Last checked: October 6, 2026
Disclosure: We make Incognito Browser. This page is published by CoinCircle, Inc., the maker of Incognito Browser. We checked the facts about Samsung Internet against Samsung’s own websites and store listings on October 6, 2026, and Samsung’s open source site on October 15, 2026. Sources are at the end of the page.
How we know: We read Samsung’s official pages, named under Sources. One would not open, so we read an Internet Archive copy. We tested neither browser. Facts about Incognito Browser come from our own records and its Google Play listing.
Short answer: Samsung Internet, which Samsung now calls Samsung Browser, is the stronger choice on four of our nine rows (tracker blocking, fingerprinting protection, sync and platforms); Incognito Browser’s case is narrow: every tab is private without choosing a mode, and it wipes history, cookies and sessions when you exit the app, though downloaded files are kept.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Incognito Browser (Android app) | Samsung Internet, now Samsung Browser (Android) |
|---|---|---|
| Wipes history on exit | Yes. It runs in private mode all the time and wipes history, cookies and sessions when you exit the app. Downloaded files are kept. | In Secret mode only. Samsung says cookies and browsing history are deleted once all Secret mode tabs are closed. Saved pages and bookmarks stay, visible only there. Outside Secret mode the browser keeps a browsing history. Clear-on-exit setting: none listed in Samsung’s pages. |
| Ad blocking | Yes. Built-in ad blocker. | Not built in on Android. Samsung says a third-party ad blocker app has to be installed. |
| Tracker blocking | The free app has a built-in ad blocker. Whether it also blocks tracking domains is not documented. | Yes, built in. Smart anti-tracking blocks cookie access for domains that can track you across sites. Samsung said in 2022 that it is on by default, set to Always, in countries including the United States. Other countries: none listed in Samsung’s pages. |
| Fingerprinting protection | None documented. We claim none. | Listed. Samsung’s release notes list blocking of fingerprinting tracking from August 2021. Default setting: none listed in Samsung’s pages. |
| Hides IP address | No. It has no VPN. Websites and your internet provider can see your IP address. | None listed in Samsung’s pages. Samsung says activity in Secret mode may still be visible to websites and your internet provider. |
| Open source | No. | Not stated for the app as a whole. Samsung’s release notes say the web engine is Chromium, and Samsung lists its contributions to that open source project on GitHub. On October 15, 2026, its open source site listed SBrowser source packages, including versions 17 to 25. |
| Sync / accounts | None listed on its Google Play page. | Sign in with a Samsung account to sync bookmarks, history and settings across devices. Samsung Pass website sign-in on supported Galaxy devices. |
| Platforms | Android only. | Android phones and tablets, not only Samsung’s (Android 10 or later, says Samsung). Windows 10 or later. Galaxy Watch models with Wear OS. iPhone and Mac: none listed in Samsung’s pages. |
| Price | Free. | Free on Google Play and Galaxy Store. Samsung says some third-party ad blocker apps cost a few dollars. |
How we compared: These are the same nine rows we use on our Brave and Tor Browser comparison pages. The Samsung Internet column comes from Samsung’s own pages, listed under Sources. Where those pages do not say, or something about Incognito Browser is not documented, the cell says so.
How they compare
Samsung’s browser does more than Incognito Browser on four of the nine rows. For one everyday browser with bookmarks and sync, choose Samsung Internet.
Samsung builds tracker blocking into the free browser and calls it Smart anti-tracking. Its release notes list blocking of fingerprinting from 2021. You can sync through a Samsung account, and there is a Windows version.
Incognito Browser does less. We do not claim protection against fingerprinting. Agent Cloaking masks the browser and device the site sees. That is not the same thing. Android Authority’s list of privacy browsers says Incognito Browser does not stop sites from tracking you. Incognito Browser is not open source, and it runs on Android only. For a browser that blocks trackers and randomizes your fingerprint by default, see our page on Brave.
One row goes the other way. Incognito Browser has a built-in ad blocker. Samsung says its Android browser needs a third-party app to block ads.
