Basically, it acts as a translator for the internet’s technical language. So it’s important that you choose a browser app that is fast and easy to use, protects your privacy, and supports integration with numerous add-ons, among other features. Here are the top 10 options for you to choose from.
Google Chrome
We can’t talk about Web browsers without mentioning the King of them all. Chrome works smoothly on most devices, including those running Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS operating systems. I love how it synchronizes data across them all when you’ve signed in on multiple phones or computers.
Plus, it means that you can access your information anywhere. That includes your bookmarks, passwords, and browsing history. As someone who heavily relies on Google Services, I also like that Chrome connects easily with Gmail, Sheets, and Drive apps. Signing into Chrome eliminates the need to log in separately for them, and you can transition smoothly between them. If you haven’t already, make the app your default browser.
Microsoft Edge
One, I love Microsoft Edge for the default customizations. You can enable and manage wallpapers, shortcuts, and a news feed on your homepage’s layout. Two, the app also supports extensions, something you won’t find on Google Chrome for Android. Currently, this feature is still in Beta testing. So your selection of extensions is limited until the official update.
Microsoft Edge Drop, a built-in file-sharing tool, is another great feature. You can easily transfer files and notes between devices where you installed Microsoft Edge. The browser integrates with the Copilot AI, which can be a helpful research assistant or gist companion.
Samsung Internet Browser
Samsung Internet offers many advantages that you may find appealing. The browser is pre-built on Galaxy phones and tablets. It works better than Chrome and other browsers on these devices because it’s specifically designed to take advantage of their hardware and software. Still, other devices can get it on the Google Play Store.
The app’s UI is more practical as Samsung has placed the navigation bars and other buttons at the bottom of the screen. Considering that Galaxy phones are usually large, they’re much easier to reach, especially in one-handed mode.
The browser offers powerful privacy and security features, including smart anti-tracking for your browsing history, annoying pop-up blocks, and malicious site warnings. You can also install compatible ad blockers within it.
Brave Private Web Browser
| Brave Firewall + VPN Monthly: $9.99 + 7-day free trial Yearly: $99.99 (requires in-app subscription) |
| Block trackers on any app, protect 5 devices, unlimited with 500mbps speeds, availability on desktop, Android & iOS browser versions. |
Brave browser is all about privacy, and it makes a big show of it in statistics. You’ll see how many ads and trackers the browser has blocked while you’re online, as well as the mobile data and time it has saved. For a subscription fee, you’ll get the benefit of its VPN and firewall services that extend beyond the browser. You’ll need it if you want to spoof your location and access restricted content, among other reasons.
By default, the browser uses its search engine with the same name to pull up web results. But you can change it in the settings menu. Brave also has an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, Leo. Leo can hold conversations with you and perform web page summaries, among other prompts.
Opera browser with AI
| VPN Pro Monthly: $8 + 7-day free trial Six months: $47.94 + free trial Yearly: $95.88 + 7-day free trial |
| Enhanced privacy protection, more location selections. |
Like Brave, Opera offers a VPN and it’s free. But you’ll need a subscription plan if you want to select any location and use other advanced features. There’s a data savings button too that maximizes the usefulness of your mobile data. You can reduce image load speeds from high to low-quality downloads.
Its customization features are also extensive. You can force apply dark mode to every webpage, set wallpapers, use night mode, and choose where the address bar appears. Aria is a built-in AI chatbot, and it can handle serious and lightweight prompts. If you want a cleaner experience without AI and other excessive features, you can use Opera Mini instead. It’s the compressed version of the Opera browser.
Tor browser
Tor gives you access to onion websites while shielding your IP address. Normally, you access them through regular web browsers. They use a special URL format and routing system that makes the server and the user anonymous. They range from legitimate privacy-focused tools to dark web marketplaces.
As a journalist, it’s the browser I use in handling sensitive stories and ensuring the safety of my sources. Plus, If you live in a country with internet censorship, Tor helps you bypass restrictions and open blocked websites.
Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Firefox is among the fastest and most lightweight browsers. It’s a modified version of Tor and has more add-ons than I’ve seen on other apps. There’s one for automatically skipping YouTube ads and another for blocking ads. While the selection isn’t as vast as the desktop version, you can still personalize your experience to some level.
The browser also has Enhanced Tracking Protection. The feature blocks a wide range of trackers by default from targeted ads and websites monitoring your activity. To add, Firefox is an open-source project, which means that the source code is freely available for anyone to inspect and contribute to.
UC browser
UC Browser’s data compression feature is a boon for users on limited cellular plans. You can choose between lighter-than-normal speed mode and the browser will optimize web pages to load faster. You’ll find other rich conservation options in its settings menu.
You can choose to preload pages and UC Browser downloads them in the background and makes them available before you’ve even opened them. Also, you can make it open the last tab you viewed before closing the app.
Minor interaction customizations include using your volume buttons, on-screen dragging, and taps to scroll. Swiping forward and backward is another option if you don’t like using the navigation arrows.
Vivaldi
Vivaldi is based on the Chromium OS, so you may notice many similarities. For example, tab stacking lets you group multiple websites together and manage them. It’s the ideal browser for anyone who spends a long time online and needs a more customizable Chrome alternative.
It has several built-in productivity features tailored to reduce your reliance on multiple apps. Notes help you quickly jot down ideas or add web content to an existing note. I tried appending a paragraph from one of our existing posts, and I was able to put together comprehensive information. There’s even a translator that converts text between languages.
Phoenix browser
Phoenix offers all the essentials for a smooth web surfing experience. It’s the ideal choice if you want entertainment and video-downloading features within one app. The browser itself is not my favorite part as it’s cluttered compared to the minimalist design I’m used to on Chrome. Plus, it has intrusive ads I just like using it for the freebies in the Explore menu.
You can read and add stories to your library at no cost. Most of them are sappy titles like “The Emperor’s CEO’s Billionaire Wife” and “His Destined Mate”, which I’m not a fan of. But if you look carefully, you might find a nice read or two to while away time. Phoenix also has a music player, instant arcade games, and a file management menu that cleans junk from your device.
There’s more where these browsers came from
The Google Play Store is home to many exciting apps. These top Web surfers are just a few of them. The store receives new additions regularly, but you don’t get notifications when that happens. Lucky for you, we’ve explored them and made a list of the latest apps for you to try. Who knows? An undiscovered browser may be among them.
