10 best browsers for Android

Top computer ratings

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

The power of modern wearable gadgets has long crossed the line beyond which the speed and functionality of web surfing is in no way inferior to desktop computers and laptops. A whole line of Internet browsers has been created specifically for mobile operating systems, which compete with each other in exactly the same way as their 'desktop' counterparts.

Today the editorial staff presents you with a rating of the best and most demanded browsers for the Android mobile OS. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. The findings of our experts will help you make an informed choice.

Rating of the best browsers for Android

Nomination a place Browser rating
The best versions of PC browsers for Android 1 Chrome 5.0
2 Firefox 4.9
3 Opera 4.8
4 Maxthon 4.7
5 DuckDuckGo 4.6
The best original browsers for Android 1 Puffin 5.0
2 UC Browser 4.9
3 Dolphin 4.8
4 Brave 4.7
5 Naked 4.6

The best versions of PC browsers for Android

In a separate nomination, experts have placed a selection of browsers for Android, which have the highest recognition among users. These software products are directly or indirectly derived from browsers for desktop operating systems. In many ways, they inherited the functionality of their desktop 'relatives'.

Chrome

Rating: 5.0

Chrome.jpg

And we'll start with the browser, which at the time of its release for the PC was positioned as the 'fastest'. So it was, by and large, it was, but since then the program has evolved towards expanding functionality, and speed has not become the first priority. But there were other advantages. Let's see how things are going with this in the Chrome browser for Android.

As a Google product, the Chrome browser prompts the user to sign in to their Google account on first launch. And if you have such an account, it makes sense to complete this login. This will automatically sync many payloads on the fly. Chrome for Android is part of a single ecosystem of Google products with all the benefits of integration.

The browser interface has undergone minimal changes over the past five years. It is still minimalistic and does not 'oppress' the user with the abundance of tools available on the facade. In fact, we go straight to the address bar, which is also the search bar. By the way, you can choose the default search engine, it doesn't have to be Google itself.

Despite the outer laconicism, the functionality of Chrome is very rich. It allows you to download content to your device and then view it offline, translate content on the fly into different languages, use handy tools for quick searches, and much more. A real gem in terms of usability in Chrome for Android is the open tabbed menu. The program also allows you to use voice commands.

Despite the fact that according to the latest tests this browser is far from being the fastest, but the speed of rendering web pages remains high and comfortable. This is achieved by preliminary compression of the content without loss of quality up to 60% and good optimization of the program as a whole.

Finally, Google would not be Google if, in the process of interacting with the user, it did not thoroughly study his interests. The benefit for the user is that based on such statistics, Chrome for Android will offer pages with content similar to what was previously viewed. For those who still prefer privacy, there is an incognito mode. Pages opened in this mode are not saved in the request history.

Advantages

  • ease of use;
  • page rendering speed;
  • voice commands;
  • translation of content into different languages ​​'on the fly';
  • easy synchronization of settings, bookmarks and more;
  • individual recommendations;
  • incognito mode;
  • part of the larger Google ecosystem.

disadvantages

  • no full screen mode.

Firefox

Rating: 4.9

Firefox.JPG

The second number in the ranking is the Android version of another super popular Mozilla Firefox browser. The program quite successfully competes with other popular solutions in terms of functionality.

This is actually a full-fledged version of the browser of the same name for desktop OS, with the same wide service capabilities and decent potential for installing extensions. All the benefits of open source can be seen here.

During the first installation, the browser will prompt you to synchronize settings, saved passwords, browsing history, bookmarks and other data with other devices. Alternatively, this can be done at any other time.

The Firefox interface for Android is quite convenient in itself, but in addition, the browser also offers the user a wide field for customization. You can customize almost anything – from skins and general style to performance. Most importantly, this browser is one of the most correct in terms of rendering web pages. In any case, he is the best at making text fit the width when scaling.

An extremely handy, almost invaluable feature is tab sending. With its help, you can easily and quickly exchange open tabs between a wearable gadget and a desktop computer.

Like Google Chrome, it has a private browsing mode. In this mode, no history is saved, cookies are cleared after the session ends, and tracking protection works during browsing. You can also turn off ads here, which also mostly follow users and collect data.

Firefox is one of the most popular Android browsers today. But recently the program has been updated rather poorly, and, as it turned out, for a reason. Mozilla decided to take drastic measures and “transplant” users to a completely new browser – Firefox Focus. The release took place just a couple of months ago, and the program is still too 'raw' to draw any conclusions on it, but the start is promising.

