What’s the Best Private Browser?

Private browsers are everywhere, but not all of them are as private as they claim. Some quietly collect your data, while others lack the features you need to stay truly secure online. That makes finding the right one a challenge, whether you’re using a PC, Mac, iPhone, or Android device.

The good news? You don’t need to spend hours testing browsers to figure it out. We’ve done the hard work for you. Here’s a list of the six best private browsers for 2025, why we recommend them, and how you can make any browser more secure with a VPN.

The 6 Best Private Browsers for 2025

Not every browser delivers the privacy and security it promises. That’s why we’ve narrowed it down to the top six private browsers you can trust. These options block trackers, enhance your online privacy, and help protect your sensitive information. They’re all free to use and work across major platforms like macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows.

Here’s what makes each one stand out—and what to keep in mind before choosing your new go-to browser.

1. Firefox

Firefox is one of the most secure and reputable private browsers. It’s open-source and has multiple privacy and security features. While it doesn’t mask your IP address or location like a VPN does, it does hide your activity from websites. 

You can opt out of most forms of data collection and Firefox offers Private Browsing mode to prevent anyone from seeing your browsing history. If you activate Total Cookie Protection, websites’ cookies are put into separate web containers to stop cross-site data sharing. 

You can also enable the Enhanced Tracking Protection Standard (ETPS), which is the kind of feature you’d expect from the people who developed the Do Not Track option for web browsers. ENTPS blocks social media trackers, crypto miners, and fingerprinters. It also prevents sites from tracking the content you view while using a Private Window. 

Encrypted Client Hello (ECH) encrypts your initial contact with a site to make it harder for others to track which sites you visit. Firefox also offers HTTPS-only, which forces websites to use the HTTPS version of their site if one is available.

Although it works well on all major devices, Firefox is one of the best private browsers for Android. The app is lightweight and can be optimized to preserve your battery life. Unlike many browsers, its extensions are available on mobile, too. 

2. DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo has some solid features, including a Fire button that automatically closes tabs and clears your browsing data with a single tap. 

You can use its Privacy Essentials extension to block third-party trackers, force sites to use HTTPs-only and switch to privacy focus mode. 

It offers automatic cookie consent management and encrypts all data between you and DuckDuckGo. The browser also takes steps to prevent third parties from viewing your IP address but doesn’t technically “hide” it like a VPN would. 

You can use a VPN to hide your IP address when using DuckDuckGo and the browser won’t log any of your VPN activity. It also won’t log your search history or personal data. It does show you ads based on keywords you search for. Although a little disappointing, this is less intrusive than most targeted ads. 

It blocks ads on the pages you visit, but you will see ads on its search engine as that’s how the company earns revenue. To balance out these ads, it offers a media player that allows you to watch YouTube without Google Ads interrupting.

3. Vivaldi

Freelancers and small business owners looking for a good private browser can find it in Vivaldi. The Workspaces feature lets you conduct group-related browsing sessions and provides end-to-end encryption. 

Vivaldi also provides a Private Window to help protect your privacy on multi-user devices. When you use a Private Window, your history and other browsing information is wiped the minute you close the window.

The browser doesn’t hide your IP address, but it has built-in ad and tracker blockers. These help reduce the risk of an attack. Vivaldi includes the option to hide cookie warnings, which hides cookie banners, pop-ups, and dialogs.  

4. The Onion Router (Tor)

Tor puts your traffic through triple-layer encryption before it reaches its destination. It passes through several servers on the Onion network, each of which peels an encryption layer back until the data is finally decrypted on exit. Unfortunately, this is a long process that takes its toll on your speeds, so it’s not suitable for streaming, torrenting, or gaming. 

Tor doesn’t collect any of your browsing data, and the process of shuffling your traffic through multiple servers obscures your original IP address. Tor Project (which includes the Tor browser) argues it’s more than just privacy software. The project says it’s a product built with the help of you and users like you, but initially, it was built with the help of the US government. 

Before you expect the worst, keep in mind the browser is completely open source and welcomes the input of anyone who can improve the code. With the code constantly changing, it’s unlikely that much of what the government helped build is still intact. The organization posts all new releases and development projects, but doesn’t publish a transparency report.

5. Tempest

If you want a fast, user-friendly private browser that rivals the look and feel of more popular browsers like Chrome, Tempest is your best bet. It encrypts your traffic and can hide your IP address, too. 

To block ads and trackers, you simply need to enable the feature in your blocking settings under preferences. The ads you see are based on keywords you search for, not your exact browsing history – the same as with DuckDuckGo.

The browser doesn’t collect, store, or share raw data, but it does share some anonymized data with Bing. Ideally, it wouldn’t share any of your data, even anonymized, but many private browsers do. 

You’re in luck, however, any extension that works on Chrome will work with Tempest. That means you can download CyberGhost’s free Chrome VPN extension to help ensure your data is secure.

