Can you browse the net anonymously? With increasing concerns about the loss of online anonymity, it is no wonder that users are queuing up for private browsing. Especially on shared computer systems where anyone can keep tabs on your browsing habits. With a VPN, however, your data is unseen, unsaved, untraceable. Anonymous browsers like Kingpin rules out accidental identity exposure and helps you browse in peace.
Which browser is best for private browsing?
All private networks are not created equal, so here’s a list of the 5 best anonymous browsers:
#1. Kingpin Private Browser (Mac, Windows)
As a browser, it has a full set of features and is much faster than Chrome. Let's check out the most useful features of this private browser:
- Incognito by Default: The browser launches in incognito mode so you can go undercover from the get-go. Every time you visit a website or fill a form, you leave some amount of date over there and your IP, location, or site preferences, can be traced back to you. Unless you've gone Incognito. Then it just means you're no one and once you close a tab it is impossible to see your history.
- The KINGPIN BUTTON: A one-touch button to swiftly hide all your open tabs on the browser, in case unwelcome visitors come calling. If you are in a hurry to cover your screen, look no further.
- 4-Digit PIN-protected browsing: Reopen all your tabs by using a secure four-digit PIN. This ensures that no one can snoop on you in your absence. You can use the same pin to close and open your tabs if you feel you need a smarter way to secure your account.
- AdBlock: A permanent AdBlock element helps you enjoy smooth browsing by keeping ads and recommendations at bay.
- Passwords, browsing history, data, forms, and cookies are not saved on it. Once your browsing session is up, your account is wiped clean.
- Disabled Extensions: These files can not only slow down your system but also compromise security features. By disallowing extensions the browser keeps itself light and efficient.
- No URL is auto-completed; no recommendations are shared by data-hungry sites.
The Kingpin browser functions as a virtual private network. Confidentiality is assured and chances of privacy loss, minimized. It is available for both Mac and Windows. All in all, with the Kingpin Browser, you can safely perform online transactions, look up private medical conditions, go on virtual dates, and view age-restricted content. It also offers a robust defense against malware.
#2. Tor Browser (Windows, Mac, Linux)
This browser uses a network of servers to conceal where the data originated. Used extensively by government agencies, the Tor browser is one of the safest bets when it comes to going undercover. Let's see what this has to offer privacy-conscious users:
- Relay networks: Tor likes to bounce your private information from multiple relays. Such a series of networks effectively masks user location. Strong communication between several proxy networks enables users to share data securely.
- Fits in a USB: There's no need to install this browser on your device. Simply save it on your USB stick and use it as you would any other file stored on an external drive.
Drawbacks
Users often complain that Tor is too slow to use for a round of quick or even extended periods of browsing. This harkens back to the fact that the traffic follows a long, winding route, passing through proxy networks. Another loophole is that the browser might have potential links to the government. Still, further, it is given to blocking scripts. As a result, websites may not fully function for user benefit.
#3. Brave Browser (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)
The browser displays on your screen a list of security tools and security results in real-time. This is perhaps the most useful aspect of this open-source software. It gives you a sense of security when ads and intrusive websites are blocked by the minute. It offers a solid defense against ransomware.
Another handy feature is its speed. Brave is quite fast, loading pages almost fifty times faster than some of the more popular browsers.
Besides, users can operate multiple accounts on multiple sites through it without exposing themselves. It prevents data belonging to one account from trickling into another.
#4. Epic Browser (Windows and Mac)
Another browser making the cut is Epic. It is a chromium-based, open-source software that offers moderate degrees of privacy to users. On an average browsing session, Epic can block more than five hundred attempts at data collection, tracking, and fingerprinting.
Just like other private browsers, it can restrict ads and recommendations so you can experience a browsing session free from useless distractions. Once the session is over and you have closed the application, Epic erases all traces of third-party cookies from Flash or Silverlight, caches, passwords, history, and connected databases. It also blocks DNS pre-fetching.
#5. SRWare Iron
Emerging out of the common pool of Chromium-backed browsers, Iron bears striking resemblance to Chrome in its user interface but the similarities stop there. Its popularity draws from the fact that it combines some of the best features of Chrome without hurting user privacy by sending data to Google, unlike Chrome. SRWare Iron does not require any identification from users, much against the workings of Chrome.
However, users often see red in a slew of dubious extensions that exist by default. In addition, Iron also seems to be unable to prevent ads from showing up. However, its ad-blocking feature can be fine-tuned and auto-update element, deactivated.
The Bottom Line
It is difficult to find reliable private browsers that fulfill the several privacy promises they make to users. It is also tricky to find browsers that allow private browsing in the first place. The thing to remember is there is hardly any browser that offers absolute protection against tracking. Yet, a few of them like the Kingpin Private Browser ensures that user data is not leaked for the benefit of third parties.