What is LastBrowser?
LastBrowser is a desktop web browser built on Electron, React and TypeScript, with an AI assistant called Sidekick in a sidebar. Sidekick runs as a local Python backend, which the README says was seeded from the Hermes Portable codebase, and talks to the provider you choose with your own API key, or to local Ollama models. Around it sit a vertical tab bar, Spaces with separate cookies, caches and logins for work and personal accounts, a Windows ConPTY terminal in the sidebar, 48 bundled agentic workflows, an MCP hub and castlabs' Widevine build so Netflix and Spotify play.
It needs no account and the site promises no involuntary telemetry, keeping profiles in %APPDATA%\Lastbrowser protected by Windows DPAPI. It runs on Windows 10 and 11, with a Linux AppImage and tar.gz as a preview since v0.1.60; there is no macOS build. Windows installers are signed with a Certum open-source developer certificate.
The code is GPL-3.0 and almost all of it comes from one developer, credited as Rainer Dominik, with 328 commits since the repository was created on 18 September 2026. The current release is v0.1.60 beta from 26 October 2026.
Is LastBrowser worth it?
LastBrowser's case is that an AI sidebar does not need an account or a subscription. Sidekick reads the tabs you allow, answers with whatever model you bring, local Ollama included, and the browser around it adds Spaces with separate logins and a real Windows terminal. The only cloud involved is the provider whose key you paste.
The Electron settings are better than many hobby browsers. The main window runs with the sandbox on, context isolation on and Node integration off, and every web tab is forced into a sandboxed guest with web security on and no Node access. Chrome DevTools remote debugging on port 9222 is off unless you enable it, and the Sidekick backend listens only on 127.0.0.1.
The engine is the worry, because a browser is only as safe as its Chromium. The default branch still pins castlabs Electron 37.10.3; Electron 37 left support on 15 January 2026, and Electron supports only the newest three major lines, now 43 to 45. In our reading of the v0.1.60 lockfile the desktop app resolves to 45.0.0-alpha.14, a pre-release, while stable 45.3.0 shipped on 10 November and an open pull request moves to 44.9.3.
The update story contradicts the security page. The page says the only outbound traffic happens on explicit user action, but the code checks for updates 6 seconds after launch and every 4 hours, and a comment says updates are mandatory. Cadence itself is quick, with about eight releases between 10 and 26 October, which matters for a browser.
Smaller signs of youth: SECURITY.md is GitHub's unedited template, 237 open issues and pull requests are all the maintainer's own, and the repository has 0 stars. The imprint also says commercial use needs a paid licence, which sits oddly with GPL-3.0, a licence that does not restrict running the software. Against BrowserOS, an AGPL Chromium fork with a larger community, LastBrowser offers a terminal and DRM streaming but far less outside review.
Where it earns its place
A developer on Windows 11 who lives in the browser and a terminal
Ask an AI about the docs page I am reading and run the command it suggests
Open Sidekick beside the tab with a local Ollama model or a BYOK key, then press Ctrl+` for the ConPTY terminal in the sidebar. Free apart from model calls; only the tabs you share go to a cloud provider.
A freelancer juggling client and personal accounts
Stay logged into two Google accounts without a second browser
Put each client in its own Space, which keeps separate cookies, caches and sessions in one window.
An IT manager at a 40-person firm
Decide whether to allow it on staff PCs
The sandbox settings are sound, but a pre-release Electron engine, mandatory update checks, one maintainer and an unpriced commercial licence demand make it a no for managed fleets for now.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Download the signed setup or portable .exe, or the Linux AppImage, from GitHub releases or lastbrowser.com and run it; no account. Add a provider key in Sidekick or point it at a local Ollama install.
- Integrations
- Your own keys for cloud providers (the changelog covers Ollama Cloud and Alibaba DashScope among others), local Ollama, MCP servers through its hub, Chrome-style extensions, and an optional Chrome DevTools Protocol port for automation.
- Data and privacy
- Profiles, history, passwords and cookies stay in %APPDATA%\Lastbrowser under DPAPI, with no analytics according to the privacy policy; Sidekick sends prompts and shared tab content to the provider you pick. The app checks GitHub for updates at launch and every 4 hours. GPL-3.0.
- Cost at scale
- Free; AI cost is your provider's usage, or nothing with local Ollama on your own hardware. The site asks businesses to buy a commercial licence but publishes no price.
- Limits
- Windows 10 and 11 x64, Linux preview, no macOS; beta with a single maintainer; the Chromium security level depends on which castlabs Electron build a release ships, which has varied from out-of-support to alpha.
What’s good
- Sandboxed tabs with context isolation and no Node access
- Bring your own key or run local Ollama; no account
- Spaces isolate cookies and logins per profile
- Built-in ConPTY terminal and Widevine for streaming
- Signed Windows installers and published SHA-256 sums
What’s not
- Electron engine unsupported on the main branch, pre-release in v0.1.60
- Checks for updates every 4 hours despite saying it only connects on request
- One maintainer, 0 stars, unedited SECURITY.md
- No macOS; Linux is a preview
- Commercial-licence demand conflicts with its GPL-3.0 licence
Best for
Windows power users who want an account-free AI sidebar with their own model keys and accept a beta browser from a single developer.
LastBrowser alternatives
LastBrowser: common questions
- Is LastBrowser worth it?
- An ambitious one-person AI browser with sensible sandboxing, but its Electron engine has swung from an unsupported release to a pre-release one, and its privacy page understates how often it phones home for updates. We rate it 3.0 out of 5.
- How much does LastBrowser cost?
- Free and open source (GPL-3.0); no account. AI features use your own provider key, billed by that provider, or free local Ollama models. The site asks companies to buy a commercial licence, with no published price.
- What are the downsides of LastBrowser?
- Electron engine unsupported on the main branch, pre-release in v0.1.60; checks for updates every 4 hours despite saying it only connects on request; one maintainer, 0 stars, unedited SECURITY.md; no macOS; Linux is a preview; commercial-licence demand conflicts with its GPL-3.0 licence.
- Who is LastBrowser best for?
- Windows power users who want an account-free AI sidebar with their own model keys and accept a beta browser from a single developer.
- How much does LastBrowser cost for a team or in production?
- Free; AI cost is your provider's usage, or nothing with local Ollama on your own hardware. The site asks businesses to buy a commercial licence but publishes no price.
- Is LastBrowser safe for company data?
- Profiles, history, passwords and cookies stay in %APPDATA%\Lastbrowser under DPAPI, with no analytics according to the privacy policy; Sidekick sends prompts and shared tab content to the provider you pick. The app checks GitHub for updates at launch and every 4 hours. GPL-3.0.
- What are the best LastBrowser alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are BrowserOS.
Answers checked Nov 11, 2026.