If you’re looking for the best Android Internet browsers? You’ve come to the right place. While there are many great web browser apps available, finding the one that best suits your individual needs is not always easy. Luckily, there are plenty of choices out there when it comes to Android OS.
Sure, you can just go with the app that comes pre-installed on your phone, but for a lot of people that’s unlikely to be the best solution. After all, there’s a reason so many different internet browser apps exist and what suits one user might not suit another.
Regardless of whether you’re looking for an Android browser app that focuses on speed, performance or security, we’re here to help. In this article we’ll discuss the very best browser apps. You’ll find 12 browser apps listed down below, just note that they’re not listed in any specific order.
Top 12 Best Android Internet Browsers 2021
Below is a quick overview of the top 12 best internet browser apps for 2020, including any download and in-app purchase costs.
Download Cost | In-app cost (per item) | |
| Google Chrome | ✕ | ✕ |
| Opera Mini | ✕ | ✕ |
| DuckDuckGo | ✕ | ✕ |
| Brave | ✕ | ✕ |
| Opera | ✕ | ✕ |
| Firefox | ✕ | ✕ |
| Dolphin | ✕ | ✕ |
| Kiwi | ✕ | ✕ |
| Opera Touch | ✕ | ✕ |
| Microsoft Edge | ✕ | ✕ |
| Samsung Internet | ✕ | ✕ |
| Tor | ✕ | ✕ |
Top 12 Best Android Internet Browsers 2021 Downloads
Below is a little more information on each app, a suggestion for the type of user the app is best suited to, and a direct link for easy downloading.
All download links go to the app’s Google Play Store listing. Users are always recommended to download apps from Google Play or an authorized app store.
Google Chrome
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Price: Free to download - In-app purchases: No
- Size: Varies with device
- Google play rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Google Chrome browser is the way to go if you’re looking for a true Android experience. This browser comes straight from Google, and it’s the best option for most people. This is the app that comes pre-installed on the vast majority of Android smartphones in the market. Chrome has been around for a long time, and aside from being available for Android phones, it’s also available on a number of other platforms. This is one of the fastest browsers out there, and it’s also feature-rich.
Chrome is available on Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS… so, pretty much everywhere. That means that it’s great for your syncing needs as well. Chrome also comes with a dark mode option, and it has a data saver built-in. Saving favorite websites is a breeze on Chrome, thanks to a shortcut in the address bar that is there every time you open a website.
Do you like keeping your identity safe while visiting some websites? That’s not a problem with Chrome either, as incognito browsing is an option. Those of you who like visiting foreign websites will also be at home here, as Google Translate is baked into Chrome. That is one of the advantages of this app, as it comes with strong ties to other Google services, such as Google Translate.
Opera Mini
- Price: Free to download
- In-app purchases: No
- Size: Varies with device
- Google play rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars
Opera Mini is a well-known Internet browser for Android, and yet it’s not Opera’s main browser. The company has another app available in the Play Store which is called simply “Opera”. Opera is different to Opera Mini, as this application has a completely different purpose. If you’re looking for the most feature-packed, and most-capable browser at the same time, Opera Mini is not that. If you’re in the market for a lightweight browser suited for most people, well, then you’ll be right at home with Opera Mini.
This Internet browser is well-suited for those of you who have iffy Internet connections. This app will save data and allow you to browse faster even if your connection isn’t the best. Opera is quite proud of its compression modes, and the best of those are implemented in Opera Mini. Despite the fact this is a lightweight browser, Opera Mini does come with a number of features.
This application can send personalized news to your device, so that you’re kept up to speed on current events. Private browsing is also an option within Opera Mini, and the app can even block some annoying ads for you. The app will also offer you “video download” options for some videos that you may not be able to download via other browsers. That will not be the case for every video, of course, but it’s still a useful feature. Night mode is also an option here, along with some other features.
DuckDuckGo
- Price: Free to download
- In-app purchases: No
- Size: 16MB
- Google play rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
DuckDuckGo browser is for you if you’d like to keep your browsing private. DuckDuckGo, a company behind this browser, is all about privacy. At least that’s the company’s major advertising point. DuckDuckGo is trying to be the exact opposite of Google in that regard, pretty much.
The company claims that its privacy protection will block all the hidden third-party trackers it can find. It will also expose the major advertising networks which are trying to track you, so that you’re aware what you’re dealing with. DuckDuckGo browser also forces sites to use an encrypted connection where available, which will further protect your data from prying eyes.
DuckDuckGo claims that its browser will never track you. What you type in your browser is your business, and it does not concern anyone else, says the company. DuckDuckGo is also quite a fast browser, and a well-designed one. You’ll find all the necessary Internet browser functions in this app, and it’s free to use.