Advantages

  • simple synchronization;
  • function of sending tabs;
  • privacy and ad blocking mode;
  • many available extensions;
  • ample opportunities for customization;
  • correct and flexible rendering of pages.

disadvantages

  • loses in speed of work to the closest competitors.

Opera

Rating: 4.8

Opera.png

The third position in our ranking is dedicated to one of the most 'stylish' browsers. When Opera first appeared, there were no smartphones, and the Internet was slow and expensive. The main declared advantage of Opera at that time was traffic saving. Since then, this factor has lost its relevance, but the browser itself has not lost its relevance, having reoriented to other priorities.

From the very beginning to this day, Opera has been characterized by a stylish and comfortable design in its various guises. In the Android version, this is also expressed, although the overall minimalism does not provide many opportunities for personalization.

Convenient function to add your favorite or frequently visited sites to your home screen for quick access. Certain sites in Opera for Android can even send push notifications similar to apps.

The browser displays sites quite correctly and scales well. The automatic text wrapping function does not always cope with its task, but in general the results are good.

A separate interesting feature is the smart news feed. Allows you to view news channels, subscribe to the most noteworthy, save individual materials locally for later reading.

Like the PC version, Opera for Android has an effective ad blocker built in. The function works almost imperceptibly for the user, and the benefits of it are significant. And it's not only about getting rid of intrusive flickering ads, but also about increasing the speed of loading and rendering pages.

The initial advantage of Opera – saving traffic – although it has lost its relevance, it has not gone anywhere in the new versions of the browser, including for Android. If you are suddenly 'lucky' to get into the range of slow networks, this mode will come in handy.

Finally, privacy. In this respect, everything is implemented in the best way in Opera. In addition to incognito mode, like the two programs described above, Opera is also appreciated by users for having its own built-in VPN service.

Advantages

  • speed of work;
  • saving traffic;
  • correct display of pages;
  • smart news feed;
  • built-in VPN;
  • built-in ad blocking.

disadvantages

  • annoying news aggregators (disabled).

Maxthon

Rating: 4.7

Maxthon.jpg

Now, in the rating of the best browsers for Android 2019 according to the version, we will consider another interesting solution, which after the last update is called Maxthon MX5 Mobile.

Initially, when this browser was only created for desktop OS Windows, its core was the engine of the most commonplace Internet Explorer. But a huge number of useful add-ons made Maxthon the most powerful multifunctional browser that has nothing to do with IE.

Now Maxthon for Android is primarily a cloud browser that allows you to take full advantage of information synchronization in the cloud. All notifications, bookmarks, tabs, even downloads – everything is synchronized in the cloud between a wide variety of platforms. Inconsistencies may appear at moments, but only in fragments.

Maxthon is also appreciated by users for its rich functionality and sometimes even unique features. It supports HTML5, has a reading mode, a convenient download manager (sorting, scheduled downloads, etc.).

It also has a secret mode for browsing pages in incognito mode without saving any traces of such activity.

User loyalty is promoted by a user-friendly tabbed design and easy access to additional features. And everything in this browser would be fine if it weren't for the strange approach of developers to scaling tools. The zoom buttons are disabled by default. They can only be activated if you specifically ask this question. But what is not there at all is the multi-touch gesture zoom. This is strange and inconvenient, but it is a fact.

Today Maxthon is one of the most adapted browsers for Android for comfortable viewing of web content (if not for an incomprehensible flaw in terms of zooming). It competes quite confidently with the 'Big Three' described above. With all these advantages, Maxthon demonstrates unexpectedly decent performance.

The browser is provided for use on a completely free basis, without the need for indirect viewing of advertising.

Advantages

  • cloud browser;
  • user-friendly interface;
  • speed of work;
  • many useful add-ons;
  • there is an incognito mode;
  • nice design;
  • built-in rss reader.

disadvantages

  • pages cannot be scaled with multitouch.

DuckDuckGo

Rating: 4.6

DUCKDUCKGO.png

The top five of the rating of the best browsers for Android in 2019 according to the version is completed by a special software product, which, due to its specifics, has earned this place according to the decision of our experts.

DuckDuckGo was originally 'just' a search engine. But this system was completely original, and its main mission, which the developers emphasized, was to create complete privacy and anonymity for the user. This was to be the exact opposite of the top search engines, which collected a ruthless dossier on every visitor. The project was crowned with success, and over time the system grew to a separate application, and then a mobile one – DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser.

