We all know browsers, namely Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari, which are used extensively by more than 95% of all 3.5 billion users.
So we can safely say that one of these browsers is going to prevail over the others and crown itself as the supreme of its genre. However, what if you could use different browsers suited for better privacy?
Here are some genuinely unique alternatives to some of the mainstream browsers, which, with their vivid specifications, stand out among the rest. Check out this post for a privacy-focused mobile browser.
Brave
Brave is an open-source browser focused on privacy and performance.
Brave claims that it is up to eight times faster than Chrome and Safari. You can download it on your Windows, macOS, Linux, or Mobile phones. Some of the features are:
- Block ads and malicious scripts
- An option to configure the per-site or global shield
- Send Do Not Track request
- Built-in password manager
Brave got a private window too! Similar to Chrome incognito.
Avast Secure Browser
Privacy with speed is probably the best combination a browser could have, and Avast Secure Browser happens to be one of those. It makes the browsing experience so much better by getting rid of all online ads or the ones that are annoying and spammy, as per your preference.x
You can be sure your browsing data and activities are kept private and away from hackers, all thanks to their advanced built-in security. There’s a very useful option to block malicious websites and downloads, and also force websites to use encryption to ensure your data is secured.
Avast Secure Browser uses multi-layer security, which makes features like masking your digital identity and blocking online trackers possible and delivers great privacy control norms. It is one of the most secure browsers and is available for Mac, Windows, and Mobile devices.
Opera
If you want something that is fast and protects your privacy at the same time, then Opera is a great option. It comes bundled with a bunch of amazing features that’ll totally change the way you browse. Some of the most notable ones are:
- Uses less processing capacity to garner speed
- Comes with a free VPN for privacy protection
- Built-in messenger to stay in touch with people
- Ability to customize various elements like theme and keyboard shortcuts
The VPN that comes with it requires no purchases or subscriptions. It is completely free and unlimited for your use. Using it will help you big time in terms of online security and makes it one of the most secure browsers in the market.
Polarity
Polarity is a lightweight and privacy-oriented browser powered by Blink. It consumes less CPU & RAM compared to other browsers and delivers an excellent browsing experience.
Polarity comes with an inbuilt screenshot capture tool called POLARSHOT, which means you don’t need to install any add-on/plugin to capture the screen.
So go ahead and unleash the web with Polarity.
Tor
Tor or The Onion Router is a browsing tool used to surf the web anonymously. Generally, by using our IP addresses, websites can track our location and use identifying information to target advertising and collect data about our browsing habits.
However, this is not the case with Tor. The Tor network, yet, is made up of many nodes, which pass your data along using layers of encryption hence the onion metaphor.
Thus, the anonymity granted by Tor is used by journalists who are reaching out to sources, activists who live in countries that censor or block internet usage, and even law enforcement officers for undercover operations.
- Operating systems: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
- Rendering Engine: Gecko
- Crunched review: Best for protecting anonymity on the internet.
Tor is one of the most secure browsers if you want to protect your identity online.
TENTA
Tenta is a private encrypted browser for Android and iOS. It encrypts and secures your downloaded data, so only you have access to private files.
Note: Tenta has been acquired by Avast.
Tenta got smart incognito mode with many features, including.
- Private bookmarks
- No logs on the device
- Automatic VPN connections
- Data encryption
- Anonymous browsing
- Clear history
Vivaldi
Vivaldi is one of those browsers that gives its users a niche for customization. Vivaldi is an opera-based browser that makes sure your browser adapts around you and not the other way around.
It offers different color schemes, where you want the tabs positioned on the window, backgrounds to start with.
It gives you an option to have websites side by side and can view them simultaneously. You can also create notes.
- No track
- Rendering Engine: Blink
- don’t store data
This is one of the safest browsers available, with interesting customization options.
Min Browser
Min is an open-source browser compatible with Mac OS and Linux.
It is an intelligent browser in which the search bar answers your query even before you complete typing it, compiling the information from DuckDuckGo, Wikipedia entries, and various other sources.
It has efficient tab management, which opens the next tab in the current tab.
Min got built-in ad-blocking and an option to block trackers, scripts, and images.
Yandex
A fast and secure browsing experience. Yandex is like Google in Russia.
Yandex browser got inbuilt antivirus, so when you download any files, it gets scanned.
Comodo IceDragon
IceDragon browser by Comodo is based on Firefox. When you access some webpage, it gets scanned in the background for malware.
It works on Windows, and you have an option to use Comodo’s public DNS which makes it one of the safest browsers that gives you an excellent browsing experience.
Epic
Don’t let anyone track what site you visit or search. Epic browser is on a mission to encrypt the browsing data and hide your location.
It is powered by Chromium, and some of the features are.
- No URL tracking, password saving, DNS cache, third-party cookies, etc
- Delete everything on closing the browser
- No error tracking
- WebRTC IP leaking blocked
- Fingerprint protection
More than a million users use epic. It is compatible with Windows and macOS.
Firefox Focus
Firefox has released Focus for iOS and Android, which got inbuilt tracking protection powered by Disconnect.
Privacy data gets deleted after closing the browser, and it blocks the ads automatically.
Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Firebox is generally a brilliant browser, but with their new update, they have paid a lot more attention to privacy, and that makes them even better. After you download it, you can access privacy features like:
- Enhanced tracking protection to check how many trackers are blocked
- Ability to block over 2000 trackers
- Easy access to your saved passwords on all of your devices
- Instant alerts for data breaches
Firefox has been around since 2004 and is one of the go-to options for many users around the world and is arguably the safest browser available. I highly recommend giving this a try!
How to add an additional layer of privacy?
No matter how secure your browser, you can never be 100% sure of your online privacy. It will help if you add some additional layers of security to ensure you are safe.
We have curated a list of Proxy Browsers, which are essentially websites where you type in the URL of your desired website and browse it through the proxy website. You are connected via an anonymous web server, which ensures your privacy.
While proxy browsing sites are a good option, some functions which require cookies may not work and may affect your browsing experience. In such cases, you can consider using your regular browser with security add-ons, which will protect you from prying eyes.
The third option is to use a VPN. A VPN is an app running on your computer, through which all internet traffic is routed to ensure your online privacy. Some of the best VPN services are:
- HotSpot Shield, which is one of the fastest VPN platforms to speed up the Internet connection and unblock the Internet for you.
- Express VPN, a fully-featured VPN service with a built-in ad blocker and anti-malware tool.
- Surfshark, which gives you unlimited connections and additional features like kill switch, DNS protection, obfuscated servers.
Conclusion
I hope this gives you an idea about some of the alternative browser of Google Chrome to try for a secure browsing experience.
