Online privacy is under constant pressure, and choosing the right private browser matters for anyone who wants to protect personal information. Whether you are working with sensitive data, shopping online or banking, the right browser can cut down what is stored and shared about you. Below are ten private browsers and privacy tools for phones and computers, and what each one is good for.
We make Incognito Browser. Because it is on this list, we have not ranked the list. The entries are in alphabetical order, and we say plainly where other browsers do more than ours. Details about other products come from their makers’ own websites, checked in October 2026. Two entries are browser extensions rather than full browsers, and we have labeled them.
- Brave (Android, iPhone and Desktop)
- DuckDuckGo Browser (Android, iPhone, Mac and Windows)
- Epic Privacy Browser (Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone)
- Firefox Focus (Android and iPhone)
- Ghostery Tracker & Ad Blocker (Browser Extension)
- Incognito Browser (Android)
- Opera (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone)
- Private Internet Access (PIA) Browser Extension (Chrome and Firefox)
- Tor Browser (Windows, Mac, Linux and Android)
- Waterfox (Windows, Mac, Linux and Android)
| Browser or tool | Platforms | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Brave | Android, iPhone, desktop | Blocking ads and trackers by default |
| DuckDuckGo Browser | Android, iPhone, Mac, Windows | Tracker blocking by default and one-click data deletion |
| Epic Privacy Browser | Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone | Built-in blocking and an always-private option |
| Firefox Focus | Android, iPhone | Quick private sessions you can erase with one tap |
| Ghostery (extension) | Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera, Brave | Blocking trackers and ads in the browser you already use |
| Incognito Browser | Android only | Private tabs, with history, cookies and sessions wiped when you exit the app; a built-in ad blocker; Web3 addresses |
| Opera | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone | A free VPN built into the browser |
| PIA (extension) | Chrome, Firefox | Hiding your IP address in the browser, for PIA subscribers |
| Tor Browser | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android | Routing traffic through the Tor network and resisting fingerprinting |
| Waterfox | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android | An independent, open-source browser built on Firefox’s engine |
Brave (Android, iPhone and Desktop)
Brave blocks ads by default, and Brave says its Shields feature blocks trackers, cross-site cookie tracking and fingerprinting. It is built on the open-source Chromium engine, and Brave releases its own browser code as open source too. It is a good fit if you want strong blocking without setting anything up, on both your phone and your computer.
DuckDuckGo Browser (Android, iPhone, Mac and Windows)
DuckDuckGo says its browser blocks hidden trackers by default and lets you delete all tabs, history and browsing data in one click. Because it runs on phones and computers, it suits people who want the same privacy setup on every device.
Epic Privacy Browser (Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone)
Epic is a Chromium-based browser from Hidden Reflex. Its website says it blocks ads, trackers and fingerprinting, using a custom uBlock-based ad blocker, and its FAQ says it can run always in private mode, so your browsing data is deleted when you close it. The desktop browser runs on Windows and Mac, and the site also links to Android and iPhone apps. It suits people who want those protections built in rather than added with extensions.
Firefox Focus (Android and iPhone)
Mozilla’s Firefox Focus blocks a wide range of common trackers by default and lets you erase your history, passwords and cookies with one tap. It is a good choice for quick searches and short private sessions on your phone.
Ghostery Tracker & Ad Blocker (Browser Extension)
Ghostery’s main product today is a browser extension that works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera and Brave, on desktop and mobile. It blocks trackers, ads and cookie pop-ups, and its tracker panel shows the trackers it found and blocked on each page. Ghostery also publishes research on trackers through WhoTracks.Me. Ghostery has discontinued its own private browser, so the extension is the way to use Ghostery now. It suits people who want to keep their current browser and add blocking with clear reports.
Incognito Browser (Android)
Incognito Browser is our Android browser, published by CoinCircle, Inc. Every tab uses private browsing mode, and the app wipes history, cookies and sessions when you exit the app. Downloaded files are kept. It has a built-in ad blocker, Agent Cloaking (which masks the browser and device the site sees and can load desktop versions of sites), settings to turn images, JavaScript and cookies on or off, a dark mode, a choice of search engine, and support for IPFS, .eth and .crypto addresses. It is free.
Where other browsers do more: Incognito Browser does not offer tracker blocking by default (Brave, DuckDuckGo and Firefox Focus do) or fingerprint protection (Tor Browser and Brave do). It is not open source (Brave, Tor Browser and Waterfox are). It has no iPhone or desktop version. It is not a VPN and does not hide your IP address. The Google Play Data safety section for the app says it may collect crash logs, diagnostics and other app performance data, for analytics.
It is a good fit if you want an Android browser where private mode is the only mode and your session does not stay on your phone after you exit the app.
Opera (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone)
Opera includes a free, built-in VPN that does not need an account, on both desktop and mobile, according to Opera. It covers activity inside the Opera browser only, not other apps on your device; Opera offers a separate paid VPN Pro for the whole device. It suits people who want to hide their IP address from sites without installing a separate VPN app.
Private Internet Access (PIA) Browser Extension (Chrome and Firefox)
This one is not a browser. PIA’s extensions for Chrome and Firefox reroute your browser traffic and hide your IP address, according to PIA. They protect only your browser traffic, not other apps; PIA’s full VPN app covers the whole device. You need a PIA subscription to use them. PIA also says the Chrome extension can block known trackers, ads and malware. It suits people who already pay for PIA and want a quick way to change their browser’s location.
Tor Browser (Windows, Mac, Linux and Android)
Tor Browser sends your traffic through the Tor network, where it is relayed and encrypted three times, according to the Tor Project. It isolates each site so third-party trackers and ads cannot follow you, clears cookies when you finish browsing, and aims to make all its users look the same to resist fingerprinting. It is free and open source. It can be slower than other browsers, and some sites block Tor traffic. For people who need strong anonymity online, it is the tool built for that job.
Waterfox (Windows, Mac, Linux and Android)
Waterfox is an independent, open-source browser that uses the same Gecko engine as Firefox, so most sites and Firefox extensions work as expected. Its makers say it strips out browser telemetry and adds built-in ad blocking. It suits people who like Firefox but want a browser from a different, independent maker.
