Real builds available · Linux & macOS

A browser where you
choose the default.

LuisBrowser is a concept for what a browser looks like when the default search engine isn't decided by whoever owns the browser -- built around LuisSearch instead of a big-tech default nobody actually picked.

Download for Linux & macOS More info & FAQ
Real screenshot of LuisBrowser (Firefox/Gecko) running with LuisSearch as the default homepage

Actual screenshot -- LuisBrowser running on real macOS hardware with LuisSearch set as the default search engine and homepage. Not a mockup.

Why default search even matters

Billions of searches happen every day without anyone consciously "choosing" a search engine -- it's just whatever the browser shipped with. That's a distribution advantage no amount of ranking quality can compete with from outside.

~90%
of the browser market defaults to one company's search engine
0
independent search engines get that same default-on-install advantage
1
line of config is all it takes to change who gets that advantage

What LuisBrowser would be

Not reinventing the rendering engine -- just refusing to let the default search engine be a decision made for you.

🔍

LuisSearch by default

Real crawled index, real BM25 ranking, AI reranking on top -- set as the actual default, not an option buried three menus deep.

⚙️

Firefox / Gecko-based, not from scratch

Built on Firefox's existing open Gecko engine rather than reinventing HTML/CSS/JS parsing -- the goal is the default, not the rendering pipeline.

🛡️

No hidden default swaps

No sponsored "default search partner" deals -- whatever ships as default is a deliberate choice, stated plainly, not sold to the highest bidder.

🌐

Same LuisHae ecosystem

Quick access to LuisCloud, LuisAI, LuisForge, and LuisWiki baked into the new-tab page instead of generic shortcuts.

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers, no marketing spin.

Is this really Firefox, or something built to look like it?
It's genuinely official Firefox -- the same Gecko rendering engine, unmodified. LuisBrowser only adds a distribution/policies.json file, which is Firefox's own built-in enterprise-configuration system, to set LuisSearch as the default search engine and homepage. No forking, no recompiling.
What platforms actually work right now?
Linux x86_64 (portable, no install needed) and macOS (Intel & Apple Silicon, via a real .dmg) both have real, downloadable, tested builds. The macOS build was built by an actual GitHub Actions macOS runner and has been run on real Mac hardware. Windows isn't packaged yet.
Why isn't the macOS build notarized by Apple?
Notarization requires an Apple Developer account and submitting the build to Apple for approval -- an independent project like this doesn't have that. The build is ad-hoc signed instead, so it will actually launch, but macOS's Gatekeeper will show an "unidentified developer" warning the first time you open it. That's expected, not a bug -- right-click → Open clears it.
Is my data or search history sent anywhere unusual?
No -- the only behavioral change from stock Firefox is the default search engine and homepage. Telemetry, Firefox Studies, and Pocket are explicitly disabled via the same policy file. Search traffic goes to LuisSearch the same way it would go to any search engine you searched from your address bar.
Can I change the default search engine back?
Yes -- it's a normal Firefox setting under Settings → Search, same as any Firefox install. LuisSearch is just what ships as the default, not a locked-in choice.
Why build this instead of just changing Firefox's default search engine myself?
You can absolutely do that in about 30 seconds in any Firefox install -- this project exists to make the point that *someone* decides the out-of-the-box default for billions of people, and that decision is usually a paid placement deal, not a merit-based choice. LuisBrowser is what it looks like when that default is just stated plainly instead.
Why not Windows support?
Purely a build-tooling gap, not a technical wall like macOS was. The Linux build works because a Linux machine can just repackage a Linux Firefox build directly; the macOS build needed a real macOS runner because Apple's disk-image format can't be unpacked from Linux. Windows doesn't have that specific blocker -- it just hasn't been packaged yet. It's the most likely next platform.
Is there an Android or iOS version?
Not yet, and it's a fair bit harder than desktop -- mobile Firefox builds (GeckoView-based) don't use the same policies.json enterprise-config system desktop Firefox does, so setting a default search engine works differently on mobile. Not ruled out, just not started.
Can I see the source / how the default was actually changed?
The entire change is one JSON file, distribution/policies.json, dropped into the Firefox install directory -- nothing hidden or compiled-in. It sets SearchEngines.Add and SearchEngines.Default to LuisSearch, disables telemetry/Pocket, and points the homepage at LuisBrowser's welcome page. That's the entire mechanism.
Does this get security updates like normal Firefox?
The underlying Firefox binary is the same one Mozilla ships, so it has the same security posture at build time -- but LuisBrowser itself doesn't have an auto-update mechanism yet, so you won't get Mozilla's automatic patch updates the way a normal Firefox install does. Re-downloading a fresh build periodically is the current answer; a proper updater is a real gap, not solved yet.
Why does Settings say "Your browser is being managed by your organization"?
That message is Firefox's standard, built-in way of telling you an enterprise policy file is active -- it appears any time a policies.json is present, regardless of who wrote it. It's not a sign of a company controlling your browser; it's literally how LuisSearch gets set as the default in the first place. You can check exactly what's configured under about:policies -- it'll only show the search engine, homepage, and telemetry settings described on this page, nothing else.
Will there be any account/sync-type things?
Not built into LuisBrowser itself right now -- it's stock Firefox underneath, so Firefox Sync/Firefox Account still works exactly as it normally would if you want that. A separate LuisHae-account tie-in (e.g. syncing bookmarks or settings through your LuisCloud/LuisAI account instead of Mozilla's) is a real idea, just not built yet.

Honest note

There's a real, runnable Linux build and a real macOS app -- both genuinely Firefox under the hood (same Gecko engine, unmodified), just reconfigured via Firefox's own enterprise policy system so LuisSearch is the enforced default search engine instead of a big-tech default. The macOS build was built by a real macOS runner (not faked from Linux), ad-hoc signed, and has been run and verified on real Mac hardware. It's not a from-scratch browser engine (that really would be a huge undertaking) -- it's a real, honest repackaging of an existing one. Windows isn't packaged yet.