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Welcome here! Oh yeah I’ll get you that best privacy Browser you came here for, I promise, but let me start with a very basic concept.

As far as I understand your concept of the best Privacy browser; it simply is a browser which will keep your info, data, and details private, isn’t that right?

Using the best private browser can go a long way in protecting you from online tracking, WebRTC leaks, and browser fingerprinting. There isn’t a single best privacy browser, though, because privacy needs and preferences will differ between users. More than 60% of people use Chrome as their browser. But is this the most private to access the internet? Seeing how most of your interactions with the internet happen via the browser, it would be smart to choose the one that provides the best privacy and security. 11 best web browsers for security and privacy in 2020. Now you know picking a wrong web browser can compromise your privacy and security in many ways. Also, you by now are familiar with what a secure browser has that makes it a good choice. It is time for us to jump right onto the list of most privacy-oriented browsers available today.

Best Anonymous Browsers For Private Web Browsing. In that case, you need to use an anonymous browser. Look, there are plenty of anonymous browsers available on the web that can hide your browsing habits by eliminating web-trackers. So, in this article, we are going to share some of the best anonymous browsers for private web browsing. Private browsers: the best way to browse privately If you are concerned about your Internet safety and want to browse the Internet without letting a bunch of anonymous trackers into your life, you don’t need to be content with Incognito mode or third-party apps.

But how exactly does it do it and what makes one browser the most private browser on the web while the other not so much?

Well because, your web browsing history, your cookies and cache, flash cookies, your IP address logs, your browsing times, fingerprinting etc. all these can be used to trace and track your activities and real-life locations.

10 Best Privacy Browser List

So, any browser which doesn’t record these all information is basically an anonymous browser online. (The bad news? Most do!)

That being said, let’s finally get down to what you came here for, I’ll get you a list of some of the best anonymous browsers for secure internet browsing, and then you can make your pick for the best Privacy browser from them.

• Tor

Tor is the abbreviation for The Onion Router, and I believe you’ve already heard of the browser, considering how it tops the chart every time when there’s a discussion on safe web browsing techniques.

It was developed in alliance with the U.S Navy and today it’s every common man’s need, its primary ability is the masking of traffic pathways by routing your traffic through a number of different relays.

So, your traffic doesn’t start from you and finish at your destination, rather it passes through a number of Tor nodes before reaching your destination, making any and all kinds of traffic analysis impossible.

Here’s an explanation of how it works:

Oh, and it also doesn’t keep any history, IP or cookie logs! Although note that “only” Tor isn’t enough to protect your privacy on the Internet, and you should have a VPN as well, something like the NordVPN to be truly anonymous. becuase NordVPN offers all required categories servers like dedicated IP server, Onion Over VPN Server, Anti DOS, Double VPN and etc. Tor browser also offers to customize your setting in security levels like Standard, Safer or Safest.

When users select any one level then Browser offers default security level setting to users. But the most recommended setting is Safest.

If you are windows users and want to save yourself from the unwanted footprint then always use VPN service with Tor Browser, both will create double layer protection for you. Also, you need to fix your windows 10 privacy issue.

• Epic Browser

The name is totally justified, the browser really is EPIC. The primary reason why I believe this may be one of the best privacy Browser is that it has a built-in, free VPN embedded on the browser hence masking your IP address so it can’t be tracked.

Apart from that, it blocks all and any kinds of ads as well, so you get an ad-blocker which in return also increases your page-load times.

Then there is the device-fingerprinting, it’s data which again can be used to track you and is blocked by Epic, not just that, Epic also shows you who is tracking you on your other browsers as well!

In a nutshell, it doesn’t keep any history, doesn’t log your IP address, doesn’t use “Auto-fill” or “auto-suggest” which can be stolen by other third parties, no DNS or web cache is used, removes URL check, auto address suggest, removes URL tracker, prevents error reporting etc.

All these combine together to get you one of the most secure web browsing experiences possible. If you want to enhance your browsers features, like as chrome browser, here you also can add some extention like xmarks, lastpass, roboform and etc.