Brave
- Price: Free to download
- In-app purchases: No
- Size: Varies with device
- Google play rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Much like DuckDuckGo, Brave is also a browser focused on privacy. This browser has been around for quite some time now, and more and more users are switching to it. Brave is a really fast browsers with over 10 million downloads in the Play Store. This browser is currently holding a 4.3-star rating.
The main goal of Brave is to keep your browsing secure and private. It comes with a really competent ad blocker, and also a pop-up blocker. It is also designed to save both data and battery, as it won’t load many of those annoying pop-ups that other browsers do. This browser comes with many security-related features, such as HTTPS Everywhere, script blocking, 3rd party cookie blocking, and incognito private tabs.
You will also find all your regular Internet browser features here. Including bookmarks, browsing history, tabs, back and forward buttons, and so on. In fact, the experience of using this browser is quite similar to using Chrome, in our opinion. Brave does have that upper hand of some added pop-up blocking and ad-blocking, not to mention that it’s extremely fast. Brave Browser is worth trying out, that’s for sure.
Opera
- Price: Free to download
- In-app purchases: No
- Size: Varies with device
- Google play rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Opera browser is the way to go if you often visit websites that are not available in your region. Using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is imperative if you want to visit websites that are not available in your region. VPN basically masks your connection as if you’re visiting from somewhere else. For example, if you’re living in France, and are trying to access a website that is open only for the US population… well, a VPN can help you. This may not be something every person needs, but if you see yourself in what we just said, the Opera browser may be a perfect option for you.
Opera browser is Opera’s main browser. This is the company’s pride and joy, and the very first browser from the company to make it to the Play Store. Aside from having VPN support built-in, this app also comes with an ad-blocker. The dark mode is also built into the app, while Opera can also send the latest news to your browser if you want. You can actually filter those news, so that only what you’re interested in is being pushed your way.
This Internet browser can remember your passwords, and autofill them when needed. Opera assures its users that their passwords will be safe, to give users a peace of mind. This app’s UI is also really simple to navigate, which is a good thing, of course.
Firefox
- Price: Free to download
- In-app purchases: No
- Size: Varies with device
- Google play rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Firefox is a great option if add-ons are your thing. Pretty much everyone has heard of Firefox at this point. Mozilla’s browser has been extremely popular on desktop computers for a long time, and a direct competitor to Google’’s Chrome.
Well, Firefox on Android is also quite compelling. There are quite a few add-ons available for this browser. So, for example, if you find extremely annoying ads somewhere, you can download an ad-on for ad-blocking. You can also add a download manager add-on, or a password manager add-on. Mozilla did a really great job at implementing add-ons, so that you can personalize this browser the way you want.
Firefox for Android also offers a high-level of privacy. Private Browsing with Tracking Protection is a part of the experience, while Firefox can sync across your devices. Quick share menu remembers which apps you’ve used recently, which makes sharing really easy with this browser. Firefox even supports streaming out of the box. You can stream the contents of Firefox from your Android phone to a large TV, or any other platform you’d like, as long as it supports streaming.
Dolphin
- Price: Free to download
- In-app purchases: No
- Size: 17MB
- Google play rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars
Dolphin has been around… well, for a long, long time. This Android browser has been gracing the Play Store for ages now, and it has evolved quite a bit over time. If you love gestures, and would like a faster way of accessing websites… look no further. Dolphin has something not many other browsers have, you can assign different actions for different browser gestures.
For example, you can access DuckDuckGo search engine by drawing a letter “D” on the display. If you draw a letter “B”, the browser can open Bing for you. These are only some examples, of course, as you can set those actions to whatever you want. There are other options included here, other letters that you can take advantage of. By doing this, Dolphin allowed users a really quick way to access specific websites. So, just assign various letters to your favorite websites, and you’re good to go.
This browser also has a really nice-looking UI. Themes are supported by Dolphin, as is the “Quick Share” feature. This browser also supports something called “Sonar”. This is basically Dolphin’s voice search feature which allows you to access specific websites by talking to your browser. These are only some features that Dolphin offers, as this is one of the most feature-rich browsers for Android.
Kiwi
- Price: Free to download
- In-app purchases: No
- Size: Varies with device
- Google play rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars
Kiwi Browser is a rather interesting offering. This browser is based on Chrome, but it offers more features than Google’s browser. Thing of it as Chrome on steroids. This is one of the most feature-rich browsers for Android, if not at the very top of that list. The browser comes with a dark theme, and it allows you to adjust both contrast and grayscale mode. That way, you can tune it to your preference.
