15 Best iPhone Web Browsers You Can Use

Jun. 25, 2019

So, where does your priority lie? Is it having a pretty smooth web browsing? Or is itshielding your personal informationwhile browsing the web anonymously? To make your job of finding a better browser a tad straightforward, we’ve divided this lineup into two sections. While the first one consists of overall highly-rated web browsers for iOS, the second one comprises the privacy-focused iPhone/iPad browsers. Oh yes, we’ve also picked out the ones that offerfree VPNso that you can securely surf the web in public places. Now that you know what’s coming, let’s get started!

1. Google Chrome

Google Chrometook the web by storm when it launched back in 2008 for the desktop. Since then, it has matured a lot and emerged as the most popular browser. If you swear by Google’s ecosystem, which most of us do, Chrome cansyncall your bookmarksand history across all your devices. It can also sync your open tabs if you’re signed in using the same Google account on multiple devices, à la Safari hand-off. Chrome can alsotranslate web pageson the fly, so you never have to worry about your foreign language anxiety (learning foreign languagescan be cool, though!).

Chrome also has a pretty nicevoice searchfeature built in, so you can search the web via your voice. The user interface is pretty slick — featuring tabbed browsing, an easy way to switch between bookmarks and history, and an incognito mode. The Omnibox doubles as an address bar and a search bar, followed by favicons of your recent websites.

If you’re looking for afast and no-nonsensealternate web browser for iOS, Google Chrome is a great option. The only feature I miss from Chrome on Android is the Data Saving Mode, which couldn’t be built into Chrome for iOS due to Apple’s restrictions. I also miss Reader mode from Safari/Firefox while browsing on Chrome.

Download Google Chrome (Free)

Mozilla pioneered the web browser revolution even before Chrome arrived on the scene. Similar to Apple and Google, Firefox allows you to sync all your passwords, history, open tabs and bookmarks across all your devices with a Mozilla account. Firefox for iOSoffers all the goodness from Firefox on the desktop, like private browsing and throws in some iOS-specific tricks.

One, you can share a link from Safari to Firefox as a workaround for Apple not allowing to change default browser on iPhone. Secondly, it secures all your saved logins with TouchID.Firefox also has an inbuiltreader view, which removes all the distractions on a web page and lets you focus on the reading experience. Third, it also has astandalone privacy focused browser—Firefox Focus, which blocks any web trackers and also erases all your history.

If you use Firefox on the desktop, the decision to use it on iOS should be a cakewalk. Firefox’s privacy focused browser, Firefox Focus, is pretty barebones, though. The browser literally comprises of just an address bar, sans the history, bookmarks or even tabs. It is also slower than the regular Firefox browser — but such is the trade-off you’ve to make to put privacy first.

While Opera Touch is nowhere near as feature-rich as Chrome or as efficient as Safari, it’s more than handy to let you browse faster. And that too without hogging a lot of resources,unlike Chrome. The app lets you search both using written text and voice. Times when you are on the go and don’t find it convenient to type text,the voice searchcan come into play in letting you search comfortably. Not to mention, it also has a prettysmart barcode scanning featureso that you can scan a barcode on a product and look it up online.

In terms of protection, Opera Touch offersend-to-end encryptionto your data. So, you can trust this web browser to shield your sensitive information against prying eyes. Moreover, it alsofeatures a built-in ad blockerso that you can block intrusive ads to speed up web browsing. Considering these notable features, Opera Touch is one of the best iPhone browsers you can use today.

Download Opera Touch (Free)

Safarimay seem pretty obvious on this list, as it’s built into iOS. But make no mistake, Apple’s in-house browser is a very capable web browser, and can leverage some of the best features of the Apple ecosystem. For instance,iCloud keychaincan store and sync passwords across all of your Apple devices to avoid the hassle of typing in your passwords every time. The stored passwords are protected withTouch/Face IDon the iPhone. If you own a Mac, thehand-offfeature allows you to sync open tabs on iPhone and Mac, so that you can work seamlessly.

Furthermore, if you useApple Pay, you can easily make payments from the comfort of your iPhone. Then there’sSafari’s Reader Modethat brings you de-cluttered web pages and makes them easier for reading.

Safari, of course, is built upon Apple’s design guidelines from ground up, which means that it is easy to use. Appledoesn’tallow a global setting to change default apps, which means that youwillencounter Safari every time you open a link from default apps like Mail. Safari hits the nail perfectly if you’re looking for all the browsing basics, leveraging other Apple services. If you’re looking for fancy features from a browser, give Safari a pass and continue reading.

Comes Pre-installed

If I were to pick a web browser that can take away the crown from Chrome or at least come very close to it, I would pick out Microsoft Edge. Powered by Chromium engine, Edge works pretty fast unlike before. Since it’s built on chromium, the Mac version supportsChrome extensionswhich is awesome. It’s also highly customizable and super-fast. If you like tocustomize your web browsers for improved performance, you would really appreciate Microsoft’s web browser. For a personalized experience, the appautomatically syncs all of your favorites, passwords, and saved data across devices to make your web browsing seamless.

Download Microsoft Edge (Free)

Maxthon Cloud Web Browser app is a lightweight iPhone browser app with a ton of awesome features like a native ad-blocker, a note-taking tool, and more. Since it’s a cloud-based web browser, Maxthon lets you sync your data across both Apple as well as non-Apple devices. So yes, you can expect your data ready to be used at all times.