Security control of personal information in the process of using the browser is carried out continuously. So, the system automatically and without options blocks advertising trackers, including the most hidden ones. The connection from the site is carried out using forced encryption, thereby hiding data even from Internet providers.

DuckDuckGo allows the user to personally control the level of security of each site in terms of potential leakage of personal data. Thus, the program ranks each visited site on a scale from A to F and displays the result immediately. You can open the details of the information and see in detail who exactly and in what way is trying to monitor user activity, and what tools and methods the browser uses to prevent this.

Otherwise, DuckDuckGo is a convenient and fairly fast browser for Android, equipped with all the necessary functions, including opening tabs, saving bookmarks, and even the function of auto-filling forms.

A bonus to all security features is the 'Fire' softkey – with one click, you can destroy all tabs and data from the last session in no time.

Advantages

  • forced encrypted connection to sites;
  • automatic blocking of advertising trackers;
  • rating of sites by the degree of security;
  • detailed information on tracking attempts and methods of protection;
  • fire button.

disadvantages

  • there are no complaints about the browser's security specialization.

The best original browsers for Android

The second nomination of the rating of the best browsers for Android in 2019 according to the version includes a selection of five applications that serve as a good alternative to the representatives of the 'mainstream' described above. And these are by no means dubious products, but quite functional browsers enjoying serious and growing popularity.

Puffin

Rating: 5.0

Puffin 2.png

First, consider a relatively young browser, which in a short time managed to surprise many, even the most picky users and meticulous testers, showing outstanding performance indicators.

Puffin creates a pleasant impression from the very first minutes of use. Its interface is not overloaded with add-ons, add-ons and links, it is quite easy to use. You can also deliver any number of useful add-ons from a very wide range to the browser. This browser also knows how to quickly, easily and conveniently interact with cloud services. For those who need it, Puffin even has a built-in console.

However, the main potential of this browser for Android is its unprecedented speed. The secret here lies in a special approach to receiving and processing data. Namely, all work is done through a shared architecture. So, to improve the performance of the resulting download (what the user actually sees on his screen), some of the data processing is performed on cloud servers. The results are transmitted to the device via an encrypted channel. This distribution gives such an unprecedented result of real speed, and not pseudo-acceleration, as other browsers can do, trivially using the cache.

However, this approach is not without its drawback. Since some of the work is done in the clouds, interaction with sites can also partly come from the clouds. Some sites may 'dislike' the IP addresses of cloud servers – they will interpret them as proxies and restrict user access.

Otherwise, Puffin is a convenient and functional browser for Android. It comes with Adobe's Flash Player for related content. Has its own on-screen keyboard, virtual touchpad and gamepad.

For a long time, Puffin was distributed under a free license, but recently the developers' policy has changed, and the browser has become a paid browser for all categories of users with a 30-day trial period.

Advantages

  • elegant and uncluttered interface;
  • download speed guaranteed by developers;
  • many useful additions;
  • built-in support for cloud services;
  • the fastest browser for Android today;

disadvantages

  • disadvantages of using proxy servers.

UC Browser

Rating: 4.9

UC Browser.jpg

The second number in the selection of the rating of alternative 'mainstream' browsers for Android according to the version is an interesting and in its own way unique solution, which is rapidly gaining popularity – UC Browser.

When the browser is opened, the user is presented with a rather minimalistic interface with a characteristic addition – instant drawing of an information feed. Hot news, humor, interesting from social networks and other operational content are displayed here. Sources can be customized as you like. The address bar is located, as usual, at the very top.

Browser functions are navigated through a convenient top menu. There is also a settings button, the address bar itself, as well as tabs and bookmarks. If necessary, you can enable private mode, and then visiting sites will not leave traces anywhere, exactly the same as it happens in all previous browsers.

Simple surfing on the Internet in UC Browser is not particularly remarkable until the moment you come across an online video. This is where it will become noticeable how fast and without lags the video will start and will be played even on a mediocre hardware of a smartphone or tablet. Extremely convenient tools for adjusting sound and brightness will also be available here.

Among other things, UC Browser allows you to install add-ons and supports the installation and configuration of individual themes.

Advantages

  • correct display of sites;
  • convenient navigation;
  • fast online video playback with convenient adjustment;
  • live tape;
  • there is an incognito mode;
  • support for themes.

disadvantages

  • does not always interpret Javascript correctly and stably.

