The best and Most Secure Browsers 2024: Dodge the Risks
Not all browsers are secure, putting your privacy, and sometimes even security, at risk. We’ve put together a list of our favorite privacy browsers for both your PC and your mobile devices. On top of that, we’ll even throw in our top VPN service contenders too. But first, just a little background on the features you need in a secure browser.
What You Need In A Secure Browser
Most of us just log into our device, use the default browser, use the default search engine, and go about our merry way without a thought to privacy. Thing is, not all browsers are the same. A good private browser should also:
- Encrypt data so your online activity can’t be tracked
- Keep ads from tracking you
- Block malicious scripts to keep your system safe
- Do not track requests
- Cookie settings
- Password managers
- Have regular updates to stay abreast of security vulnerabilities
- Robust security in their configuration page
- Some even have malware and phishing protections, though this is less common
Third party extensions and private browsers
Third party extensions allow a browser to expand their functionality, customizing your browsing needs. Some of these are for fun, some add function, and some can even increase your security. Most browsers accept these extensions, giving you flexibility. Some security features you can add on include script blocking, ad blocking, encryption, and even VPN protection. However, it’s vital to only use trusted third party extensions as some of them can actually steal your data and threaten your security, the very thing you want to avoid.
There are a lot of important points to know when it comes to your online data privacy and tracking protection. Here’s an important article from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on how to protect your privacy online. It warns about data broker sites, online trackers, cookies, etc. Always a good idea to get educated on these potential threats.
Our Top Secure Browsers For Your PC
Desktop devices have plenty of users, in spite of the growing popularity of mobile devices. There are some very robust, well-rounded private browsers ready to keep your PC safe.
Brave browser: Best browser for ad-blocking
Created by the co-founder of Mozilla, this open-source privacy browser focuses on lightweight, simple usability while still hitting hard in terms of security. This chromium based browser has several beneficial features but helps you avoid the need for excessive and risky third party extensions or configurations while being compatible with most websites.
There are a lot of admirable qualities to the Brave browser. It’s highly focused on speed, dexterous usability, and keeping ads from bogging down your user experience. That may well be its strongest feature, and yet, ironically, you may find yourself choosing to view ads they throw your way. Here’s how it works. You can earn BAT, short for Basic Attention Tokens. It’s a “crypto asset,” and part of the Brave Rewards system. You have the option to see first-party, privacy protecting advertisements while you use their browser. These ads are pre-approved and provided by Brave’s network. Viewing them allows you to earn BAT, which you can then use to buy gift cards or exchange for currencies. You’re literally getting rewards for these unobtrusive ads, and you can even opt out of them.
What we love: By default, ads and trackers are blocked when you visit websites. You also have incognito windows, blocked third-party cookie tracking and cross-site trackers, malware and phishing protection, and even VPN and onion routing TOR mode. It’s free, safe, and has lightning fast speeds without all those ads to bog down your activity.
What we don’t love: Users have reported that the crypto rewards for the BAT system have significantly diminished, to the point that some don’t find them worthwhile anymore. It can also affect the function of some websites, due to its default blocking settings.
Tor Browser: Best private browser for security
One of the most well-known privacy entities out there, even I knew about Tor, well before I came into the tech industry. That’s really saying something! This impressive reputation comes from the strong encryption practices that Tor provides, making it a very secure web browser.
Before you can fully appreciate why Tor is such a secure browser, you should know what onion routing is. This term describes making network messages anonymous by wrapping each message in distinct layers of protection. This hides the routing of these messages in encryption for privacy and secrecy. Tor is an onion browser, the term “onion,” being a reference to these layers of protection. Tor sends the data from your device back and forth to a series of different routers so that the origin of the data is obscured, keeping your ip address and browsing activities anonymous.
Besides the encryption and onion routing, the Tor browser tries to protect identity breaches through default security features, such as disabling Java, Flash, and embedded applets that can pass private information to external servers without your permission.
Need more Tor browser tips? Here’s how to use the Tor browser on a Chromebook.