Best Private Browsers 2020

Obviously, it’s completely free and lightweight!

Best Private Browser

• Tails

Tails stands for “The Amnesic Incognito Live System”, too complicated? Let’s simply say that it’s another project from Tor!

Yeah, so there’s the vote of confidence we’ve been searching for. And I personally like to term it as “an advanced version of Tor” even though they’re not the same thing.

Best Private Browser For Windows

Tails is an “operating system” and not just a browser. A very lightweight OS. So, you can carry it on your USB stick, and it being portable, you can “run” it directly without formal installation.

It can be carried, used from, and then can be disappeared from any system because it never uses the Hard-disk of the system where it’s installed or run from, rather confines itself to the use of its RAM.

You can use it to simply run confidential files or documents on a system (because the original OS would have no clue of those files ever being on the system), or use it to browse the internet as it uses the Tor network to connect to the internet.

Even the apps are forced to connect to the internet only via Tor and that means airtight privacy for you.

An advanced feature also allows you to fight back mechanisms which block the use of Tor and this is why I call it the advanced Tor.

It also has quite a few additional features such as LUKES, OTR, Nautilus etc. which secure not only your browsing habits, but also your instant messages and E-mails.

Brave is what the name signifies, a Brave browser, and Brendan Eich (co-founder, Mozilla) is the name behind Brave!. It’s a comparatively newer project compared to Tor or Epic, but is definitely a solid one with a very realistic potential of replacing Chrome or Safari.

The primary weapon in its arsenal is its speed, it blocks ads which help you browse faster as the page load time is reduced. According to them, pages load 2-8x faster with Brave as compared to our traditional browsers.

It even tracks and displays the amount of time you’ve saved by being on Brave!

I’m also in love with their concept of “saving data”, which in turn save money. They’ve brought forward a picture of how we waste over $200 USD/year from our pockets to let agencies and companies track us!

It has blockers in place which block Malware, Viruses and other such elements which can harm not just your privacy but your system as well, also; most of the connections are rendered via HTTPS!

Although note that some data “is” recorded for betterment of the browser, but it’s not identifiable or linkable to you, such as your history may be recorded but “you” won’t be, meaning it can’t be verified which individual created that certain cache of data and that’s something I believe we can live with.

Brave pays you for browsing! It’s not the best privacy-move, however, Brave claims it only displays privacy-respecting ads. You get paid for letting these ads show up.

Moreover, it recently partnered with one of the best Bitcoin trading platform Binance. So now, you can purchase Bitcoins directly from within your Brave browser’s “New Tab” as well.

• SRWare Iron

SRWare can best be explained as- Google Chrome, minus the privacy intrusion. That’s so because it’s created using the same open-source code as Google Chrome, just without all the backdoors and identity stealers which does make it a candidate for this best privacy browser list.

The potential or features of SRWare can best be understood after you understand all the loopholes that Chrome has, for starters it has RLZ tracking which sends information about the location and time of Chrome being downloaded, auto-launch of the Chrome updater with every startup, real-time keyword tracking which supposedly is used for “suggestions” etc.

None of the above trackers are present with SRWare, and those were just some of them the list may also include Error trackers which sends information about your system after every crash to Chrome servers, and the Installation ID which unique to every installation.

Furthermore Chrome doesn’t have an Ad Blocker either which SRWare does, and SRWare also lets users permanently change User-agent settings. It has also disabled DNS-Preaching to keep spammers at bay.

So users gets the exact same speed, interface and ease of use as Chrome just without having to worry about their privacy being at risk.

• Burner Browser

Burner Browser is probably one of the most complete and private privacy solutions on this list that’s so because it’s not just a “browser”, rather it’s a bundle of a Virtual Desktop + a VPN/Socks + Mobile app.

What makes it one of the best privacy browser is the fact that it lets users create their own, isolated, completely user-controlled servers on their desktops which can then be used to access the Internet, or even the Deep/Dark web.

