5 Privacy-Focused Browsers for iPhone and iPad

Quick Tips

• Brave Shields blocks ads, trackers, scripts, and fingerprinters to further enhance privacy.
• Safari prevents cross-site tracking, integrates content blockers, and supports private browsing.
• The Ghostery browser automatically closes all open tabs upon exit and reveals all trackers and scripts used by websites.

1. Firefox Focus

Firefox Focus is an outstanding web browser designed to protect your privacy against online and offline threats. It includes built-in anti-tracking modules for ads, analytics, and social networks, enabled by default. You can switch them off via Settings, though keeping them on is recommended.

For offline threats, you have a trash option that instantly clears your screen. Firefox Focus can also use Face ID or Touch ID for added security, preventing others from reopening the browser and seeing your activity.

However, Firefox Focus has limitations. You can only have one tab open at a time and there is no support for bookmarks, though you can save favorite sites for quicker access.

If Firefox Focus feels too restrictive, you can always try the full-fledged version of Firefox, which features similar anti-tracking modules and a dedicated Private Browsing mode to boot.

2. DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser

DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser (named after the DuckDuckGo search engine) runs in the same vein that Firefox Focus does. It never records any of your browsing activity, thwarts a ton of site trackers by default, and assigns ‘privacy’ gradings — from a scale of A – E — to websites for good measure.

It even features a Toast icon to get rid of whatever is on-screen in an instant, similar to Firefox Focus, but with a cool-looking animation. You can also lock down the browser with Face ID or Touch ID.

DuckDuckGo also gets rid of many of the quirks associated with Firefox Focus. You can use as many tabs as you want and bookmark your favorite sites. It even lets you stay signed in to websites after clearing your browsing data, which is insanely convenient.

But there’s also a downside — you can only ever use DuckDuckGo as the default search engine, and nothing else. DuckDuckGo, as a search engine, is good for privacy, but sometimes, you need to use Google for better and more relevant results. Firefox Focus is better at that with an option to switch between multiple search engines.

3. Brave Browser

Unlike Firefox Focus and DuckDuckGo, Brave can easily double up as both your primary and your privacy web browser. It sports a full-fledged bookmarks manager and a dedicated downloads manager, saves your login information, and even syncs your data between devices. Brave also sports a dark mode, which you can tie into iOS’s system color scheme.

Furthermore, the built-in Brave Shields will easily block privacy-invading ads and trackers, malicious scripts, and fingerprinters. You can also use Face ID or Touch ID to protect the browser from local threats.

To make Brave even more private, you can choose to lock it down in Private Browsing mode, which will automatically clear all browsing data whenever you exit it. Head into Brave Settings, and then turn on the switch next to Private Browsing Mode to do that.

4. Ghostery Privacy Browser

Ghostery Privacy Browser may look a little dated, but it offers excellent protection against online trackers. Ghostery even displays all trackers and scripts that websites use to monitor your behavior. Hint — tap the Ghost icon.

It can also double up as a primary browser — it offers bookmarking and password support. However, it does not let you sync data between devices.

Ghostery also features an aptly titled Ghost Mode (open tab-switcher, and then tap Ghost), which will automatically delete all open tabs whenever you leave it. To stop others from checking in on your browsing activity, you can also restrict the browser with Face ID or Touch ID.

5. Safari

Apple is well-known for its tough stance in favor of user privacy. And perhaps your iPhone or iPad’s built-in browser may just be what you will ever need.

Safari features its own cross-site anti-tracking module (turn on via iPhone/iPad Settings > Safari) to prevent trackers from following you between sites. To further bolster privacy and block even more trackers, you can easily integrate Safari with a content blocker.

To safeguard against local threats, switch to Private mode (tap tab-switcher, and then tap Private). That will effectively restrict the browser to using Private tabs unless you exit the mode. And it stays enabled even if you force-quit the browser and re-open it.