Softwr

Browser Extensions · head to head

Stylus vs Userscripts

Stylus logo

Stylus

Browser Extensions

Restyle the web with custom CSS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Userscripts logo

Userscripts

Browser Extensions

Open-source userscript manager for Safari on Mac and iOS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Stylus crashes and instability when applying certain styles; Userscripts safari cannot let extensions bypass a site's Content Security Policy, so strict sites produce "Refused to execute a script" errors that the @inject-into workaround does not always fix.
  • They diverge on capability: Stylus covers Custom CSS injection, Userscripts covers Built-in script editor.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 15 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Stylus and Userscripts actually diverge.

Attributes where Stylus and Userscripts differ
AttributeStylusUserscripts
Pricing modelfreeopen-source
PlatformsChrome, Firefox, Edge, OperaSafari, macOS, iOS
Founded2017Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Browser Extensions).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Stylus

  • Custom CSS injection
  • Style management
  • userstyles.world integration
  • Built-in editor
  • Chrome support
  • Firefox support
  • Edge support
  • Opera support

Only in Userscripts

  • Built-in script editor
  • Standard metadata support
  • GM API
  • Remote script updating
  • iCloud sync
  • Per-page popup

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Stylus

  • Customizing website appearance with community-created CSS themesnot Userscripts
  • Writing personal style overrides for specific websitesnot Userscripts
  • Managing multiple styles across different websites automaticallynot Userscripts
  • Searching and installing user-styles for current websitesnot Userscripts
  • Migrating style collections from Stylish extensionnot Userscripts

Userscripts

  • Running userscripts on Safari without paying for Tampermonkeynot Stylus
  • Running userscripts on an iPhone or iPadnot Stylus
  • Writing scripts on a Mac and syncing them to iOSnot Stylus
  • Blocking or restyling site elements Safari content blockers cannot reachnot Stylus
  • Keeping a script library under an open-source licencenot Stylus

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Stylus

  • Crashes and instability when applying certain styles
  • No visual element selector tool for identifying page elements to style
  • Security risk if downloading and applying untrusted user-created styles

Userscripts

  • Safari cannot let extensions bypass a site's Content Security Policy, so strict sites produce "Refused to execute a script" errors that the @inject-into workaround does not always fix.
  • Apple only. There is no Chrome, Firefox or Edge build, so it cannot be a cross-browser answer.
  • iCloud sync is documented as having delays, which is awkward when editing the same script on two devices.
  • Requires macOS 12 and Safari 14.1, or iOS 15.1, so older Apple hardware is excluded.
  • GPL v3 means a commercial licence is required for non-open-source use, which matters if you are embedding rather than just using it.

Pricing, plan by plan

Stylus

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Custom CSS
    • Style library
    • Style editor

Userscripts

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Full functionality
    • GPL v3 licensed
    • macOS, iOS and iPadOS

Which should you pick?

Choose Stylus if

  • You need custom css injection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera.
  • You also want style management.
Stylus review

Choose Userscripts if

  • You need built-in script editor.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Safari, macOS, iOS.
  • You also want standard metadata support.
Userscripts review

Questions people ask

Is Stylus or Userscripts better?
Neither clearly leads. Stylus starts at Free and Userscripts at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Stylus or Userscripts?
Stylus starts at Free and Userscripts at Free.
Does Stylus or Userscripts run on more platforms?
Stylus runs on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera. Userscripts runs on Safari, macOS, iOS.
Can I use Stylus for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Stylus best used for?
Stylus is most often used for customizing website appearance with community-created css themes, writing personal style overrides for specific websites, managing multiple styles across different websites automatically, searching and installing user-styles for current websites. Of those, customizing website appearance with community-created css themes and writing personal style overrides for specific websites are not what Userscripts is typically brought in for.
What can Stylus do that Userscripts cannot?
Stylus covers Custom CSS injection, Style management, userstyles.world integration, Built-in editor. Userscripts covers Built-in script editor, Standard metadata support, GM API, Remote script updating.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Stylus: Is Stylus free?

Yes. Stylus is completely free and open-source, available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera browsers.

Source
Userscripts: Is Userscripts for Safari free?

Yes, free on the App Store and licensed under GPL v3. A commercial licence is required for use in something that is not itself open source.

Source
Stylus: Can I use Stylus to change the browser UI?

No. Due to WebExtensions security restrictions, Stylus can only customize website pages, not the browser interface itself.

Source
Userscripts: Does it work on iPhone?

Yes, on iOS and iPadOS 15.1 or later, which makes it one of the few ways to run userscripts on an iPhone.

Source
Stylus: What CSS pre-processors does Stylus support?

Stylus supports CSS, LESS, and Stylus syntax with built-in linting using Stylelint and CSSLint-mod with customizable rules.

Source
Userscripts: Why do I get "Refused to execute a script" errors?

Safari does not let extensions bypass a site's Content Security Policy the way other browsers do. The documented workaround is changing the script's @inject-into setting, though it does not resolve every case.

Source
Userscripts: Do my scripts sync between Mac and iPhone?

Yes, over iCloud, though the project notes the sync can be delayed rather than immediate.

Source
Userscripts: What are the system requirements?

macOS 12 or later with Safari 14.1 or later, or iOS and iPadOS 15.1 or later.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Stylus

More on Userscripts

Keep looking

Other head to heads