver. there's still a long way to go, especially around password manager integrations - iCloud passwords is pretty much unusable and 1Password is extremely flaky (though 1Password is a thoroughbred shitshow these days so probably not Kagi's fault). I pay for it because I hope it succeeds and because I love Kagi search.
Posted from Orion RC.
Orion is my way to have ublock origin on iphone/ipad.
Is there another way?
I really like Kagi, but I'm starting to get that same sense of anticipatory melancholy I used to get when I found a really good drug dealer back in the day - this product or service is fantastic, and I'm very happy to be able to give it money, but I recognize this is a short term affair and some day I'll be back to having to search for it again.
I would continue to pay Kagi $10 a month forever for exactly the product I signed up for - I have zero additional product wants or needs, zero additional ambitions for the service, zero things I'd like my money to be going to other than sustaining a high-quality service that solves a need for me. I don't need or want the AI features, I sure don't need a browser, and I'd really like all of this manic product energy to be going towards the core product so I can continue to enjoy it for the foreseeable future.