It also bundles in a VPN and Socks for added security which pass on the traffic from your desktop to the Internet, your traffic and location seem to be originating from the location you’ve set your server in which make your physical location virtually untraceable.

Also, everytime the system is turned off, all fingerprints, activity logs, history and every inch of data related to your last access is completely and permanently destroyed from the Desktop server.

The Mobile browser too is equally encrypted and private and is built using Mozilla source-code just without the privacy backdoors.

Even though it’s not free, it has 3 plans and the lowest can be purchased for as low as USD $1.49 for one day while others cost USD $9.99/month if purchased for 12 months, or USD $14.99 if purchased for a month.

• Yandex

Yandex is no new player in the game, it’s known to most of you reading this even though you may have never used it.

It’s a “Chromium” based browser, so the one aspect you won’t have to compromise with is its user-interface.

Speed has always been an issue with even the best of secure browsers, although Yandex addressed the issue with its “Turbo mode”, meaning you won’t have to trade speed for security.

It has inbuilt “

And to top it all up, it uses Kaspersky antivirus to power its scans, all in this one browser, so I believe it does deserve a place on this best privacy Browser list, don’t you?

• Comodo Dragon

Comodo again is a name in the online security industry you may already be familiar with, they’ve been one of the best SSL providers in the industry among other things.

Comodo Dragon is a browser based on Chromium technology, so the browser has all the Chrome features + features of its own not available on Chrome + a hell lot of security and privacy than Chrome offers.

First of all, it has disabled all and any tracking of its users by websites or any other third party.

Secondly, cookies aren’t enabled either, and its advanced domain validation filters out the site’s SSL type as well and finally all browser download tracking too is disabled hence adding quite a bit of privacy for you.

• Ipredia OS

Ipredia OS too similar to TAILS, isn’t just a potential name as the most private browser, but a complete Operating system.

Although it’s not as advanced as TAILS, as it needs to be hard-installed on a system and will be using the system’s Hard-disk to run on.

But, as long as you run it on your own system and for a longer term, it’s one of the best out there.

Every bit of data is routed though I2P which is a sort of a “network within a network” and the data is wrapped in several encryption layers before being sent off.

The network is dynamic as well as distributed, meaning there are no trusted parties, and with the OS you get not only a browser, but a secure IRC client, bit torrent client, GNOME console and lot more.

The only downside is it’s not as “lightweight” as a browser and is a more hardcore solution.

• HTTPS Everywhere

It’s slightly different than the other browsers mentioned in this best privacy browser list as it’s not a browser, rather an add-on, available for Chrome, Mozilla and Opera.

It’s helpful for those who do not wish to break up with their native browsers but need anonymity, privacy and security at the same time.

It’s a project from EFF and Tor, the two biggest crusaders of online security!

As the name suggests, it forces your browser to show you the HTTPs version of each site you visit, why that’s important? Well otherwise, it’s not that hard to intercept non-HTTP connections, modify the destination website, username/passwords and lot’s of other data.

Bottomline, totally one of the best privacy browser add-ons out there.

• Dooble

Jack Wallen says Dooble is the “9^th” best, out of 10 Linux (although it supports Windows, and OS X as well) browsers out there. What I say is, it has one of the best user-interface and experience I’ve ever seen, apart from its security and privacy features; obviously.

Dooble was created with the sole intent of improving privacy nothing else, period. It automatically removes cookies, and has an advanced option to alter this feature according to your needs

All third party cookie-sessions are automatically blocked, and similar to HTTP Everywhere, sites are forced to render the HTTPS versions of themselves.

Database containers which are authentically encrypted are available, along with an advanced and highly configurable content blocker which helps block not only ads, but certain sites as well.

It also disables your Java, iFrame & Flash player, obviously, your browsing experience gets effected, but it adds a lot of security.

The data which is stored, such as bookmarks or history for your ease and better browsing experience, is converted into “cipher”, in other words, it’s unreadable and is garbage even if someone gets their hands on it.

It also is open-source so nothing is hidden either and it has been voted up as one of the best privacy Browser by nearly all the sites and tech-geeks who’ve heard of it.

