Focalors Source

Built on ungoogled-chromium

Focalors

The web, without an audience

A Chromium browser with every Google service taken out, ad blocking compiled into the engine, and sync that is end-to-end encrypted on a server you can run yourself.

Install on Linux Read the source

Free and open source, BSD-3-Clause. Windows and macOS are next.

The programme

Three promises, kept in the engine

No extensions to install, no account to make, no settings to hunt for. The parts that protect you are part of the browser itself.

Nothing phones home

ungoogled-chromium's patch set removes Google's services, background requests and binary blobs. Focalors adds none back: the only Google request is a search you submit yourself.

Ads stop at the network

Brave's adblock-rust engine runs inside the browser, so it is not bound by extension limits. Requests are blocked before they leave, and pages are cleaned up after they arrive.

Sync only you can read

Your bookmarks, tabs, history and passwords are encrypted on your devices with a key made from 24 words. The server keeps ciphertext it has no way to open.

Act I · Ad blocking

Measured, not promised

Focalors blocks exactly what uBlock Origin Lite blocks, byte for byte on every site tested, while its engine uses well under half the memory.

  • Network blocking, element hiding and scriptlets
  • EasyList, EasyPrivacy, uBlock Origin lists and Peter Lowe's list, refreshed every four days
  • Your own list URLs and rules in Settings
  • A toolbar shield with the count for each site and a switch to turn it off there
  • Redirects and WebSocket handshakes checked too, not only the first request
Data downloaded per page load With Focalors Without blocking
  • theverge.com 2.1 of 4.1 MB −48%
  • wired.com 2.1 of 2.4 MB −13%
  • cnet.com 1.8 of 2.1 MB −15%
  • bbc.com/news 1.5 of 1.6 MB −10%
  • independent.co.uk 0.7 of 1.6 MB −58%
  • theguardian.com 0.3 of 0.3 MB −1%
23 MBengine memory at idle, against 58 MB for uBlock Origin Lite
Identicalbytes blocked as uBlock Origin Lite on every site tested

Headless, cold cache, median of three loads, October 2026. On ad-heavy sites pages still load 10 to 25% slower than with uBlock Origin Lite; moving the check off the UI thread is the next job.

Act II · Sync

Your devices, your keys

Focalors keeps Chromium's own sync engine and gives it a new home. There is no Google account and no email address: a sync chain is 24 words, and whoever holds them holds the key.

  1. Create a chain. Focalors shows you 24 words. Write them down; they are the only copy of the key.
  2. Join from another device. Type the words, or scan the QR code the first device shows.
  3. Choose what travels. One switch per type. Leave the chain and the server forgets it.

Act III · The look

Every new tab raises a curtain

Deep-water blues, gold for what matters, and a new tab page that is a small theatre: the curtain flies out, the lamps blink on, spotlights sweep the stage and glitter falls into the water.

Gold focus ringsWhatever has the keyboard, you can see it.
81 languagesEvery Focalors string, translated for every locale Chromium ships.
Kind to your CPUThe stage draws only while visible, and holds still with reduced motion on.
Original artInspired by a character, never copied. Every asset is drawn from scratch.

At a glance

What is under the velvet

Engine
Chromium, through the ungoogled-chromium patch set, kept on current stable releases
Ad blocking
adblock-rust, compiled in, with its engine cached to disk for a fast start
Sync
Chromium's sync protocol, end-to-end encrypted, open source server
Search
Google by default with suggestions and preconnect off; change it any time
User agent
Stock Chromium, so you blend in instead of standing out
Platforms
Linux x64 today. Windows and macOS next, Android later
License
BSD-3-Clause, the same as Chromium

Curtain call

Take your seat

Focalors runs on 64-bit Linux today. Releases come with SHA-256 sums.

Arch, CachyOS

Download the PKGBUILD from the latest release into an empty folder, then:

makepkg -si
Latest release

Any other Linux

Unpack the release tarball and start the browser from inside it:

focalors/chrome
Latest release

From source

Fetch, patch and build inside the builder image. A clean build takes a few hours.

scripts/in-docker build
Build guide
  1. BrandingName, icons, theme, new tab page
  2. Ad blockingEngine, shield, lists, cosmetic filters
  3. SyncChains, encryption, own server
  4. AndroidOnce everything else is solid