Astian is a technology organization based in Colombia that develops a suite of privacy-centric applications and services. While many companies in the privacy space focus on a single product, Astian attempts a broader approach, maintaining the Midori browser, the AstianGO search engine, and a cloud storage platform. This integrated ecosystem is designed to provide an alternative for users who want to avoid the data collection practices prevalent in the mainstream technology market.

The evolution of Midori

The most recognizable product in their portfolio is the Midori browser. Midori has a long history in the open-source community, originally gaining popularity as a lightweight WebKit-based browser favored by Linux users for its speed and minimal resource usage. When Astian took over the project, they oversaw a major architectural transition. To maintain compatibility with the modern web, the team shifted Midori to a Chromium-based engine. This change allowed for better support for web standards and extensions, though it moved the browser away from its roots as a custom-engine alternative. Current versions, such as Midori 11, use technologies like Electron for the desktop interface, prioritizing user experience and privacy features like built-in tracker blocking.

An independent service ecosystem

Astian's ambitions extend beyond the browser interface. They operate AstianGO, a search engine that prioritizes user anonymity. In a market where most search tools rely on tracking user queries to build advertising profiles, AstianGO claims to operate without such data collection. They also offer Astian Cloud, a service for file storage and collaborative work. By hosting these services, Astian attempts to solve the ecosystem problem—the fact that users often stay with companies like Google or Microsoft because their browser, search, and files are all connected. Astian OS further extends this by providing a full operating system environment built on these principles.

Open source and community structure

The organization's structure is a mix of a foundation and a corporate entity, but the core philosophy remains rooted in the Free Software movement. All their major projects are hosted on GitHub, where they maintain dozens of repositories for their various applications. This transparency allows the community to audit the privacy claims they make. Their development model is notably lean; data indicates the company operates with a team of fewer than ten employees. This small headcount makes their broad product roadmap particularly aggressive, as they are competing directly with multi-billion dollar corporations.

Market position and competition

In the current competitive environment, Astian competes with other privacy-first entities like Brave and DuckDuckGo. However, Astian differentiates itself through its community-driven, open-source approach rather than a venture-backed or crypto-incentivized model. Their reliance on donations and GitHub Sponsors reflects a traditional grassroots software project. While they face significant hurdles in matching the feature velocity of larger rivals, they occupy a unique position as one of the few organizations building a full privacy stack from South America, contributing to a more decentralized and global open-source ecosystem.