6. Epic

All of your traffic is routed through an encrypted proxy server when you use Epic, so your IP address is masked. It uses DuckDuckGo for online searches and includes a tracker and cookie blocker. 

To protect your privacy, Epic doesn’t provide auto-syncing, spell-check, or autofill. This is because these features often require saving some temporary files on your device. 

Despite being a Chromium-based browser, it removes all of Google’s tracking services and intrusive data collection practices. Epic states that it doesn’t store any personal information or browsing history, but the privacy policy is vague and confusing. It includes the statement “We do not share any data with Yahoo or its related entities,” but Yahoo does “support Epic through a search partnership.” This means it may keep some form of search history.

Comparing the Best Private Browsers for 2025

To help you decide which browser suits your needs best, here’s a quick comparison of the top private browsers we’ve reviewed. This table highlights their key privacy features, compatibility, and any notable drawbacks.

Browser	Key Privacy Features	Compatibility	Notable drawbacks
Firefox	Enhanced Tracking Protection, HTTPS-only mode, Total Cookie Protection, Encrypted Client Hello (ECH)	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Activating too many features can cause website functionality issues.
DuckDuckGo	Fire button to clear data, Privacy Essentials extension, automatic cookie consent management	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS	Does not encrypt search terms, and ads based on search keywords may feel intrusive.
Vivaldi	Ad and tracker blockers, Private Window, Workspaces feature for encrypted group browsing	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Unclear data collection policy raises concerns about long-term privacy.
Tor	Triple-layer encryption, no data collection, IP masking	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android	Slow speeds due to multi-layer encryption; vulnerable at exit nodes without a VPN.
Tempest	Traffic encryption, IP masking, tracker and ad blockers	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS	Limited availability for Android and requires Snap Store for Linux installation.
Epic	Encrypted proxy routing, tracker and cookie blockers, no Google tracking services	Windows, macOS	Confusing privacy policy and vague data-sharing details, particularly related to search partnerships.

How We Chose the Best Private Browsers

First, we looked for top-notch security and privacy features. Then, we checked whether the browsers keep logs, encrypt traffic, hide your IP address, require fees, and offer cross-compatibility. Browsers that provided opt-out options for data collection or didn’t keep any logs were considered first, along with ones that made efforts to hide your location or browsing habits. 

We won’t focus too much on whether or not browsers are built on Chromium. The security and privacy features they provide, and modifications that were made to browsers that inspired them, are the determining factors in whether or not they provide adequate security and privacy.

Is Incognito Mode the Same as Private Browsing?

Many people assume Incognito Mode offers complete online privacy, but that’s not the case. While it can be useful for specific tasks, such as preventing your browser from saving your search history or cookies, Incognito Mode doesn’t hide your activity from the outside world.

Here’s what you need to know:

• • What Incognito Mode Does:
    Incognito Mode stops your browser from saving local data, such as your browsing history, autofill details, and cookies. This is helpful if you’re using a shared device and want to keep your session private from others who use it.
  • What Incognito Mode Doesn’t Do:
    It doesn’t hide your IP address, encrypt your internet traffic, or prevent websites, ISPs, and advertisers from tracking your activity. Your online behavior is still visible to third parties, including the websites you visit, any networks you’re connected to, and your internet service provider.

For instance, if you’re shopping online, the e-commerce site you visit can still track your behavior, even in Incognito Mode. Similarly, your ISP can see which websites you access, and your location is still visible unless you take additional steps to protect your privacy.

Can Private Browsing Be Tracked?

Yes, private browsing can still be tracked. Despite the name, private browsing modes don’t make you invisible online. They stop your browser from saving your search history, cookies, and other session data on your device, but they don’t hide your IP address or encrypt your internet traffic. That means websites, your internet service provider (ISP), and even cybercriminals can still track your activity.

Here’s how private browsing works and why it’s not enough for full privacy:

• • What Private Browsing Does: It clears your session data (like browsing history and cookies) once you close the window. This stops others who use your device from seeing what you were up to. It’s helpful for short-term privacy, like when you’re shopping for a surprise gift or logging into your accounts on a shared computer.
  • What It Doesn’t Do: Private browsing doesn’t hide your online activity from the outside world. Your ISP can still see which sites you visit, advertisers can track you through your IP address, and hackers can intercept unencrypted data.

For true online privacy, you’ll need more than just a private browsing mode — which brings us to our next point…

Make Any Browser More Private with A VPN

No browser is 100% private, but you can find one that offers more privacy and security than browsers like Chrome and Safari. The options above provide more protection against data collection than mainstream options, but they all have vulnerabilities. 

When you install a VPN on your device, you can use any browser more securely. VPNs route your traffic through their secure servers to hide your IP address. They also use strong encryption to make your information completely unreadable if it’s intercepted. All of which only increases your security while using mainstream and private browsers.

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