Comparison

Plainly vs Balance Browser

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Plainly

Experience web browsing without distractions. This app offers a clean, full-screen interface with minimal controls, allowing you to focus solely on content. It includes features like quick tab switching, passcode protection for privacy, and dark mode.

Highlights
  • Full-screen browsing experience
  • Intuitive tab switching
  • Buttonless interface option
  • Passcode protection for privacy
  • Dark mode support
  • Quick history clearing
Features
Read full description

Plainly is a web browser for browsing your favorite web sites full-screen. No address bars, no toolbars, no status bars – just a small button at the bottom of your screen. - Tap the Plainly button at the bottom of the screen to switch tabs and access navigation options - Two button modes: draggable mode lets you move the Plainly button to wherever you want; quick-switching mode lets you switch between tabs by swiping left and right on the Plainly button. - Buttonless full-screen: Tap and hold with two fingers to completely hide the Plainly button. - Passcode protection: Require a passcode for browsing privately. Plainly will also hide what you're looking at in the app switcher. - And more! Quickly clear browsing history; shortcuts support for launching Plainly on a given tab; pop-up support for websites that require them; and dark mode.

About

Balance Browser

A modern web browser designed for productivity and privacy. It offers built-in tools like notes, AI assistance, split view, and an RSS reader to enhance focus and organization while browsing.

Highlights
  • Productive sidebar with notes, history, and RSS
  • Split View for side-by-side browsing
  • Local AI chat assistant
  • Command Palette for quick actions
  • Reader Mode for distraction-free reading
  • Password Manager
  • Profile separation for work and personal use
Features
Read full description

Balance Browser is a modern web browser that combines fast and native browsing with powerful productivity tools and private AI. Stay focused, organize your work, and browse more efficiently with built-in notes, AI assistance, Reader Mode, Split View, maps, and more. Productivity Command Palette Quickly search browser commands, switch tabs, and perform actions with a single keyboard shortcut. Productive Sidebar Access Notes, History, Downloads, RSS feeds, and your favorite pinned websites from one customizable sidebar. Split View Browse and interact with two websites side by side in a single window. Built-in Notepad Capture ideas, snippets, and to-do lists without leaving your browser. AI Local AI Chat Chat with a private, on-device AI assistant for writing, coding, brainstorming, and everyday questions. Your conversations stay on your Mac. Interactive Map Workspace Extract locations from your open tabs and visualize them on an interactive map. Smart Address Bar Automatically recognizes URLs, domains, and search queries, so you can get where you're going faster. Reader Mode Enjoy a clean, distraction-free reading experiences. RSS Reader Subscribe to RSS feeds and access them directly from the sidebar. Password Manager Securely save and autofill passwords while browsing. Profiles Separate work and personal browsing with independent profiles. Optionally connect an IMAP account to view unread email counts for each profile. Chrome Extension Support Install compatible extensions from the Chrome Web Store to personalize your browsing experience. Flexible Tabs Choose horizontal tabs, vertical tabs, or hide the tab bar entirely to create the browsing experience that works best for you. More Features • Native macOS interface • Privacy controls and content blocking • Native PDF viewer • Customizable homepage • User Agent switching Balance Browser is designed for people who spend their day on the web and want a browser that helps them stay productive, organized, and focused.

Screenshots

Plainly4 screens
Balance Browser3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Balance Browser at Free against Plainly's $0.99. Balance Browser also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 months). Plainly's advantage is iOS requirement (16.6 vs 26.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Balance Browser is free to download; Plainly costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Plainly ships an update every 9 months, Balance Browser every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Plainly versus Balance Browser: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlainlyBalance Browser
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB9 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperJustin ChengBryce Agostini

Customer experience

Plainly

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%

Balance Browser

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Plainly

No in-app purchases

None

Balance Browser

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Plainly free?
Plainly costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Balance Browser free?
Balance Browser is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Plainly or Balance Browser have ads?
Neither Plainly nor Balance Browser shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Plainly or Balance Browser?
Plainly ships an update every 9 months, and Balance Browser every 2 days. Most recently, Plainly was updated on October 10, 2026 and Balance Browser on September 30, 2026.

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