The best secure browsers for privacy in 2024: Expert tested

Brave is our top pick for the best browser for privacy based on its approach to user privacy, ad tracking prevention, the wide range of privacy settings on offer, usability, and speed. That said, since no browser is perfect, you should decide which option suits you best.

A privacy-focused, secure browser automatically erases your browsing and search history and cookies. It also may limit web tracking, and even help hide your location. 

Privacy-focused browsers may also promote virtual private network (VPN) usage and include features designed to bypass censorship blocks and keep you as anonymous as possible, such as via access to onion routing and refusing to log site visits or web searches.

Also: How to delete yourself from internet search results and hide your identity online

If you are concerned about your online privacy, you should install a privacy browser or, at the very least, use an extension made by a privacy browser maker in your current browser.

You should consider using a secure browser if you want to reduce the volume of data collected about you online, if you want to mask your activities, and if you do not want your search queries logged. Each browser offers different features, so research which one fits your needs.

Consider these factors when looking for a secure browser:

• Online identifiers: Check if the browser tracks your activities or website visits. This data can be used to create targeted advertising profiles and track you across different websites.
• Search queries: One of the most significant ways we are tracked online and have profiles compiled based on our interests is through our search engine queries. The most secure browsers do not log these records.
• Revenue: Browser developers, just like any other business, need to make money. One method is to sell user data, search queries, and other datasets. This impacts individual privacy unless there are opt-in and opt-out functions.
• Ad blocking: Some privacy-enhancing browsers block ads by default, but this doesn’t mean that all websites will be clear of ads. If there is a service you access frequently, and you want ad blocking — YouTube, for example — it’s worth checking to see if these ad blockers are circumvented or work effectively on your favorite platforms.
• Audits: The best secure browsers will conduct frequent security audits and have consistent patch releases to fix vulnerabilities and bugs that could expose you. 
• Transparency: The best secure browser developers adopt a transparent approach to user data collection and security.
• Speed vs. security: Some browsers route your traffic through a number of servers to reduce the likelihood of you being tracked. You may have to decide how much of a speed reduction you’re willing to accept. 
• VPN: If you want to use a VPN, consider whether the browser works well with one — or if the browser already offers a built-in solution or supports extensions. Check out our recommendations for the best VPNs in 2024. 
• Mobile support: Not every secure browser has a mobile app, which you should consider if you want to use just one browser across all your devices.

While investigating the best secure browsers for privacy in 2024, we compared each of these browsers and extensions to determine what makes them different and which is best for different use cases. 

• Balance: The balance between managing user privacy and funding a business can be tricky for companies to manage, but as we’ve shown, many developers are willing to embrace user security over potential opportunities to generate more revenue. It is this mindset that sets some browser developers apart.
• User experience: We reviewed customer feedback to ensure that the majority of users find the browsers easy to install and use, and we prioritized options with a long track record of positive user feedback.
• Features: We like to see additional privacy-enhancing features, like onion routing and VPN support. We chose providers who offer more than standard browsing experiences.
• Targeted advertising: We prefer browsers that do not adopt this practice, as it can lead to shadow profiles being generated on their users’ behalf. At the very least, we want users to have a choice in these programs, such as through opt-out mechanisms.
• Tracking defense: At a minimum, we want privacy-based browsers to have a level of defense against user tracking. Preferably, there will also be ad-blocking software working in the background.
• Platform support: We selected browsers offering a range of support for different operating systems and platforms.
• Mobile: We prefer our recommended secure browsers to have mobile apps for Android and iOS, as it’s more convenient to use the same browser across your devices.

If you are concerned about your online privacy, you should install a privacy browser or at least an extension. We have to take responsibility for our own privacy online these days — you can’t rely on companies to do the job for you.

Also: How to delete yourself from internet search results and hide your identity online

A few basics: Download one of the privacy-first browsers listed above that doesn’t log your queries and activities, install a VPN, and use messaging apps with end-to-end encryption. 

Private browsing sessions do not tend to mask your IP address, just like how an incognito window doesn’t hide your IP address if you’re using Chrome. These sessions simply don’t store your browser history, the information you’ve entered into forms, or what permissions you’ve given to sites you’ve visited.

Microsoft Edge, Firefox, and Opera all use a similar form of “anonymous” web window for browsing, but they aren’t truly hiding your online identity.

Also: The best VPN services (and whether it’s worth trying free VPNs)

If you want to block your IP address from being viewed or tracked, you can download a VPN, which masks your IP address so your service provider (or anyone else, for that matter) can’t see what you’re doing.

Honestly? Putting your personal or contact information on social media. If you have your full name, phone number, address, or place of work anywhere on your social media, someone can use it to wreak havoc on your personal accounts.

To prevent this, avoid using your real name online where possible, turn off location tracking, and don’t post about your place of work if you can help it. All it takes is a single piece of personal information for someone with very bad intentions to get a hold of your entire online presence. If you’re posting photos of yourself away from home and on holiday, for example, you’re letting people know your home is vulnerable.

Also: The best security keys

Those innocent-looking name generator memes are another big issue (the ones that have you type out your first pet’s name and your childhood street name to tell you your fortune or personality type). These are answers to common password recovery questions, so by letting the world know that your pet was called Fluffy, you could be handing over all of your personal accounts to internet criminals.

No. Privacy-focused search engines, including DuckDuckGo, Startpage, and Ghostery, do not log your search queries. If you’re wondering how they make money, ads may be shown – but they are not necessarily targeted based on your information. Other search engines may collect information to tailor their results and show you ads.

It can be difficult to remove private information from online search engines, but depending on the nature of the information, it may be possible.

You can use a service like DeleteMe to remove generic data and online accounts, but you may also need to contact website owners directly in some circumstances. You can also send a request to Google, and the company will consider requests on a case-by-case basis.

DuckDuckGo started out as a search engine that did not log your queries or allow advertisers to track you. The search engine is still there, but it is now bolstered by a browser – a feature that fans have been requesting for years.

Like other secure and private browsers on the market, DuckDuckGo isn’t perfect, but the company behind the service has been an advocate for consumer rights and privacy since its inception and offers one of the most private browsing experiences out there.

Private browsing ensures that the logs of your website visits aren’t recorded in the browser’s history. This doesn’t mean that it is private, safe, or kept away from advertisers and trackers. Instead, these functions are device-based and stop logs from being linked to accounts.

For example, if you are Christmas shopping, and you don’t want a loved one to catch wind of their present, a private browsing session is useful. You should also enable it if you’re using someone else’s device.

The amount of data quietly collected on each of us is staggering – and aside from seeing targeted advertisements, you may not realize it. 

The browsers we’ve recommended can tighten up your defenses against tracking and online monitoring, but if they do not match what you are looking for, consider the alternatives below: