Orion web browser enters ‘early beta’ on Linux
Orion web browser enters ‘early beta’ on Linux
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/03/orion-for-linux-beta-release
Publish Date: 2026-03-15 23:11:00
Source Domain: www.omgubuntu.co.uk
A public beta of Orion for Linux is now available to download and try.
The WebKit-based web browser from paid search engine Kagi has been stable on macOS and iOS for a while, but a Linux port was announced last year, and Linux alpha builds made available for paying Orion+ subscribers in January.
Now the beta is here and (almost) anyone can give it a go on Linux, not just subscribers.
Orion isn’t a recoloured Chromium or another Firefox fork, but a native Linux app built in GTK4/libadwaita and WebKitGTK, with platform-level integration. The closest comparison would be GNOME Web (aka Epiphany), though that tacks to a narrower scope than Orion.
In an update shared with followers of its Linux newsletter, the company says: “We know many of you have been eagerly waiting for a chance to try Orion Browser on Linux, and we’ve been hard at work to make progress behind the scenes.”
“After months of building the foundations, we’re excited to share this early beta with you. It’s our first opportunity to let you get hands-on with the new features we’ve been developing.”
I installed the ‘early beta’ on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS to see how things are shaping up.
Orion’s early beta is for testing
Orion for macOS is liked for its extensive UI customisation, built-in privacy and blocking controls, iCloud sync and support for using Chrome, Firefox, and Safari extensions – but don’t expect that level of feature completeness in the Linux beta.
Feature parity with macOS is the aim, but things have to start somewhere. This is dubbed an ‘early beta’ for a reason: it’s functional, but intended for testing and bug reporting rather than daily driving.
Web pages mostly load, basic tab management works, and you can add bookmarks, save passwords, and switch between vertical, standard (horizontal) and compact tab layouts. Focus Mode is working, albeit with a quirk – it re-enables vertical tabs on exit.
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