• Freenet

It’s more of a hardcore approach, probably “the” best privacy out there, but it’s more like locking yourself up in a room.

Let’s just say, it’s like an “isolated” browser, it has an “internet” of its own, and it uses “peers” and “nodes” to connect, and let others connect to you. So you can’t connect to anyone or any website outside the Freenet.

It has its own “freesites”, blogs, social network and everything else.

Its best feature is it lets you create a “secret identity” which is then used on Freenet. Secondly, it’s decentralized and completely anonymous.

All the nodes are connected, but not connected, meaning you’re only connected to your “nearest neighbour” and are oblivious to the identity of anyone and everyone else and vice-versa.

Consider it more like a storage space, a part of your hard-disk is used to store files of others on the network, and your files are stored on other people’s disks. They’re encrypted obviously, and can be accessed with specific keys.

Note that it’s slightly complicated and not as straight forward as a normal browser to use, so this might not be your first choice when you’re hunting for the best privacy browser, but if you need an ultimate level of privacy, not just for browsing but for downloading or storing files, it can be the answer.

• Whonix

Whonix is an open-source dark web browser which basically has two of its own separate virtual machines; which are like additional, isolated operating systems inside your main OS.

The first VM is the gateway through which TOR is connected to as all traffic through Whonix needs to be passed only through Tor, and the second VM is where all the operations are actually run; in an isolated environment, outside your primary OS.

This infrastructure makes sure that all and any chances of DNS leaks are eliminated, all your actions are in the temporary, isolated VM without leaving an iota of trace on your primary OS and even viruses and Trojans installed on your system can’t get access to your actual IP address.

• SubGraph OS

Website:https://subgraph.com/sgos/

Subgraph OS is a major torch-bearer for free-speech; liberal internet; anti-surveillance laws and so on. One of its prime goals and functioning is it reduces user endpoint exposure making sure the user can’t be identified or tracked.

For starters it makes sure that all communications are routed through Tor network; although it does make exceptions where needed making sure you don’t suffer a accessibility-loss.

It also makes use of Stream Isolation provided by Tor making sure that all the applications on your system use different Tor circuits; hence creating isolated circuits for each application ensuring there’s no common converging point for all those applications connected to the network.

Its application firewall policy vets outgoing connections and whenever a foreign connection is attempted to be made, it provides users with the choice to either allow or deny said connection.

Another one of Subgraph’s primary goals is to make it more “expensive” for attackers to attack systems, which it achieves by hardening the Kernal using Grsecurity, using a Sandbox around applications which generally connect to the internet; or are targeted by hackers such as IMs, E-mail clients, PDF Viewers and so on.

Additionally it has a mandatory file-encryption protocol on the OS; the files on the system must be encrypted and it’s not a choice rather a requirement. It also has a process which lets users check the Binary integrity of packages making sure they legit are from Subgraph and haven’t been altered.

The User-interface isn’t extremely graphic-rich but sure is easy and the OS can be operated by just about any 5th grader kid with basic computer knowledge.

• xB Browser

Website:https://xb-browser.en.uptodown.com/windows

xB Browser is one of those legends which continue to server the community even years after their death (or being discontinued). The program, released in 2006 was one of the best anonymity-solutions of its time, but was suddenly discontinued after the mysterious disappearance of its founder and staff.

Anyway, the browser can still be downloaded from the link provided above. In February 2008, the browser reported 6.5 Million downloads which made xB Browser the most downloaded anonymous browser of its time. (Source: Wikipedia)

As for anonymity, the basic infrastructure works on Tor, the traffic is routed through the Onion network which both masks the IP address, as well as encrypts the traffic.

The highlight however is that the browser is completely portable, and hence can be run directly from external removal devices such as USB sticks. Once the device is removed, every bit of data about the user activity including History, Cookies and Temp files are deleted.

It also allows routing of E-mail and other communication apps to the Tor network. The browser can use Tor, however it’s optimized also to make use of the XeroBank anonymity network, it is (or probably “was”) an anonymity network alike Tor which offered multiple hops to a user’s network traffic.

