Kagi is giving up Orion for Linux and Windows, handing over the source code so the wider community can carry them forward instead. The move ends plans for a Windows launch in late 2026 and marks a sudden shift away from what once appeared to be Kagi’s most significant external push.
A tiny group of developers built Orion, and it draws its funding entirely from Kagi subscribers. The project chose to construct it without copying Chromium’s code. More than one engine is needed for the web, the company said, along with more than one company determining what a browser should be.
The announcement of Orion for Linux drew an enormous reaction. Large numbers of people expressed delight, put early versions through their paces, submitted bug reports, and told Kagi how much they wanted a WebKit-based browser on Linux that respects privacy. That effort will soon be available to everyone.
A small, independent company made a big bet when it decided to carry Orion outside the Apple ecosystem. Kagi did so because owning the entire experience from the very start — beginning with the browser — matters. Venture-capital-backed firms and large open-source communities are the usual forces behind building a cross-platform browser. Kagi sits outside both camps. What Kagi hears repeatedly from its members is that they want focus. Instead of spreading a small team across three platforms, Kagi is concentrating its efforts where it can produce its best work and leaving the rest open for others who wish to push it further.
The open-source projects won’t keep Kagi as their main keeper of the code. They need individuals who want to take charge of them.
The software for macOS and iOS remains unchanged in name, but it’s getting better behind the scenes. People and assets that used to be spread across both platforms now work together to make Orion run faster, stay steadier, and do more on Apple devices. Look for consistent gains in performance over the next few months.
The current Linux Beta continues operating, but it will stop receiving updates from Kagi after October 2, 2026. Until then, Kagi does not advise using it as a main browser. This will be the final update delivered to Windows users who subscribed to the Windows newsletter. Rather than a late-2026 launch from Kagi, the code is set to be made available for the community to build upon.
Kagi has approached open-source foundations and groups regarding long-term care for the projects. The code for Orion on Linux and Orion on Windows will be made available, with further specifics expected within the next 30 days.
Kagi has turned the close of its own development into a triumph for the cause it is abandoning: the freedom of the project. It is an odd sort of victory for independence, with the company holding up the end of its work as proof of what it is walking away from.
The choice to focus resources was driven by a small team’s need to concentrate its efforts rather than stretch itself too thin. By committing its energy to the areas where it can produce the strongest results, the company is leaving the remainder open for others to build on.
It is not yet known whether the community will step forward. Kagi has made no promise of a maintainer or a foundation taking over. Instead, it is merely placing the code in the hands of others and leaving.
Key Facts Box
– Orion for Linux and Windows is being open-sourced
– Kagi is ending its own development of both platforms
– Orion for Linux Beta stops receiving updates from Kagi after October 2, 2026
– Windows launch planned for late 2026 will not come from Kagi
– Code release details to come within the next 30 days
Kagi is relying on the community to take up the work. The outcome of that wager depends entirely on whether the community chooses to step forward.
Source material: “An Update on Orion for Linux and Windows,” kagi.com.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.