Chromium-Based Browser Catsxp
🧐 What is Catsxp
Catsxp is a Chromium-based browser (similar base to Google Chrome, Brave, etc.).
It focuses on privacy, security, and simplicity. It claims to include ad and tracker blocking, built-in privacy settings, faster page load times, gestures, drag-and-drop features, etc.
It supports Windows (Windows 7 and above) and macOS (macOS 10.15+).
It offers features like automatic updates, compatibility with Chrome extensions, dark mode, custom user interface elements.
✅ What it claims / strengths
Built-in ad-blocking and tracker prevention to reduce privacy risks.
Faster browsing experience, fewer delays (especially for online shopping or when opening web pages).
Lightweight / minimal UI, gestures, super drag-and-drop, some customization.
⚠️ Concerns or criticisms
Some users are skeptical of the claims about no data collection, because although the website says it “will not collect any user data”, there isn’t much transparency about whether the source code or internal audits are available.
Because it is a smaller / more obscure browser, it may have fewer resources for auditing, support, handling security vulnerabilities, etc. That means potential risk if any security flaws are found.
Compatibility issues have been reported, especially on older systems (e.g. Windows 7 32-bit). Some features may not be stable.
🏁 Origins & What Catsxp Is
Catsxp is a Chromium-based desktop browser focused on privacy, simplicity, and supporting older/legacy Windows versions (Windows 7, sometimes earlier XP/Vista) and macOS.
Its Chinese name is 猫眼浏览器, which translates roughly to “Cat’s Eye Browser”. (“Catsxp” is likely derived from “Cat’s XP” or a contraction.)
It claims built-in features like ad/tracker blocking, enhanced privacy settings, automatic synchronization of its Chromium kernel (so updates follow Chromium stable builds), gestures, etc.
📅 Version / Release History
Here is a timeline of the versions that are known publicly, especially recent ones, and key changes observed:
Version—>Date (approx)—>Notable Changes
v0.x to early 1.x—>Before mid-2020—>Initial versions; early compatibility with older Windows (XP, Vista) reported.
v1.4.4—>April 2021—>One of the earlier versions known; supports Windows versions including XP etc.
v2.4.4—>By 2022—>Based on Chromium ~100.0; this is a milestone version discussed in forums.
v4.5.4—>~May 2024—>Marked in download sites like UpdateStar; shows Catsxp being offered in shareware / freeware form.
v5.6.x → 5.7.x—>Mid 2025—>Upgrades to newer Chromium kernels (e.g. 138.x) — adds features such as “Instant translation switching”, “sound notification”, etc.
v5.8.x → 5.9.x → 5.10.x—>August-October 2025—>Frequent small updates; improvements, bug fixes, kernel upgrades to ~140-141 Chromium; more optimization, corrections etc.
Some more detailed version entries from 2025:
v5.7.3 — July 10, 2025: kernel upgraded to Chromium 138.0.7204.101; improvements and corrections.
v5.8.1 — ~August 1, 2025: kernel 139.0.7258.70; corrected problems, optimized details, fixed Google Sync issue.
v5.9.1 — Early September 2025: kernel 140.0.7339.98; usual optimizations.
As of October 2025, the version is 5.10.3 (with beta parts like 5.10.4 in progress) using kernel ~141.0.7390.75.
⚙️ Features / Technical Details & Focus
Kernel / Chromium Base: Catsxp continuously updates its Chromium kernel to newer versions. The version numbers correspond closely to Chromium stable build numbers (e.g. 138.x → 139.x → 140.x etc.)
Compatibility: Supports Windows 7 and higher; older versions reportedly include XP/Vista support (but that seems to have gone away or reduced in more recent versions).
Privacy / Ad-blocking: Built-in adblock/tracker prevention features; claims of not collecting user data.
Automatic Updates: It claims it auto-synchronizes with the latest stable Chromium kernel so users don’t need manual updating for the core engine.
User Features:
Gestures, drag-and-drop enhancements (“super drag and drop”)
Instant translation switching, sound notifications for completion of certain actions
Rename tabs, corrections of Google Sync failures etc.
⚠️ Concerns / Community Feedback / Criticisms
A number of users have raised issues, or expressed caution. Some of these are:
Antivirus / Security Alerts: Some users report that antivirus tools detect parts of Catsxp installers (or components) as potential threats, “malware.hiddeninstaller” or Unknown Publisher warnings. Whether these are false positives or something more is not clearly resolved.
Closed Source / Transparency: There is no known public repository or source-code disclosure of its modifications. This limits independent auditing.
Reliability / Bugs: Users report occasional display issues (especially on legacy system builds), issues with Google Sync, and features like “super drag” or extension support inconsistencies in certain versions.
Support for Legacy Systems: XP/Vista support seems to have diminished or been dropped in newer builds; Windows 7 remains supported.
🔍 Gaps / Unknowns
It’s not very clear who exactly develops Catsxp (company, individuals) beyond “Catsxp Software” or similar names. The official site gives a QQ number etc., but the authorship, team size, etc. are not well documented.
Early history (pre-v1) is sparse: what features were first included, exact release dates for early versions, what motivated its creation (e.g. demand for Chromium on older Windows systems + privacy, etc.) are only partially known via forum posts.
Full licensing details are not clear: while the Chromium kernel is open source, Catsxp’s modifications are not clearly published, so licensing compliance is a matter of community concern.
This is the original and most precise meaning.
Definition: A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself being consumed or permanently changed in the process.
How it works: It provides an alternative pathway for the reaction to occur, one that requires less activation energy.
Key Feature: It is not a “reactant”; it is not used up and can be used over and over again.
Example: The catalytic converter in a car uses metals like platinum and palladium as catalysts to convert harmful exhaust gases (like carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides) into less harmful substances (like carbon dioxide and nitrogen).
2. In Technology & Computing (Apple’s Catalyst)
This is a very common modern usage, especially in software development.
Definition: Apple Catalyst (formerly known as “Project Catalyst”) is a software development framework from Apple that allows developers to create a single app that runs on both macOS and iPadOS.
How it works: A developer can start with an iPad app and, with relatively minimal effort, “catalyze” it into a native Mac app. It bridges the user interface and input methods (like touch vs. mouse and keyboard) between the two platforms.
Example: Popular apps like Twitter, Discord, and TripIt have used Catalyst to bring their iPad versions to the Mac.
3. As a Metaphor (General Use)
This is the most common everyday usage.
Definition: A catalyst is a person, event, or thing that causes a significant change or action to happen. It speeds up a process of change without being the main agent.
Key Feature: The catalyst is the trigger or spark, not the change itself.
Examples:
A person can be a catalyst for social reform (e.g., “Her speech was a catalyst for the protest movement.”).
An event can be a catalyst for war (e.g., “The assassination was the catalyst for World War I.”).
A new technology can be a catalyst for economic growth (e.g., “The internet was a catalyst for a new global economy.”).
4. In Business & Finance
Similar to the metaphorical use, but in a specific context.
Definition: A catalyst is an event, decision, or piece of news that is expected to cause a significant change in a company’s stock price or the value of an investment.
Example: An upcoming FDA drug approval decision can be a “catalyst” for a pharmaceutical company’s stock, causing it to rise sharply if approved or fall if rejected.
In summary:
In a lab, a catalyst is a chemical that speeds up a reaction.
On a Mac, Catalyst is a tool for building apps.
In conversation, a catalyst is the “spark” that makes something happen.
On Wall Street, a catalyst is an event that moves a stock price.
