Hi HN,

I’m building a new browser called Zer0 Browser, focused on being fast, minimal, and privacy first with absolutely zero bloat.

Most browsers today are packed with features users never asked for: ads, tracking, shopping suggestions, crypto plugins, and so on. Zer0 is the opposite—just a clean, focused experience for browsing the web.

Core Principles: Speed – Instant launch, lightweight UI, minimal memory usage

Simplicity – No tabs by default (like iA Writer for the web), clean reading mode, minimal UI

Privacy – No telemetry, no trackers, no background “smart” services

Exploring: Local LLM Integration – We're experimenting with optional on-device LLM support for things like page summarization, note-taking, and command-based browsing—all without sending your data to the cloud.

If this sounds interesting, I'm inviting early users to try the alpha version: https://www.zerobrowser.co/

Would love your feedback:

Would you use a browser like this?

What must-haves or deal-breakers come to mind?

What annoys you most about current browsers?

Thanks in advance!

Probably not, if it's just another Chromium reskin. Lack of Manifestv2 / uBlock Origin support would be a dealbreaker, as would a solo dev browser project (too much potential for security issues).

Are you writing your own renderer too?

I'd only consider another browser if it were either open source and/or maintained by a company or org I kinda trust. Definitely not a single dev. And it'd preferably be Webkit and not Blink/Chromium based. E.g. I'd consider using Ladybird or Kagi's Orion once they're a bit more mature.

Local AI integration is a turnoff too. I want my browser to be simple and stable, not chase every FOMO fashion trend.

I think most people here know how hard it is to build a browser from scratch, so this will just feel like a lot of wishful thinking. Might be an idea to back it up with how you plan to build it and pay for it.