It comes with a power ad-blocking software, which takes care of those pesky, intrusive ads. Kiwi Browser is also one of the fastest when it comes to loading webpages, which is certainly a plus. Cryptojacking protection is included in this browser as well.
Kiwi Browser offers translation as well. If you’re browsing a website in a foreign language you don’t understand, chances are this browser can help you out. It can translate 60 languages, and it also blocks invasive trackers to protect your privacy. You don’t like the fact an address bar is at the top of the display? Well, you can move it to the bottom if you want. You can also enable various gestures in Kiwi, for navigation back and forward between websites, for example. If you enable that feature, you will simply need to swipe from left or right sides of the display. There’s much more included in Kiwi, and you can even enable developer settings in the same manner you’d do it with Google Chrome.
Opera Touch
- Price: Free to download
- In-app purchases: No
- Size: 26MB
- Google play rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars
Opera Touch may be the best option for you if you have one of those devices with high refresh rate displays. Like the Razer Phone 2, or the OnePlus 7 Pro? Opera Touch is not the only browser to support 90Hz displays, not at all, but it is one of the fastest ones. This browser is considerably different to the other two Opera browsers that are available in the Play Store.
You will not get separate menu options on the bottom of the display here. You will get one button, which will show you a number of options when you tap and hold it. From there, you can move your finger in order to access various options. You can access your bookmarks from here, open tabs overview, or share a link.
Opera Touch is one of the fastest browsers in the Play Store in general, and if you add a high refresh rate display to the mix, you’re in for a treat. This browser loads pages extremely fast, and it also does come with some interesting features. Opera Touch includes an ad blocker, and it also comes with Opera’s cryptojacking protection.
Microsoft Edge
- Price: Free to download
- In-app purchases: No
- Size: Varies with device
- Google play rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Microsoft Edge is available for Android as well, it’s available for true Microsoft fans. This is a logical choice if you’re using Microsoft Edge on Windows as well. This browser is actually quite compelling, believe it or not. It has quite a few features, it looks good, and it can load webpages really fast as well. It offers integration with Microsoft’s services as well, which is a plus for Windows users, for sure.
This browser is equipped with Adblock Plus, for those intrusive ads. It has the Reading view which will make sure you can focused on your reading. Microsoft Rewards program is integrated in this browser as well, so you can collect points and then pick up rewards later on. A full-fledged password manager is also a part of the experience here.
You will find all the regular Internet browser features here as well. You can assign your favorite websites, check out your browsing history, set aside websites for in a “reading list”, and much more. Sync with other Microsoft Edge programs / browsers is possible as well, while there is also a private browsing option available here.
Samsung Internet
- Price: Free to download
- In-app purchases: No
- Size: Varies with device
- Google play rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Samsung Internet Browser comes pre-installed on Galaxy phones. So, if you own, or have owned one of Samsung’s Galaxy devices, chances are you’ve already seen what this browser can do. Samsung Internet Browser has a really compelling reading mode. Out of all the browsers we’ve tried out, this one appeals to us the more when it comes to reading. You can simply activate this mode from settings, and remove all distractions from the equation.
Samsung Internet Browser supports a dark theme as well, so you can read in whatever mode you want. The design of this browser is also on the same level as its competition. Most of the options are moved to the bottom, so that they’re easy to reach. The search bar itself, however, is placed at the top of the display.
This Internet browser features smart anti-tracking, and will also warn you if websites are trying to steal your data. It also features filters for content blocking, which makes browsing safer. A QR code reader is built into the browser, while you have access to a full-blown Download Manager. Standard Internet browser features are also a part of the package, including favorites, history, and so on.
Tor
- Price: Free to download
- In-app purchases: No
- Size: Varies with device
- Google play rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Tor Browser is an Android browser supported by the Tor Project. This browser is mainly focused on privacy, so that you’re completely free to browse the web. The developer swear that this browser will always be free, though that donations are appreciated. It’s also a non-profit app, which is great. This browser blocks trackers automatically, it clears cookies automatically when you’re done browsing.
Tor Browser also prevents someone watching your connecting from knowing what websites you visit. It has multi-layered encrypting. Your traffic is relayed and encrypted three times, as it passes over the Tor network. That network is comprised of thousands of volunteer-run servers, also known as Tor relays. You are also free to access sites your local internet service provider may have blocked.
The design of the app is exactly what you’d expect. It’s simple, and that’s a good thing. It’ll look like basically any other modern browser app, for the most part. You do have some options in the settings, but don’t expect to have all the features other apps offer. The main benefit this browser offers is the ultimate privacy.
The post Top 12 Best Android Internet Browsers – Updated December 2021 appeared first on Android Headlines.
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