Some other noteworthy features of the browser include a night-mode for using the browser at night time and the ability to install extensions for increasing the productivity of the browser. The extensions center for Maxthon is filled with a ton of cool extensions that can help you make the most out of the browser.

Download Maxthon Cloud Web Browser (Free)

Long time Android users might be familiar with Dolphin browser, as it was one of the first browsers to bring gesture-based navigation. The iOS counterpart is equally capable and brings a lot of features to the table. Perhaps its headline feature, Dolphin allows you to setcustom gesturesto open a certain website, or to manage other Dolphin-specific features.

Dolphin Connect is Dolphin’s answer to synchronize bookmarks and history. It also has an inbuiltQR codescanner and support fornight mode. There’s a switch to enablead-blocking, though it’s disabled by default. It supports custom themes and allows you to secure the browser start-up with TouchID. There’s also aDolphin Sonar feature, available as an in-app purchase, which lets you search, share and navigate by shaking your iPhone.

If you like the idea of drawing “F” to open Facebook and if gestures are how you roll, you should definitely check out Dolphin browser. New users may feel a little overwhelmed on first use due to lots of features but you will get used to it pretty soon. After all, it has everything that you could ask for in a mobile browser.

Download Dolphin Browser (Free)

If you are a privacy nerd who’s on the lookout for a web browser withbuilt-in free unlimited VPNthen Aloha Browser is the way to go. Yes, it’s a browser app that focuses on privacy and hides your footprint on the internet. As far as the user experience is concerned,the interface is pretty straightforwardand it looks very similar to something like Google Chrome.

A couple of noteworthy features of Aloha browser includes anad-free web surfing environment, anin-built VR playerthat lets you play VR videos and more. You can also choose to opt for a premium version of Aloha and get an advanced set of features. But either way, you can’t go wrong with Aloha and we highly recommend trying to as an alternative to something like Safari or Chrome if you want something new.

Download Aloha Browser (Free)

When you talk about the top-notch web browsers for iOS, missing out on an efficient web browser like Puffin Browser Pro wouldn’t be a good idea. Probably the best part about it is the ability toshift the workload from the resource-limited devices to cloud servers. As a result, even the most resource-hogging websites can run smoothly on your iPhone and iPad. In terms of security, the Puffin Browserprovides strong encryption to all traffic from the app to the serverto safeguard the data against hacking. What’s more, the app uses a proprietary compression algorithm toreduce up to 90% of your bandwidthon regular web browsing. So, unlike most other web browsers, it won’t gobble up a ton of mobile data on your iOS device.

Download Puffin Browser Pro ($4.99)

All the above mentioned browsers are great when it comes to speed and usability, however, they are not the most private browsers. If you are someone who is worried about their online privacy and tired of getting tracked and served the same ads on every website, you can use the below mentioned privacy focuses best iPhone browsers to browse the net securely.

Download Brave Browser (Free)

If privacy sits right at the top of your agenda, look no further than DuckDuckGo. Yeah, you read that right! Thisprivacy-focused web browseroffers enhanced encryption so that your personal information will stay safeguarded against hacking or data trackers. Byblocking all the hidden third-party trackersthe app ensures your browsing session remains private and away from the eyes of data trackers. Moreover, DuckDuckGo also offers some cool customizations to let you accelerate browsing.

Download DuckDuckGo (Free)

For private and secure web browsing, you can count on Private Browser. Featuring a minimal interface, it’s one of thefastest private browsers for iOS.As it also offersfree unlimited VPN on your iPhone(a virtual private network), you can use the app to surf the web anonymously at public places. Furthermore, Private Browserdoesn’t log any of your activity nor does it share it with third-parties. Therefore, you can browse the web with complete peace of mind. Long story short, the support for several servers around the world coupled with the reliable privacy policy makes it one of the best browser-cum-VPN for iPhone and iPad.

Download Private Browser – VPN Proxy (Free)

It also hasDuckDuckGoas its default search engine for added privacy. That being said, in my usage, I found Ghostery browser to a little low on features and a bit slower than Safari. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that bad that you will notice. Still, I felt that it was a bit slower and you should know it before you decide to go with it.

Download Ghostery browser (Free)

If you are looking for an unlimited private access to the internet, then Tor VPN browser is the way to go. It’s the only app in this list that features both VPN + TOR, and it lets you choose between the speed and ease of use of VPNs tunnel connection.

Besides an unlimited tunneled access to the internet over the tor network, this browser also detects and blocks pop-ups, automatically deletes cookies, cache and third-party data on application exit. It’s, however, worth pointing out that most of its features are hidden behind in-app purchases pay wall. But, it’s the price you’ll have to pay for a secure internet access.

Download Tor VPN Browser (Free, in-app purchases)

Onion browser is also a free and open-source Tor-powered web browser for iOS. Just like Tor VPN Browser, Onion browser also lets you access the internet safely at no extra cost. Onion browser lets you access the internet over Tor and protects your privacy from website tracking.

Onion browser also secure your traffic from insecure wireless networks and ISPs, and lets you access .onion sites that are only accessible over Tor.

Download Onion Browser (Free)

As you have seen, there’s no shortage of web browsers on the iPhone — whether you are looking for a customizable one or one focused on privacy. It all boils down to personal preference, really. I’d love to hear what exactly do you look for in a mobile browser and which is your web browser of choice on the iPhone? Also if we missed any browser that deserves to be on this best iPhone browsers list, let us know in the comments section below.

The geek who embraces any new technology with inhuman enthusiasm. I rage about everything on Twitter and when the 140-character set seems limited, I turn to Facebook.