Lynx
The eldest browser still breathing.
Born in 1992 and still maintained: pure text browsing in your terminal. Brilliant over SSH, on ancient hardware, or for reading the web without a single distraction.
- Engine
- Lynx (own)
- License
- Open source
- Runs on
- Terminal, Linux, macOS, Windows
- Top marks
- Minimal interface, Light on resources, Open source, Independence
- Updated
- September 2026
Why it shines
- Runs anywhere a terminal runs
- Zero images, zero JS, zero noise
- Great for accessibility and scripting
Worth knowing
- Text-only: no images, no JavaScript
- Modern JS-only sites are simply blank
Origins
Lynx belongs to The independents — descended from Own engines.
Does well
Ranked in
Scorecard
- Tracking protection1/3
- Fingerprinting resistance0/3
- Anonymity0/3
- Built-in ad blocking0/3
- Customization0/3
- Keyboard control2/3
- Built-in tools0/3
- Minimal interface3/3
- Fresh design0/3
- Classic interface0/3
- Light on resources3/3
- Raw speed0/3
- Battery efficiency0/3
- Extension ecosystem0/3
- Cross-device sync0/3
- Site compatibility0/3
- Low maintenance1/3
- Open source3/3
- Independence3/3
- Built-in AI0/3
- Gaming features0/3
- Dev tooling0/3
0–3 on each of the 22 criteria the quiz and the guides rank by. How we score.
