Who makes the best mobile browser? We’ll compare mobile versions of Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari and Opera to find out.
Since your mobile browser is your lifeline to information wherever you are, speed, security, privacy and ease-of-use are the keys to a good experience. So which one is the best mobile browser? Let’s compare the top players — and see which one best suits your needs.
Which mobile browser keeps things confidential?
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| Private Browsing mode |  |
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| Blocks third-party tracking cookies by default | |
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| Blocks cryptomining scripts | |
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| Blocks fingerprinting scripts | |
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| Blocks social trackers | |
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| Dashboard to review blocked trackers | |
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At a minimum, your mobile browser should provide some version of “private browsing mode,” which automatically deletes your history and search history. In this area, all five of the browsers compared here score points.
Another mobile feature that should be a given is the ability to prevent web sites and companies from tracking your browsing and shopping data — even in normal browsing mode.
Blocking third-party trackers isn’t just important for privacy — it also helps pages load much faster, without those pieces of code attaching themselves and slowing your browser down.
From the chart above, it’s obvious Firefox offers the most complete privacy and security toolset of the five browsers and provides a dashboard overview of your overall security and privacy online.
What can your browser do for you?
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| Autoplay blocking | |
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| Tab browsing | |
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| Bookmark manager | |
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| Automatically fills out forms | |
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| Automatically fills out payments | |
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| Search engine options | |
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| Text to speech | |
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| Reader mode | |
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| Spell checking | |
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| Web extensions/Add-ons | |
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| Dark Mode | |
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| Desktop Mode | |
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| Find on page | |
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| Image Search | |
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| Voice Search | |
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| Add to Homescreen | |
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| News Feed | |
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| In-app VPN | |
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A main ingredient to a well-made browser is its functionality. What can it do? Almost all five browsers are equal when it comes to tabs, bookmarks, auto-completion of fields, but only Firefox and Safari offer add-ons/extensions, which are kind of like apps for your browser to make it more private, powerful or just more fun.
Does your browser play well with other devices?
| Synchronisation | |
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| OS availability | |
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| Mobile OS availability | |
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| Synchronises with mobile | |
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| Password management | |
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| Primary password | |
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The mobile version of Safari, which is pre-installed on Apple’s mobile devices, is only compatible with other Apple devices like iPad and Mac laptops. Firefox, Chrome and Opera work across all platforms including iOS, Android, Windows, Mac and Linux, with the exception of the Edge browser which isn’t compatible with Linux-based devices.
Almost all of the mobile browsers compared here allow complete synchronisation between mobile and desktop devices.
The good news for iPhone users is that Apple has recently allowed iPhone users to choose their own default browser, so now users can synchronise their devices across platforms if, for example, they install Firefox on their iPhone and Windows PC.
Based on the criteria we outlined — privacy, features, and synchronisation — there’s really only one mobile browser that satisfies all three, and that’s Firefox. While similar in the features and synchronisation categories, Firefox stands apart in privacy, because we feel it’s the essential component that allows you to just enjoy the internet — exactly the way you like it.
Our recommendations aside, finding the browser that’s right for you will always depend on your individual needs and what you value most as you navigate online.
The comparisons made here were done so with default settings and across browser release versions as follows:
Firefox (84) |
Chrome (87) |
Edge (45.11.1) |
Safari (14) |
Opera (61)
This page updated semi-quarterly to reflect latest versioning and may not always reflect latest updates.
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