It can be really tough to settle on a browser if you're not a fan of Chromium, at least on Linux. While a ton of browsers use Google's browser core under the hood, there are a few holdouts like Firefox and its many forks that people can use instead. So, when a browser arrives on Linux and doesn't use Chromium as its base, it's worth a look.

This time, the dev team behind the WebKit-based browser Orion has released a public beta for Linux. And while it may not be to every Linux user's taste, it still packs a killer feature that's well worth a look.

Orion browser's Linux beta is available to download

It's a dream app for people who like their extensions

Over on the Linux subreddit, user BlokZNCR posted a screenshot from the Orion browser Linux newsletter. The email announces the public release of the Linux beta build, and BlokZNCR linked to a Flatpak build of the browser in their post. If you'd rather not download a random Flatpak from the internet, you can also sign up for the newsletter to get a download link. It's not a daily driver ready just yet, but you can still give it a try and report any bugs you find.

Two areas make Orion an interesting fit for Linux. First, it's not Chromium; it's based on WebKit, the open-source engine that powers Safari and GNOME Web. Second, a major selling point of Orion is that it can run Chrome, Firefox, and Safari extensions, which is perfect if you have an iOS device and want to carry your handy tools over to Linux. However, Kagi Sync and WebKit extensions are still in development, so keep that in mind when using the beta.

Unfortunately, as some in the Reddit post point out, Orion isn't the perfect alternative for other Linux browsers. People's main concern is that, while Orion does show some source code, it's very much a proprietary browser and comes with all the risks associated with not being open-source. For some Linux users, that alone is a reason to skip this browser and wait for something else. However, if that's not a dealbreaker for you, it's worth giving Orion a try to see how it fares.