Lightning
Lightning is a free, open-source web browser for Android. Lightweight web browser. It has 2,447 GitHub stars and is released under the MPL-2.0 license, and you can install it from F-Droid and Google Play.
github.com/anthonycr/Lightning-Browser (opens in a new tab)
Data as of from the GitHub API and the F-Droid index; description from the project's repository or F-Droid listing. Report an error
About Lightning
Lightweight web browser with following features: * Fast Start Times * Small Footprint * Smooth Scrolling * Long-press a tab to delete it * Long-press the back button to exit the browser * Ad blocker The old, archived version was known as acr.browser.barebones.
Privacy and F-Droid
F-Droid builds Lightning from its published source code and flags anti-features such as ads, tracking or reliance on non-free services.
No anti-features flagged on the latest F-Droid build.
Similar apps
More open-source browsers
ScreenStream
dkrivoruchko/ScreenStream
Screen streaming over HTTP.
Active · last commit Oct 14, 2026
BrowsersAndroid
EinkBro
plateaukao/einkbro
Lightweight, fast, and powerful browser designed for E-Ink devices.
Active · last commit Oct 17, 2026
BrowsersAndroidOgre Sample Browser
OGRECave/ogre
Object-Oriented Graphics Rendering Engine - Samples.
Active · last commit Oct 27, 2026
BrowsersAndroid
WebLibre
FaFre/WebLibre
Privacy-focused browser with local AI, advanced tab management, personal search,.
Active · last commit Oct 25, 2026
BrowsersAndroidiOS
DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser
duckduckgo/Android
At DuckDuckGo, we believe the Internet shouldn't feel so creepy, and getting the privacy you deserve online should be as simple as closing the blinds.
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
OfficialBrowsersAndroid
Fulguris Web Browser
Slion/Fulguris
Fast, customizable with sessions, ad blocking & privacy features.
Maintained · last commit Oct 27, 2026
BrowsersAndroid
Is Lightning free and open source?
Yes. Lightning's source code is public on GitHub under the MPL-2.0 license, which is OSI-approved or FSF-free. F-Droid, which builds it from source, flags no anti-features such as ads or tracking on its latest build.
How do I install Lightning?
You can install Lightning from F-Droid (package acr.browser.lightning) and from Google Play; the links are on this page. Its GitHub repository also publishes releases (latest: v5.1.0).
Is Lightning still maintained?
The repository's most recent commit was on Oct 26, 2026. Its F-Droid listing was last updated on Nov 2, 2019. appsgit only lists apps whose repository had a commit in the last six months.