5 browsers that don’t save your history and personal data
- Online privacy has always been a really big concern for everyone, especially after all the major data breach scandals in recent years.
- The main door to the internet is your browser and everyone, from the government, Facebook, Instagram, to Google and Microsoft wants to know what you're doing at all times.
- Thus, using a browser that doesn't track you, doesn't save your history or personal data is crucial. In this guide, we'll explore the best browsers that do just that: protect your online data and privacy.
- This guide is part of our hub dedicated to browsers. Feel free to bookmark it for more useful tips and tricks.
Online privacy is and always was a really big concern for everyone. People want to browse the internet without leaving a trace of private information behind them.
The main door to the internet is your browser and everyone, from the government, Facebook, Instagram, to Google and Microsoft want to know what you’re doing at all times.
What’s your email address, who’s your online friend, what’s your favorite music channel or how many times you access a website, all of them and many more are daily questions that need to be answered.
But where are the answers? Funny you should ask. All of this info and much more is in your browsing history, search history, passwords saved, online purchases, Facebook account, and ads you click.
To even have a hope of preserving your online footprint, you’ll need one of the safest web browsers around and today we’ll talk about the best ones.
- 1
Opera
Opera is the best browser to use if you want to keep your personal data private and prevent third-parties from tracking your online activities.
The team behind Opera really mean it when they say You have the absolute right to privacy and security online. There are three main features that make Opera a privacy-friendly browser: the built-in ad blocker, tracker blocker and VPN.
Opera’s ad blocker detects and blocks ad scripts which translates into faster loading speeds. At the same time, the tool also protects your computer. Malicious ad attacks have increased in frequency in recent years. Opera’s ad blocker can successfully block any type of ads, including malware-loaded ads.
The tracker blocker detects and blocks online trackers thus protecting your personal data. Third-party tracking code and cookies can no longer collect information about your online behavior and activities. By blocking all these trackers, the browser is also able to load webpages faster.
Opera is one of the few browsers with a built-in VPN. You can use this tool to encrypt your connection, hide your IP address or access geo-restriction content.
Interested in downloading Opera? Congrats then! You’ve made the right choice.
- 2
UR Browser
UR Browser is one of your best bets to keep your private information secure. It was created by AdaptiveBee with user security and privacy in mind.
UR is based on Chromium and it’s available for Mac and Windows.
It comes with some amazing security features like an integrated virus scanner, a powerful built-in ad blocker, a built-in VPN, and a completely anonymous private browsing mode.
To encrypt your data, the browser uses HTTPS instead of HTTP which is much more secure. Also, a very important thing to mention is that UR stores databases on their servers.
This way, none of your browsing histories is collected or shared. Furthermore, UR automatically disables things like prediction text on web searches, automatic password filling, and automatic updating to protect your privacy.
Of course, UR Browser is highly customizable with unique home screens, a lot of wallpapers, updated news feed, and many other features that help you make it exactly what you want.
Editor's recommendation
- Fast page loading
- VPN-level privacy
- Enhanced security
- Built-in virus scanner
- 3
Tor Browser
Tor is another great browser heavily focused on user privacy and security. It’s available for Windows, MacOS, and GNU/Linux in 32-bit and 64-bit versions that are constantly updated.
Its main focus is on anonymity. Based on a modified Firefox ESR, it contains things like NoScript and HTTPS-Everywhere.
The browser works in a network that promises to protect a user‘s browsing history, location, messages, and any online personal data from people or bots that perform network traffic analysis.
Tor network is a web of servers operated by volunteers. Their aim is to keep browsing data as secure as it can be. With Tor, you don’t have to worry about browsing history, saved passwords or auto-completion data.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that Tor is the only browser that uses onion services. This means that users can publish websites and other services without revealing the location.
- 4
Waterfox
Waterfox is a 64-bit open source browser based on Mozilla Firefox. It was created in 2011 and it’s available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
The most important difference between Firefox and Waterfox is that the last one has telemetry completely turned off. That means that data collection, startup profiling, sponsored tiles, and Tracking have been removed.
Also, the lack of telemetry helps with the speed of the browser. Without data collection or adds, websites load much faster and everything is smoother.
It can run any plugins and, Firefox add-ons, and any extensions you want.
Rest assured, with Waterfox none of your history, passwords, cookies, and other personal data gets public or shared anywhere.
- 5
Firefox Quantum
Firefox Quantum is the newest version of Firefox. It’s available for Windows, MacOS, Linux, IOS, and Android. It’s also one of the older players in the browser picture.
Firefox wasn’t always the safest, but with this new update, things have changed drastically. It has great privacy protection features, a lot of customization options, regular updates, and good security.
Obviously, it also has a lot of add-ons and extensions that can take the thing to the next level. You can customize it in almost any way you want.
You’ll have to keep in mind that “out of the box” Firefox still has telemetry, but you can easily disable it in the settings. With telemetry turned off, you won’t have to worry anymore.
Of course, there are a few other things you can enable/disable like Tracking protection, geolocation, cookies control, autocomplete, and password protection.
All these features and more can help you create a private and secure environment that will minimize your online trail.
As you can see, there are choices for everyone. Some of the browsers are more advanced, others are simpler. It depends on what you’re looking for. The best all-rounder and the browser we recommend is Opera, followed byUR Browser.
If you have experienced any of these browsers, share your thoughts in the comments section below. If you have any more questions or suggestions, leave them there as well.
FAQ: Learn more about browsers
Can anyone know what I am browsing?
There are plenty of entities that can see what you’re browsing and they include the company owning the browser or the search engine you’re using, your Internet Service Provider, the person who owns the router that manages your Internet connection, the government, and more. Can my search history be tracked through WiFi?
Your browsing history can easily be tracked through WiFi. Routers record logs and search queries and WiFi owners or IT admins can then access that information and see your search history. Does deleting browsing history really deletes it?
Deleting your browsing history from your browser clears all the information related to your search history and browsing activity but it does not delete all the information search engines collected about you. Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in June 2019 and has since been updated for freshness and accuracy.
