qutebrowser
A keyboard-driven, vim-like browser based on Python and Qt.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you are a keyboard-focused developer or power user willing to manage Qt dependencies. The active maintenance, zero known vulnerabilities, and GPL license make it a solid choice for personal use. No, if you need a browser that works out-of-the-box on systems without pre-installed Qt libraries or if you require proprietary redistribution rights.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Qt 5.15.0+ or Qt 6.2.0+ and PyQt 5.15.0+ or 6.2.2+ to be installed separately; Python 3.9 or newer required.
- High install friction due to substantial Qt and PyQt dependencies that require compilation or pre-built binaries on most systems.
- Maintenance is active with a recent release, though the primary maintainer works part-time on the project.
License · maintenance · safety
GPL-3.0-or-later (copyleft) — GPL-3.0-or-later copyleft license means any modifications or derivative works must be released under compatible terms; suitable for personal use but restrictive for proprietary redistribution.
last release 2026-04-03 (133 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 87,782 downloads/mo, #13,770 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install qutebrowser
qutebrowser https://example.com- Whether PyQt and Qt libraries are pre-installed on target systems or must be compiled from source.
- Exact installation time and disk footprint on common platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows).
- Whether the adblock, pygments, and colorama optional dependencies are worth installing for typical workflows.
What it is and what it does
qutebrowser is a web browser designed for users who prefer keyboard-driven workflows similar to vim. It runs on Python and Qt, offering a minimal graphical interface where most navigation and commands are executed via keyboard shortcuts rather than mouse clicks. The browser is free software licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later and draws inspiration from earlier keyboard-focused projects like dwb and Vimperator.
The package depends on jinja2 and PyYAML for configuration and templating, and requires substantial Qt infrastructure (QtCore, QtQuick, QtSQL, QtDBus, QtOpenGL, and either QtWebEngine or QtWebKit as the rendering backend). Installation involves resolving these compiled dependencies, which creates high friction on systems without pre-built binaries. The project maintains active development with recent releases and supports Python 3.9 through 3.13.
Use it for
- Daily web browsing for developers and power users who work primarily in terminal-based environments and prefer keyboard shortcuts.
- Research and information gathering workflows where rapid keyboard navigation and command-line-style interactions speed up task completion.
- Customizing browser behavior through configuration files (jinja2 templates and YAML) without writing browser extensions.
- Lightweight browsing on systems where traditional browsers feel heavy, leveraging the minimal GUI design.
- Learning vim-like keybindings in a graphical application context before or alongside terminal editor mastery.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you are a keyboard-focused developer or power user willing to manage Qt dependencies.
The active maintenance, zero known vulnerabilities, and GPL license make it a solid choice for personal use. No, if you need a browser that works out-of-the-box on systems without pre-installed Qt libraries or if you require proprietary redistribution rights.
Install
qutebrowser on PyPI
Before you install
High install friction due to substantial Qt and PyQt dependencies that require compilation or pre-built binaries on most systems. Maintenance is active with a recent release, though the primary maintainer works part-time on the project.
Requires Qt 5.15.0+ or Qt 6.2.0+ and PyQt 5.15.0+ or 6.2.2+ to be installed separately; Python 3.9 or newer required.
License in practice
GPL-3.0-or-later copyleft license means any modifications or derivative works must be released under compatible terms; suitable for personal use but restrictive for proprietary redistribution.
Quickstart
pip install qutebrowser
qutebrowser https://example.comVerify before relying
- Whether PyQt and Qt libraries are pre-installed on target systems or must be compiled from source.
- Exact installation time and disk footprint on common platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows).
- Whether the adblock, pygments, and colorama optional dependencies are worth installing for typical workflows.
Package facts
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later copyleft |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.9 |
| Install friction | High. Source build required |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagesjinja2PyYAML |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 133 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 87,782 / month, #13,770 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: X11 Applications :: QtIntended Audience :: End Users/DesktopNatural Language :: EnglishOperating System :: MacOSOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIX :: BSDOperating System :: POSIX :: LinuxProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: InternetTopic :: Internet :: WWW/HTTPTopic :: Internet :: WWW/HTTP :: Browsers |
Evidence: qutebrowser-3.7.0.tar.gz
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “vim-like browser”
- qutebrowserA keyboard-driven, vim-like web browser built on Python and Qt that…
- pyvimA Vi/Vim-like text editor implemented entirely in Python, providing…
- browser-harnessConnects an LLM agent directly to a real Chrome/Chromium browser via…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Internet packages
Botocore provides low-level, data-driven access to Amazon Web Services APIs, serving as the foundation for the AWS CLI and boto3 libraries.
Install it if you need programmatic access to AWS services.
Provides an async client for AWS services using botocore and aiohttp, allowing you to call AWS APIs asynchronously within asyncio-based applications.
Install it if you need to call AWS services from async Python code; it is the standard way to do so.
Pydantic validates Python data structures against type hints, coercing and checking input at runtime to ensure it matches a declared schema.
Provides a platform-independent file locking mechanism to coordinate access to files across processes and threads.
FastAPI is a Python web framework for building REST APIs using type hints, with automatic request validation, serialization, and interactive API documentation.
Provides common Protocol Buffer message definitions used across Google Cloud APIs, enabling Python clients to interact with Google services.
See also PyQtWebEngine · PyQt6-WebEngine · PyQt5 · QtAwesome · aqt · PyQt6 · pywebview · superqt · pytest-qt · PyQtWebEngine-Qt5