Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Privacy is now more important than ever before. People know how sites can track them these days and are taking active steps to prevent it. After all, some of that tracking can be pretty creepy. A good privacy browser can help. They generally do not save cookies, often block tracking and sometimes even advertising. There are three types of privacy browsers. The first actively deletes all traces of your web browsing after you log out, including cookies, history, passwords, etc. The second type blocks tracking and ads and prevents websites from knowing who you are. Finally, the third type does both. We have all three types on this list. Here are the best privacy web browsers for Android.
The best privacy browser apps for Android
Brave browser
Price: Free/In-App Purchases ($9.99 – $99.99 per item)
Brave Browser is a decent web browser for privacy. It comes with most of the usual stuff, including blocking ads and trackers, private browsing, incognito mode, HTTPS everywhere, blocking scripts, blocking third-party cookies, and more. This browser has been torn down and rebuilt several times over the last few years and has a few bugs here and there. Other than that, it works pretty well. In addition, the app is free and looks nice.
Dolphin Zero is an above average incognito browser. The app boasts a small download size (500kb), a Do Not Track mode that prevents the app from storing a bunch of information, and an ad blocker. Not as powerful as some others. However, if all you need is to make sure no one sees your browsing history, this one does a reasonable enough job. In addition, it has some neat features like gesture controls, themes, and the ability to download video content.
DuckDuckGo privacy browser
Price: Free
DuckDuckGo is a pretty trusted name in online browsing. The company’s web browser is measurably less intrusive than Google or Bing, and people choose it for that reason. The DuckDuckGo privacy browser isn’t half bad. The app blocks all hidden third-party trackers it can find and then shows you what it has blocked. In addition, it uses its own search engine by default and does not track your online movements. Finally, it also uses HTTPS everywhere to keep your web life private. The app works pretty well as a browser and we honestly have no real complaints about it.
Fennec is an open source browser similar to Firefox, but without the Firefox tag. It’s only available on F-Droid since you can get regular Firefox from the Google Play Store. This version is slightly different from the Google Play version. It removes some of the telemetry stuff that the full version has and also removes Google’s proprietary stuff like Google Play Services for notifications. This makes it a bit more private than the official version, which we still include in this list. Otherwise, the features are identical. Cross-platform syncing works, as do plug-ins, add-ons, and other things that Firefox is known for.
Firefox has a lot going for it in terms of security. It had a browser, Firefox Focus, that was on this list for a while. However, most of its features are built into the real Firefox. The app contains tracking protection that automatically blocks more than 2,000 online trackers. You can also change the search engine to whatever you want, and there are plugins that add even more security and privacy if you want. The big win here is that Firefox is cross-platform with sync so you can use the same thing on all your platforms without a problem.
Frost+ anonymous browser
Price: $2.99
Frost+ Incognito Browser is another less popular choice with some good features. The app automatically deletes your browsing data when you exit the app. Additionally, it has an image vault as well as a tag vault. Everything you download from here is hidden from the rest of your phone, and your bookmarks are hidden from anyone trying to access your web browser. Simply enter your password in the address bar and you’ll get access to all your hidden stuff. It doesn’t do so well on things like trackers or ads, but it does a pretty good job of protecting against other people in the real world. A free version is also available in the Google Play store.
Vivaldi is a newer, fast and super customizable browser based on Chromium. This one has gained popularity among many users due to its new features and customization. There are things like desktop-style tabs, a built-in Adblocker, tracker protection, and even a private translator. One neat feature is Personalized Speed Dial, which allows you to favor labels as speed dial numbers on a new tab from where you can quickly access them. The two-level stack cards are also one of the standout features. All in all, it’s a great browser.
Anonymous browser
Price: Free
Incognito Browser is an above average privacy browser for mobile devices. It covers a lot of the bases you want in this category. It clears your history every time you close the app. Additionally, it comes with a dark mode, saves no data on your phone, and lets you choose your search engine. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t prevent websites from tracking you, but it does make sure that no one but you knows what you’re doing in your web browser. Overall it’s a decent experience.
Tor Browser is one of the biggest names in privacy protection. It connects directly to the Tor network and, like InBrowser, it makes it really hard for websites to track. The app also works with trackers, has three levels of encryption, and the app works pretty well as a browser too. This one is a bit over the top, but we enjoy that sort of thing. InBrowser is a more mature browser with better features, but if you must have three levels of encryption, now you know where to go.
Any browser with a VPN
Price: Free
The biggest thing websites use when tracking you is your traffic fingerprint and your IP address. A VPN can block both of these things on its own. So you could be free to use whatever browser you want, and everyone can only see that you’re using a VPN. VPNs also have the advantage of working in any application, not just the browser. There are tons of choices, and only a few of them are good. You want something with a strict no-logging policy and other privacy features. We have a great list here if you want to check it out. We put ProtonVPN on the button below because it has a free, unlimited version (with slower speeds) and good privacy features. A good VPN turns any browser into one of the great privacy web browsers.