What we love: Tor isolates each website you visit, preventing ads and third-party trackers from following you. This private browser also automatically clears your cookies and browsing history when you’re finished browsing. Tor protects you from fingerprinting, surveillance, and even gives you access to sites that your home network may have blocked. It’s all about anonymous, private access.
What we don’t love: These protections may be free to use, but the real cost is web usability. The settings and onion routing can greatly slow down your connection, which can hinder complex tasks. Also, a lot of sites simply won’t run due to disabled JavaScript, limiting where you can visit while maintaining your privacy settings.
Mozilla Firefox: best old school favorite secure browser
Mozilla has been around for years and yet it is still considered to be a top privacy browser. It’s free, has robust security and privacy features, and is very well respected and trusted. They pride themselves on collecting minimal data from their users, only enough to improve products and features, rather than selling it to data miners.
What we love: Some of the default settings include private browsing mode, third-party tracking cookies blocking, and it also blocks crypto mining scripts and social trackers too. The private browsing mode automatically deletes your history, including your search history, keeping you private even from others in your same household. Besides these privacy focused features, Mozilla is simply a strong web browser on its own. There’s text to speech, options for search engines, web extensions, autoplay blocking, and more.
What we don’t love: The stricter you have your privacy and security settings, the more likely some websites won’t function properly for you.
Vivaldi: Best privacy browser for customization
Vivaldi lets you mix and match your settings, a rare option for web browsers. You can make custom keyboard shortcuts, custom themes, flexible user interfaces, and it can even sync across your devices. Besides all that, it’s a secure browser that has built in ad and tracker blocking.
What we love: Cookies and temporary files will not be stored when private browsing. You get tracking protection, and you can manage tabs and extensions seamlessly. The granular customization is especially useful.
What we don’t love: Can be a little complex and confusing at first with all the settings. Sometimes there is a drop in performance and it can be a bit slow compared to other web browsers.
Best private browsers for ios and Android
Online privacy is still important for ios and android. Mobile protections are as vital as any desktop based device requires, especially since some of the less trustworthy ones actually steal your data. Here are our favorites for when you’re on the go.
Brave browser for mobile: Great all around for any mobile needs
Whether you have an android or an iPhone, Brave is still a great privacy browser for your mobile device. It’s free, well respected, and easily downloaded from Google Play or the App Store.
What we love: It’s fast, secure, and has a built in ad blocker that helps to prevent tracking too. It’s also optimized to save your battery life and mobile data so it doesn’t suck your phone’s resources.
What we don’t love: Certain websites won’t render correctly so you may need a different mobile browser for these circumstances.
Ghostery: Best for Android
Android users will appreciate Ghostery as a great private browser that focuses on pairing function with privacy. Built on the Firefox engine, this open source company has maximum privacy settings as their default. It also detects and displays trackers before you go to a webpage, giving you even more secure browsing.
What we love: It has all the usual bells and whistles, of course. Built in tracker and ad blocker, no data shared with third parties, etc. What’s particularly unique, however, is the built in ad-fee privacy focused search engine. It shows unbiased search results, rather than shoving ads in your face.
What we don’t love: Isn’t quite as fast as other mobile secure browsers.
Onion browser: Best for iPhone
Powered through Tor, this is as private as a mobile browser gets. This free app is highly focused on privacy, security, and anonymity. Just like the Tor desktop version, it is an onion browser that is all about encryption to keep your online comings and goings as protected as possible.
What we love: Your internet traffic is encrypted, then bounced over different areas of the world to obscure it. Your real ip address is kept hidden. You get access to content and sites that might otherwise be censored or blocked, regardless of your location or network restrictions. Your browsing is kept private from ISPs and wifi network operators. You can disable tracking from third parties. Clearly, Onion Browser is one of the most secure browsers there is, however, it also has plenty of problems…
What we don’t love: Traffic outside of the Onion app is not protected. Onion only tunnels traffic within the app, so if you use another browser, your protection ends. If you use Onion to log into a site you normally use outside of Tor, the site may be able to I.D. you and recognize you’re using Tor. If you live in a controlling country, this could be incriminating enough to land you in hot water. Iphone’s ios has control over some network traffic, which would be routed outside of Tor, within your normal connection. Some sites use geolocation so be on the lookout for popups that want to access your location data.