Some of the browser’s components may not function as of today, yet it can be used to gain a bit of anonymity which will still be more than that offered by Chrome, Safari or any other clearnet browser.

• WaterFox

Website:https://www.waterfoxproject.org

WaterFox leads with the tagline “Free, Open and Private“, which does imply the goals that Watrfox is oriented towards. It’s a Mozilla fork developed by an individual developer-Alex Kontos. The browser has absolutely 0 live-connections to Mozilla.

It also auto-blocks trackers and other spies which may relay user information and help agencies track users. Furthermore, it cleans up after itself and deletes all information pertaining to a user’s online-activities after each session which includes the cookies, history, used passwords and everything else.

Being a Mozilla fork, it does let users install the Mozilla addons and extensions which are supported by Mozilla, additionally the browser also supports Android in addition to supporting Windows.

• PsiPhon

Website: https://www.psiphon3.com/

PsiPhon is a browser which uses VPN, HTTPs and SSH to help users circumvent censorship and privacy-invasion. It essentially helps you mask your online activities from the govt. as well as ISP.

It also can be used to connect to the Internet when you’re on a Public Wi-Fi or something that can be potentially compromised. When using PsiPhon your IP address is constantly changed providing you with anonymity.

It primarily relies on L2TP/IPSec to encrypt your traffic, L2TP is one of the most secure if not the most secure connection protocols that the best VPN programs offer.

It also is available for iOS and Android devices. However note that on these mobile devices it only encrypts the browser-traffic. So the device, or apps aren’t encrypted. However using the browser will allow you unrestricted access to almost any website on the planet.

• GNU IceCat

Website: https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuzilla/

GNU IceCat, formerly GNU IceWeasle is basically Mozilla Firefox, stripped of all its tracking abilities and made more privacy friendly. For starters, it uses HTTPS-Everywhere for traffic encryption, naturally making the connections a lot more secure.

Then, it’s bundled with a ton of anti-fingerprinting measures. Because a user can’t directly control fingerprints, IceCat does the job for us. It prevents detection of fonts and other such personal elements which can help a third-party identify the browser or create a pattern.

Alike Tor browser, it has a number of hardcore privacy features as well. But in most instances they adversely effect the browsing experience (aesthetically). Hence, IceCat provides the users with the ability to either allow, or deny those advanced changes.

It also focuses heavily on “Non-free Add-ons”. They explain how supposedly “free” addons and plugins are often concealed from users, or just running in the background without user permission (or awareness). These are fully capable of heavily spying on a user’s action and privacy.

GNU IceCat fights against that by getting rid of those non-free add-ons and providing access to actually “free” software/plugins/add-ons.

In a nutshell, IceCat is not commercialized and being volunteer-run promises great privacy and anonymity. It obviously is free.

• Cliqz

Website:https://cliqz.com/en/desktop

Cliqz is a deep web privacy browser made specifically to promote user-anonymity and privacy. It’s completely open-source which makes it transparent and trustworthy. The primary attraction, or feature on which it markets itself is its built-in search feature. So you do not have to use Google, Bing or any of the other traditional search-engines. Hence you not only get a private browser, but also an anonymous search engine.

The search-engine is marketed as a “smart-search”. It’s capable of “guessing” (taking only a couple alphabets/words as inputs, and bringing up relevant headlines automatically). It’s also capable of displaying weather, currency, shopping, wiki and other snippets.

The browser heavily censors trackers and prevents websites from tracking you or your browsing habits. Then there’s an ad-blocker which makes sure you don’t see ads you don’t like. You can manually select which websites will show ads and which won’t.

It also uses HTTPS Everywhere which basically makes sure your connection is always on the safer side. It’s also capable of detecting and blocking malicious websites and websites. However unfortunately, it’s currently only available for its German-user base.

No personal or identifiable data whatsoever is stored on the Cliqz servers. All in all, it mentions privacy and anonymity as two of its primary USPs. Is completely free and available for Windows/Mac/ Android/iOS.

