Best Secure Browsers

UC Browser is one of the most versatile mobile browsers, but it’s also one of the least secure on the market. It’s so insecure that it’s common to read users’ complaints that they got viruses on their device after installing the app.

Unfortunately, most of the time, there is a trade-off between convenience and security/privacy. UC Browser might be an extreme case, but there are features we use every day that are not as private as we think – Google search browsing being one of them. A built-in feature present in almost every Chromium-based browser whose objective is to scan the websites you are visiting to make sure they don’t contain malware. Helpful? Yes. However, at the same time, the feature sends all your visited links to Google services. The same happens with the autocomplete searches and URL functions, suggestions for similar web pages, and the list continues.

Furthermore, extensions can also install malware on your computer or follow your footsteps online. It’s essential to be careful of what you add to your browser, especially when it offers a free service. As the saying goes, when it’s free, you’re the product.

There are several ways a browser can leak your information. However, the most usual is through HTTP connections, extensions, WebRTC, and fingerprinting.

Websites that offer an HTTP connection are not secure since there’s no encryption. Therefore, all the information is sent through plain text. As you can imagine, this is prone to man-in-the-middle attacks where the hacker intercepts the connection. Most browsers tell you when you’re not on a secure website, though only some enforce HTTPS encryption.

Installing add-ons on your browser can be tempting, but don’t forget – that’s the main way that browsers leak data. Recently, millions of users saw their data leaked due to the use of extensions that logged their browsing information. Some of the names under those extensions are Branded Surveys, Fairshare Unlock, and PanelMeasurent. WebRTC enables real-time communication directly in a browser without the need for a plug-in. However, this process can even bypass VPNs and leak your IP address.

Even if you block everything and don’t let anyone track you, there is still a way that websites will be able to pinpoint your browsing activity – through fingerprinting. This technique takes small pieces of information that alone may seem entirely random such as your screen size, browser version, etc. However, by combining everything, websites can create a profile and still follow what you’re doing online.

Although Chrome and Firefox are working on releasing paid plans of their browser services, it may seem strange for us to think about paying for a service that has always been free. However, if we take into consideration what new features it will unlock, you can see why this may become normal in the future. Of course, things will depend on how companies decide to push their paid services and pricing strategies.

For the time being, Puffin is one of the few browsers that offers an entirely paid browser service for $1 per month, and it’s one of the best browsers in the industry. Puffin renders websites on the cloud before sending them to your computer. Due to this, it’s extremely fast while having one of the lowest computer resources consumption on the market. Furthermore, it compresses all web pages, saving you around 90% of internet bandwidth. The latter can actually save you some money with your internet provider, especially on mobile.

There is another reason why paying for a browser completely changes the game. Instead of a user, you’ll become a customer and, therefore, you’ll be treated as one. This means better customer service, no targeted advertising, and, hopefully, more privacy and security.