Best VPN services for privacy needs
If you really want to go all out for private browsing, a VPN is a great tool. Short for virtual private networks, they enhance your online security by encrypting all of your internet activity. They also route your traffic through a sever network outside the area. This protects your identity and location. If you really want privacy and security, a VPN plus using one of the other browsers already covered should get your needs met and then some!
Besides privacy, VPNs also allow you to access sites that might be otherwise blocked for you, such as for geographical unavailability. A VPN is a good work around for that. If you’d like an example, here’s how to watch the Mandalorian with a VPN service.
NordVPN: Most respected
NordVPN is a heavy hitter for good reason. With a massive number of servers and nodes in sixty countries, you’ll get fast download speeds regardless of your location. Their service is compatible with all major browsers, plus they have a mobile app too. Here’s a great resource if you want to learn how to protect your privacy with NordVPN.
What we love: Time to break out the bullet points for this one!
- Secure encryption
- split tunneling
- double VPN
- private DNS (domain name system)
- hides your ip address
- fast speeds
- global coverage
- can use on multiple devices
- 24/7 support
What we don’t love: Limited multi-language support. Pricing is reasonable, but it does cost a monthly or annual fee. That said, here’s a link to a 66% off discount for NordVPN’s two year plan.
Surfshark: Great security focused VPN
Surfshark has a handy 30 day refund policy, but you probably won’t need it. Combining privacy and security for internet browsing, you get to avoid ads, cookie pop ups, and trackers, all while staying anonymous through their VPN. They even offer antivirus and two factor authentication, to further enhance their security settings and offerings.
What we love: Gives you 24/7 data breach alerts in case your identity or finances are leaked online. Defends you in real time from malware by scanning files before you open them. It’s independently audited, which is actually awesome as that holds them accountable. Plus, it provides webcam protection to block unauthorized access, keeping you safe in your most vulnerable location, your home!
What we don’t love: Additional protection options can add on expense, some users report poor customer service, a buggy app and slow connection time.
Private Internet Access (PIA): Great for reasonable prices
PIA has been well respected as a reliable VPN for years now. They share a lot of the same features as other picks on this list, such as a no logs policy, a global VPN server network, split tunneling, and more. One of the best aspects of this company is that it’s more reasonably priced than many VPN services out there, which is a rare combination when combined with its other strengths.
What we love:
- Unlimited device connections
- 24/7 customer support
- anonymity online through hidden personal information
- encryption to protect users and their online data and activities
- P2P support
- Unlimited bandwidth
What we don’t love: Some users have complained that renewal subscription costs are expensive and that it’s more cost effective to simply cancel and start again with a new customer account later.
Conclusion
When picking the best private browsers, really pay attention to security features and tracking protection. There are so many solid secure browser and VPN options that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. When in doubt, make sure your final pick has these major components at the very least:
- Make sure it has some kind of strict, private mode for when you need extra anonymity
- It should keep your ip address hidden, especially from web tracking and internet provider services
- A fast ad-blocking engine
- It should have capabilities with browser extensions, either blocking them when needed, or providing useful features. Some, however, can be safety risks, so have these protections in place
- Incognito or private search mode helps reduce your unique fingerprint in browser fingerprinting so look for this option
- Look for a privacy browser that can clear your browsing history
Remember, the best combination is a good VPN service paired with a privacy focused browser. Best of both worlds. You have a list of our favorites now, so you have an excellent place to start.
If you need a VPN for a short while when traveling for example, you can get our top ranked VPN free of charge. NordVPN includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. You will need to pay for the subscription, that’s a fact, but it allows full access for 30 days and then you cancel for a full refund. Their no-questions-asked cancellation policy lives up to its name.