Other tips for Privacy browsing

Simply installing a browser doesn’t make your impervious to govt. and third-party snooping.

As mentioned above, make it a point to install and use the best VPNs in the industry. (world best VPN service fee only $3.49/mo).

Now, get rid of whatever browser you’re using to read this piece. I assume Google Chrome? Or Safari maybe?

Uninstall them when possible.

If not, hide them in a folder and forget they exist. Literally.

Also, do me a favor and mask your mic and webcam with black tape, please? (Especially when using Tor or on the Darkweb).

Those are the easiest to hack into.

And make sure you aren’t running any other applications instead of the browser and the VPN, unless of urgent need while browsing the internet.

Let me just say that, it’s not illegal to use a VPN or an anonymous browser.

But, you shouldn’t use them for illegal activities.

A legal subpoena is still valid for them.

Wrapping Up

So finally, if you ask me which is “the” best Privacy browser, I’ll say from my personal perspective, taking into account ease of use, size, reputation and features, it should be Tor.

But, it depends on what you’re searching for and what your exact needs are, some browsers in this list aren’t as advanced as Tor, while others may be better, or simpler, or simply more light-weight, once you go through this list you’ll get an idea of which browser suits your needs.

Anyway, do let me know which browser fits you as the best privacy Browser for you and why on our Facebook page! I love reading your feedback!

Your web browser is the vehicle that carries you around the Internet to your desired websites. As such, it knows precisely what sites you have visited, how long you spent browsing them, and what you clicked on (or almost clicked on). Anyone who has access to your web browser can have a window into your income, your political leanings, and even your sexual preferences.

This is why it’s so important to only use browsers you know will protect and improve your internet privacy. In this article, we explain how browsers capture so much information and which web browsers in 2019 are best at keeping your browsing history safe from data-hungry tech companies and advertisers
Further reading:Easy steps to improve your internet privacy

How you are tracked online

Before examining the impact your browser can have on your privacy, you need to understand how your online activity is monitored.

While having a company directly record your browsing history is a risk (see Google Chrome), the more common threats to your privacy come from online advertisers and third-party trackers. Similar to Google, advertisers and trackers want to record as much of your online browsing as possible. The more data they have, the better they can show you ads specifically tailored to you. The two tools they use to follow you around the Internet are device fingerprinting and cookies.

• Device fingerprinting is when a site looks at all the characteristics of your device (the make and model of your device, what browser you are using, what plugins you have installed, what timezone you are in, etc.) until it has enough information to identify and follow it. Your device share this information to optimize the websites you visit. For example, websites want to know if you’re using a laptop or a smartphone so that it can select the correct font size and screen resolution. This can be surprisingly accurate. To see if your device has an easily identifiable fingerprint, check out the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Panopticlick.

• Cookies, or HTTP cookies, are tiny data packets that websites or services plant on your browser while you’re on a website. These cookies differentiate your browsers from others, like a nametag.

The privacy risks of Chrome

Any discussion of privacy and Web browsers must begin with Google Chrome. It is, by far, the most popular Web browser. Chrome handles over 60 percent of web traffic. This is unfortunate because Google uses Chrome as a window to peer into every action you take online. Unless you modify your Google privacy settings, Chrome records every site you visit so Google can serve you targeted ads.

Even worse, Chrome does very little to block other advertisers and trackers from monitoring you with cookies or device fingerprinting. A Washington Post article reported Chrome gathers roughly 11,000 trackers in an average week. Do you want 11,000 pairs of eyes on you every time you do an Internet search?

However, you do not need to give away your personal data to access the Internet.

There are Internet browsers that do not record your every action and protect you from trackers. Switching from Chrome to one of the following browsers can drastically reduce the amount of data you are inadvertently sharing as you browse the Internet.

Further reading: Gmail’s privacy problem and why it matters

Best secure and privacy-first web browsers:

1. (tie) Brave

The Brave browser was designed to make privacy simple enough for everyone. It is an open source browser built on top of Chromium (an open source version of the Chrome browser), which means it’s easy for Chrome users to make the switch.
However, unlike Chrome, Brave does not collect any data about your online activity. Your data remains private and on your device.

