12 best browsers to use on iPhone in 2019
The iOS App Store is filled with third-party browsers which are quite good. Some browsers make your browsing secure by stopping online trackers from tracking your browsing habit. Some offer an easy to use interface and some other work better with Google accounts. The browser war is stronger than ever before and if you are finding it difficult to choose the best iPhone browser for your device, this article will help you out. In this article, we have listed all the best iPhone web browsers with their strength weakness so you can choose the one that fits your needs. So, without any further delay, here are the 12 best iPhone browsers that you should use in 2019.
Best iPhone Browsers You Should Use in 2019
1. Google Chrome
Google Chrome took 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 can sync all your bookmarks and history across all your devices. It can also sync your open tabs if you're signed in using the same iCloud account on multiple devices, à la Safari hand-off. Chrome can also translate web pages on the fly, so you never have to worry about your foreign language anxiety (learning foreign languages can be cool, though!).
Chrome also has a pretty nice voice search feature 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 a fast and no-nonsense alternate 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)
2. Mozilla Firefox and Firefox Focus
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 iOS offers 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 inbuilt reader view, which removes all the distractions on a web page and lets you focus on the reading experience. Third, it also has a standalone 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.
3. Opera Mini
Although Opera has a measly market share, its Opera Mini browser is loved by users worldwide. Opera boasts of the best-in-class data compression mode named Opera Turbo, which reduces the web page size by up to 50%. It also has a Opera Mini compression mode, which lets you reduce web page size to as little as 10% of the original. Sometimes, it can break the page structure, but it is beneficial for people who live in areas where Internet connection is spotty. But there's so much more to love about Opera Mini apart from the compression features.
Opera also allows syncing all your bookmarks and passwords if you sign in to Opera account. It also features a handful of themes to personalize Opera Mini. It blesses all the night owls out there, by throwing in a night mode feature. The Speed dial takes center stage in Opera Mini and allows users to swipe left and right to access history and personalized newsfeed, respectively. The 3D arrangement of tabs looks pretty good. Perhaps the coolest feature of Opera Mini is the inclusion of some great controls in the keyboard. Open any text entry field to watch it in action. It has a QR scannerbuilt-in and a slider, which makes navigation between text a lot easier.
All in all, it's hard to find any flaws in Opera Mini. The parent company has been in this business for more than a decade and has put forward a solid web browser in the form of Opera Mini.
Download Opera Mini (Free)
4. Safari
Safari may 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 with TouchID on the iPhone. If you own a Mac, the hand-off feature allows you to sync open tabs on iPhone and Mac, so that you can work seamlessly.
Furthermore, if you use Apple Pay, you can easily make payments from the comfort of your iPhone. Then there's Safari's Reader Mode that 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. Apple doesn'tallow a global setting to change default apps, which means that you will encounter 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
5. Maxthon Cloud Web Browser
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)
6. Dolphin Browser
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 set custom 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 inbuilt QR code scanner and support for night mode. There's a switch to enable ad-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 a Dolphin 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)
7. Aloha Browser
If you are a privacy nerd who's on the lookout for a web browser with built-in free unlimited VPN then 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 straightforward and it looks very similar to something like Google Chrome.
A couple of noteworthy features of Aloha browser includes an ad-free web surfing environment, an in-built VR player that 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)
8. Puffin Browser
One of the best features of this app is that it lets you select your preferred site i.e. Desktop or mobile site. Based on your selection, the browser will open the website in your preferred view. However, it's not optimized for the newer iPhone and it shows an empty black space on both top and the bottom.
Download Puffin Browser (Free)
Privacy-focused iPhone Browsers
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.
9. Brave Browser
Brave browser is one of the best privacy focused browser on the market and it is also blazing fast. While most other browsers require you to configure settings or install third-party extensions to help protect your privacy, Brave does it all by default. It brings privacy and security features such as HTTPS Everywhere (encrypted data traffic), script blocking, cookie blocking, and private tabs. It also blocks ads, poop-up windows, and more. Since it doesn't load all the scripts that show ads and track you, it even increases your browsing speed. This is one of the best iPhone browsers when it comes to privacy and you should definitely check it out.
Download Brave Browser (Free)
10. Ghostery Browser
It also has DuckDuckGo as 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)
11. Tor VPN Browser
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)
12. Onion Browser
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)
These privacy-focused browsers can also be useful to bypass censorship laws and access websites that may be banned in your country. Please note that these browsers load web pages a lot slower than regular web browsers, as they encrypt all your data over the Tor network. If you're looking for more ways to browse anonymously, see our guide on how to browse anonymously on the iPhone (and why you might want to).
Best iPhone Browsers You Need to Use
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.
Comments
Post a Comment