The Linux ecosystem has never lacked browser options, but having one more choice is never a bad thing. That brings us to the Orion browser. If you haven’t heard of it before, that’s completely understandable. The Linux operating system has never been among those it supported. Until now.
With a slightly surprising announcement on X, the devs shared that the Orion Browser is beginning early alpha testing of its first native Linux build, marking a significant expansion of platform support beyond its existing macOS and iOS releases.
But first, let me say a few words about the browser itself. Orion is primarily macOS-targeted, a strongly privacy-focused web browser developed by Kagi, the company behind the paid, ad-free Kagi Search engine. It is designed to offer a fast, lightweight experience with built-in ad and tracker blocking and support for many WebExtensions.
At its core, Orion is built on WebKit, the same browser engine used by Apple Safari. Unlike most modern browsers, which rely on Chromium, Orion deliberately avoids Chromium and Google services, positioning itself as a lightweight alternative with strong privacy defaults.
The Linux version follows the same architectural approach as Orion’s existing releases, relying on the WebKit engine while maintaining compatibility with a broad range of modern web standards. Based on my testing, the browser performs exceptionally well for a first alpha release.
As you might expect, this first early alpha Linux version is intended only for testing core functionality, not for daily use. At this point, the build provides essential browsing features, including window management, navigation controls, tabs, bookmarks, menus, and basic session handling, enough to validate fundamental behaviors and gather feedback from testers.
However, several features common in Orion’s macOS and iOS editions remain unimplemented in the Linux alpha. Notably, extension support is not yet available, and synchronization features (such as profile and data sync) are absent.
However, if you want to test the browser immediately, you will have to wait, because access to the Linux build will roll out in stages. First, Orion+ subscribers will receive an email containing a download link and testing instructions for the alpha version of Orion on Linux, giving them the earliest hands-on access.
A broader audience will follow later, with newsletter subscribers and members of the OrionFeedback forum expected to be invited once the project reaches the beta phase, which the team currently anticipates to happen in about a month.