Brave also makes blocking trackers easy. Instead of forcing users to decide which plugins and browser extensions they should download, Brave comes fully equipped. It automatically blocks all third-party and advertising cookies, and because HTTPS Everywhere is built-in, it ensures all your connections are securely HTTPS encrypted. Brave also features Fingerprinting Protection in the browser.

The company also has a social mission: to encourage websites not to rely on advertising based on tracking you around the Internet. Brave has introduced a system that allows you to reward creators and sites you visit directly.

Called Brave Rewards, it uses a utility token called a Basic Attention Token and enables you to anonymously reward the websites you visit most. Brave also has opt-in, privacy-preserving Brave Ads, and users who choose to view them earn 70% of the ad revenue, which they can then use to reward their favorite online creators.

Brave is available for desktop, Android, and iOS.

1. (tie) Firefox

The open source Firefox is the third-most-popular browser on the Internet, behind Google’s Chrome and Apple’s Safari. Developed by Mozilla, the Firefox team has improved the browser’s privacy protections in recent years.
They have introduced advanced anti-fingerprinting and Enhanced Tracking Protection features this year, both of which make it much more difficult for third-party trackers to follow you around the Internet.

Unlike Brave, the standard Firefox does not automatically block advertisements. However, there are numerous browser extensions that you can download that will prevent advertisers from getting your information or showing you ads.

Or, if you primarily browse the Internet on your mobile device, Firefox Focus incorporates automatic ad blocking. (Focus was developed as an ad blocker for Safari, but was then transformed into a minimalistic privacy browser for Android users.)

Firefox is available for desktop, Android, and iOS.

3. Tor browser

As we have discussed elsewhere, Tor is the best option if privacy is your utmost concern. The Tor browser is based on Firefox, but it has been stripped down and specially calibrated to run on the Tor network.

When you use Tor, your traffic is encrypted three times and bounced between three Tor servers before it reaches your desired website. The encryption is handled in such a way that each server only has access to one set of instructions, so no server has access to both your IP address and the website you are visiting.

This setup makes it impossible for Tor to keep any records about your online activity, and every time you close your session, the browser deletes your cookie cache and browsing history. The browser itself is formatted to prevent fingerprinting, and it blocks all kinds of trackers.

Unfortunately, it also blocks a lot of plugins that websites rely on. For example, with its privacy settings fully activated, the Tor browser will block JavaScript. JavaScript can expose user information, but blocking it can make websites unusable. Using Tor can also mean performing endless CAPTCHA verifications when you try to access larger sites. Finally, the Tor browser is slower than other browsers because of the extra encryption.

Download the Tor browser app for desktop and Android, as well as a Tor-approved open source Onion browser for iOS.

4. DuckDuckGo (honorable mention)

Unlike the other browsers mentioned above, DuckDuckGo does not have a standalone desktop browser, which means it is only a solution if you are browsing the Internet on your smartphone or tablet. With the DuckDuckGo browser, your browsing history never leaves your device. Deleting your entire browsing history is as easy as tapping a single button.

It automatically blocks ads, stops third-party trackers, and ensures HTTPS encryption on all sites where that’s possible. One feature that does set it apart is the Privacy Grade it gives each site. This makes it easy for you to evaluate how much data each website collects from you, with and without DuckDuckGo’s protections, at a single glance.

The DuckDuckGo browser is available for Android and iOS.
You can also use the extension for Chrome and Firefox.

The Web browser you choose can have a dramatic impact on your overall online privacy. By switching to one of the privacy-focused browsers in this article, you can protect your browsing history from the companies and trackers that want to monitor your every digital move.

What’s your favorite web browser? Let us know in the comments below on Twitter or Reddit.

Best Regards,
The ProtonMail Team

You can get a free secure email account from ProtonMail here.

We also provide a free VPN service to protect your privacy.

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