Samsung’s browser keeps a browsing history, and Secret mode is a separate mode you switch to. Samsung says cookies and browsing history are deleted once all Secret mode tabs are closed. Samsung lists a setting to stay in Secret mode after closing the browser, and a password to protect Secret mode data. Its developer site says a fingerprint or iris scan can be used too. Incognito Browser runs in private mode all the time. Every tab is private, and it wipes history, cookies and sessions when you exit the app. Downloaded files are kept.
Incognito Browser does not hide your IP address. It has no VPN. Samsung’s pages list no IP-hiding feature in its browser either. For that job, see our page on Tor Browser.
Google Play’s Data safety section says Samsung’s browser may collect app activity and device or other IDs. It says Incognito Browser may collect crash logs, diagnostics and other app performance data for analytics.
Choose Incognito Browser if…
- You want every tab to be private, with no separate private mode to open.
- You share an Android phone and want a browser that wipes history, cookies and sessions when you exit the app. Downloaded files are kept.
- You want a browser that keeps no browsing history on the device.
- You want fast, multi-threaded downloads and a video downloader (not every video can be downloaded every time).
Choose Samsung Internet if…
- You want tracker blocking built into the free browser.
- You want a browser whose maker lists protection against fingerprinting.
- You want one browser for everyday use, with bookmarks, history and sync through a Samsung account.
- You want the same browser on an Android phone and a Windows PC.
- You want a private mode you can lock with a password, where saved pages and bookmarks stay.
Sources (checked October 6, 2026, except where marked)
- The name: https://developer.samsung.com/browser/android/overview.html and https://developer.samsung.com/browser/release-note/windows-release-note.html
- Secret mode: https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10010475/ , https://www.samsung.com/us/apps/samsung-browser/ , https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10002646/ and https://www.samsung.com/au/support/apps-services/use-samsung-internet/ . Fingerprint or iris: https://developer.samsung.com/browser/android/overview.html
- Browsing history: https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10010562/ and https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10001594/
- Ad blocking: https://www.samsung.com/us/apps/samsung-browser/ and https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10010468/
- Tracker blocking: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sec.android.app.sbrowser . Default by country: https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-internet-17-0-puts-privacy-and-security-front-and-center . The Always setting, from Samsung’s browser developer blog (Internet Archive copy saved November 4, 2023): https://web.archive.org/web/20231104095628/https://medium.com/samsung-internet-dev/samsung-internet-17-0-more-privacy-with-smart-antitracking-and-https-by-default-and-other-features-406f60db4fbc
- Fingerprinting: https://developer.samsung.com/browser/release-note/android-release-note.html and https://developer.samsung.com/browser/blog/en/2021/07/20/introducing-samsung-internet-150-beta
- IP address: https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10010475/
- Chromium and source code: https://developer.samsung.com/browser/release-note/android-release-note.html and https://github.com/Samsung/Chromium . Samsung’s open source site, Release Center, Mobile, Mobile Application, Samsung (checked October 15, 2026): https://opensource.samsung.com/uploadList?menuItem=mobile&classification1=mobile_application&classification2=samsung
- Sync and accounts: https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10001594/ , https://www.samsung.com/us/apps/samsung-browser/ and https://www.samsung.com/us/apps/samsung-pass/
- Platforms: https://www.samsung.com/us/apps/samsung-browser/ , https://www.samsung.com/au/support/apps-services/use-samsung-internet/ , https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sec.android.app.sbrowser and, for Windows, https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-takes-its-browser-beyond-mobile-extending-agentic-ai-across-devices
- Price: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sec.android.app.sbrowser , https://galaxystore.samsung.com/detail/com.sec.android.app.sbrowser and https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10010468/
- Data safety, Samsung’s browser: https://play.google.com/store/apps/datasafety?id=com.sec.android.app.sbrowser
- Incognito Browser: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.androidbull.incognito.browser , its Data safety section, https://play.google.com/store/apps/datasafety?id=com.androidbull.incognito.browser , and https://www.androidauthority.com/best-privacy-web-browsers-android-1084899/
More comparisons
About the author
David Shadrake works on Incognito Browser’s website and its free privacy tools.