Dolphin

Rating: 4.8

Dolphin.png

The third number in this part of the rating is another popular mobile browser for Android, which this year celebrates its anniversary – 10 years since the first release. In addition to everything necessary and useful, it also has some individual characteristics, for which an actively growing audience prefers it.

The interface design is minimalistic, like most 'normal' browsers for Android, but with its own individual pleasant twists. User's bookmarks are displayed directly on the home page in the form of stylish round icons. You can sort bookmarks by folder. The address bar is located at the top. Tabs are also displayed there, which, if desired, can be hidden with one button.

Dolphin can switch to full screen mode and back to desktop mode, displaying the full version of the page. Special thanks to the developers for the 'Night Mode', in which not only the interface, but the sites themselves are displayed in muted colors. Another feature of Dolphin is the simple switch to 'No pictures' mode – extremely useful for slow networks. It is also easy and simple to turn the 'Incognito' mode on and off.

The browser supports add-ons. They are downloaded directly from Google Play and installed as standalone apps.

An important feature of this browser for Android is a flexible settings system. Here, the user has the widest field for experimentation: adjusting the fit of pages, adjusting the scrolling speed, flash games mode, adjusting the scaling, blocking pop-up windows, smart cache and much more.

Probably the most notable feature of Dolphin is its emphasis on gestures. The browser allows you to independently create your own gestures for launching certain functions. The gestures themselves can literally be drawn in a special window and an action can be attached to it. An extremely convenient and elegantly implemented function.

Finally, the developers of the browser have provided even effective voice control – Dolphin Sonar.

Advantages

  • ease of use;
  • nice design;
  • many flexible settings;
  • add-on support;
  • successfully implemented 'Night mode';
  • custom gestures;
  • voice control.

disadvantages

  • no serious systematic and objective complaints from users were found.

Brave

Rating: 4.7

Brave.png

Now let's give a place in the rating to the browser for Android, which is notable for the fact that it was developed by none other than Brendan Icke – the creator of the Mozilla browser, and earlier – the developer of the JavaScript programming language (!), Without which the modern Internet is practically unthinkable.

The main idea of ​​Brave at the time of its creation was to effectively block ads and all unnecessary things that annoy users so much, as well as to protect personal data. It would seem that the idea is by no means new, but Ike realized it with the manifestation of all his talent.

Initially, Ike was 'original' and the first versions of the browser came out with an unusual interface using floating windows of loaded pages. Feedback turned out to be mostly negative and subsequent versions were released in the traditional interface form factor.

In general, it turned out to be a convenient, fast and functional browser, which quickly gained popularity. The developers deserve special thanks for the excellent optimization of the application – the browser is extremely prudent in terms of mobile traffic consumption, and especially in terms of battery consumption – a sore spot for any Android.

However, the main ones still remain Brave's functions aimed at privacy and getting rid of annoying ads. For example, it supports encryption via HTTPS Everywhere, effective protection against phishing, blocking scripts, filters for potentially malicious software, and uses fingerprint authentication. Easily and easily blocked ads and cookies.

Advantages

  • speed of work;
  • ease of use;
  • advanced tools for blocking ads and protecting personal data;
  • economy in terms of traffic and energy consumption.

disadvantages

  • not as rich in functionality as that of its closest competitors.

Naked

Rating: 4.6

Naked.jpg

And at the end of the rating of the best browsers for Android 2019 according to the version, we will consider a solution that our experts have placed in a review especially for those users who are in no hurry to buy a new smartphone, meanwhile, while the gluttony of Internet content in relation to hardware is growing rapidly .

Naked Browser is practically the simplest and fastest modern browser that provides comfortable web surfing on old smartphones. True, one has to put up with natural limitations, but in this context it is inevitable and is not regarded as a disadvantage.

Any custom menu, like other browsers for Android, is not provided here. All control is carried out with simple gestures. Even as the main component of web surfing, WebView is used here – part of the Android operating system itself.

Naked Browser does not try to infiltrate all corners of the smartphone at once and pull out all possible information – messages, contacts, etc., as almost all modern browsers do.

All this minimalism still has some field for additional actions. All browser features, some of which may be interesting and useful, are contained in the settings section.

Advantages

  • minimum system requirements;
  • rapid speed of work;
  • control of the simplest gestures;
  • does not require access to other resources (contacts, etc.).

disadvantages

  • the functionality is reduced to the minimum possible (an inevitable consequence of the idea itself).


Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

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