# Onion Browser — Secure, anonymous web with Tor

> Free, open-source Tor browser for iOS enhancing online privacy and security. (iPhone/iPad app by Mike Tigas.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/onion-browser/id519296448 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Mike Tigas](https://appshunter.io/developer/519296451)
- Category: Utilities, Productivity
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 3.20/5 from 2,118 App Store ratings · 402 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 83 MB
- Languages: American English, Albanian, Arabic, Bangla, Khmer, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, Finnish and 28 more
- Released: 2012-04-25
- Data updated: 2026-08-27
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/onion-browser/id519296448/reviews.md

## What is Onion Browser?

Onion Browser is the original free and open-source Tor-powered web browser for iOS. Onion Browser helps you access the internet with more safety and privacy, and no extra cost to you.

“The best Tor-related offering on iOS right now is Onion Browser” - The Daily Dot, October 14, 2015.

Featured in: The New York Times, The Guardian, Salon, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, Boing Boing, Lifehacker, Macworld, The Daily Dot, & others.

FEATURES:
• Browse the internet over Tor:
- Protect your privacy from website tracking
- Secure your traffic from insecure wireless networks and ISPs
- Access .onion sites that are only accessible over Tor.

• Fight online tracking: block scripts and automatically clear cookies and tabs, based on your preferences.

• And more privacy-enhancing features!

DISCLAIMERS:
- Web browsing is much slower than through a normal web browser or a VPN because your traffic is encrypted and relayed through the Tor network.

- Onion Browser might not work on networks with advanced network restrictions. If the app does not connect, try using bridges (or a different type of bridge), force-quit, and then restart the app.

- Use of Onion Browser is at your own risk; remember that sensitive data does not always belong on a mobile device.

** Onion Browser is free and open-source software. You can read more about Onion Browser and how to support development of Tor on iOS by visiting onionbrowser.com **

## Key features

- Browse internet over Tor
- Protect privacy from website tracking
- Secure traffic on insecure networks
- Access .onion sites
- Block scripts
- Automatically clear cookies and tabs

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Onion Browser Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Onion Browser Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Large Onion Browser Tip | $9.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Onion Browser?

Overall sentiment: neutral

**Pros**

- 🚀 Fast and stable
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 👍 Recommended by Tor Project
- 💡 Customizable security settings

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent disconnections and reconnections
- 🐛 Unstable and unreliable
- 🐛 Endless permission loops
- 🐛 Bookmarking issues
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Fails to connect to Tor network
- Crashes or freezes when switching apps
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Inability to disable JavaScript completely

**Most requested features**

- Add option to disable JavaScript
- Improve tab management and browsing experience
- Integrate with more privacy-focused search engines
- Allow setting custom default search engine

## Recent user reviews (10 of 402)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/onion-browser/id519296448/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Opera works better

*2026-08-17, version 3.4.0*

These apps do not be supported really.  iOS inat great.

### 1/5 — Nothing good in the dark web

*2026-08-05, version 3.4.0*

Do a little search and it all show illegal contents, do not use this app

### 2/5 — Unuseable

*2026-07-21, version 3.4.0*

This browser is virtually unusable. The phone screen will time out before the webpage will load, and when you wake the phone back up, it wipes the webpage back to the home screen. This is not the way.

### 1/5 — Tor was great until….

*2026-07-20, version 3.4.0*

You are forced to use orbit app which is complete garbage. I hate that you have to give one star instead of none. STAY FAR FAR AWAY FROM THIS APP!

### 3/5 — Best option

*2026-07-09, version 3.4.0*

Simple and straightforward. Thanks👍🏻

### 3/5 — Useful and simple

*2026-07-02, version 3.4.0*

Latest version allows persistent tracking cookies. Hopefully an update will fix this?

### 5/5 — True TOR Browser

*2026-06-29, version 3.3.10*

This is the only app on the App Store that actually uses tor browser and can access .onion URLs. Ironic that it has the lowest ratings of all the apps that claim to do this yet this is the only one that can

### 1/5 — Discussing

*2026-06-27, version 3.3.10*

Discussing

### 3/5 — うーん

*2026-06-16*

よくわからない

### 1/5 — Slow and crashing

*2026-06-10, version 3.3.10*

Latest iPad OS and crashes constantly!

## Frequently asked questions about Onion Browser

### What does Onion Browser do?

Onion Browser is a free and open-source web browser for iOS that uses the Tor network to enhance your online privacy and security. It helps protect your traffic from being monitored by ISPs or unsecured Wi-Fi networks and prevents websites from tracking you.

### How does Onion Browser protect my privacy?

It routes your internet traffic through the Tor network, encrypting it and relaying it through multiple servers to obscure your origin. It also offers features to block scripts and automatically clear cookies and tabs, further reducing online tracking.

### Is Onion Browser free to use?

Yes, Onion Browser is free and open-source software. While the app itself is free, it does have in-app purchases, likely to support its development and the Tor project.

### What are the limitations of Onion Browser?

Web browsing can be significantly slower than with a standard browser or VPN due to the encryption and relaying of traffic through the Tor network. It may also not function on networks with advanced restrictions, and users are advised to use it at their own risk, especially with sensitive data.

### Can I access .onion sites with Onion Browser?

Yes, one of the key features of Onion Browser is its ability to access .onion sites, which are special websites only accessible through the Tor network. This allows for a more private and secure browsing experience for specific content.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.4.1 — 2026-08-21

- Fixed IP leaks during DNS prefetch found by Mysk.
- Updated libevent to 2.1.13.
- Updated Japanese and Pashto translations.

### 3.4.0 — 2026-07-02

- Updated Tor to 0.4.9.11.
- Updated Snowflake to 2.14.1.
- Updated DNSTT to 1.20260501.0.
- Security fix: Elevated link preview security to same as normal tabs.
- Fixed link preview title background in iOS 26.
- Make link preview optional.
- Updated Korean, Japanese and simplified Chinese translations.
- Removed outdated NYT default bookmark. Onion service was discontinued.

### 3.3.10 — 2026-06-08

- Updated Tor to 0.4.9.9. (Contains many security fixes!)
- Updated Korean, Japanese, Croatian amd simplified Chinese translations.

### 3.3.9 — 2026-05-21

- Updated Korean translation.
- Added promotion hint.

### 3.3.8 — 2026-05-19

- Updated Tor to 0.4.9.8.
- Updated DNSTT to 1.20260501.0.
- Updated Korean translation.

## Apps similar to Onion Browser

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Brave Browser & Search Engine](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brave-browser-and-search-engine/id1052879175) | 4.8 (639,376) | Free | Utilities |
| [Private Browser Deluxe](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-browser-deluxe/id1008508212) | 4.5 (13,739) | Free | Utilities |
| [Firefox Fast & Private Browser](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/firefox-fast-and-private-browser/id989804926) | 4.6 (216,300) | Free | Utilities |
| [DuckDuckGo, optional Duck.ai](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duckduckgo-optional-duckai/id663592361) | 4.8 (2,382,152) | Free | Utilities |
| [TOR Browser: The Onion + VPN](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tor-browser-the-onion-plus-vpn/id1144161643) | 4.6 (14,101) | Free | Utilities |
| [Private Browsing Web Browser](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-browsing-web-browser/id368483462) | 4.7 (127,494) | Free | Utilities |

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*