Comparison

Noir vs xEngine for Safari

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

Head to head
About

Noir

Automatically applies a custom dark mode to every website visited in Safari. Enjoy a comfortable browsing experience at night with tailored styles and customizable themes. Integrates seamlessly with system features and prioritizes user privacy.

Highlights
  • Automatic dark mode for all websites
  • Custom dark styles per website
  • Over 20 built-in themes
  • Create custom themes
  • Per-website customization
  • System feature integration
  • Privacy-focused design
Features
Read full description

Noir is a Safari extension that automatically adds a dark mode to every website you visit. It makes browsing the web at night so much better. With Noir, you won’t be blinded by bright websites ever again. And the results look great too. Noir generates a custom dark style for each website you visit, based on the colors that are used on a page. You won’t even notice this happening in the background – that’s how fast it is – but you’ll certainly appreciate the end result: a beautiful dark mode tailored for each website, where contrast is preserved and highlights still pop. And with over 20 built-in themes and the ability to create your own, you can customize the results exactly the way you want. Noir works with any website you visit in Safari, automatically. By default, Noir is linked to your device’s Dark Mode, so websites will only go dark when you want them to. But you can easily customize this to your liking, even per website. Only want to use Noir on just a few specific websites? Sure thing! Disable Noir on some websites? No problem! Built from the ground up for iOS and iPadOS, the app feels right at home on your device. It supports the brand new Safari web extension feature, which means there’s no need to manually activate it every time you load a new page. The app also tightly integrates with system features such as Shortcuts, Control Center, Focus Filters, and Widgets to fully integrate Noir in all your workflows. And your settings are automatically synced to all your devices using iCloud. And just as importantly, Noir takes your privacy seriously: it doesn’t collect any of your browsing data. Period. Noir is made by an indie iOS developer. It does not include any subscriptions or ads. Buy Noir once, use it forever. Notes: • Found a website where Noir’s dark mode doesn’t look just right? Let me know by reporting it. The app will be frequently updated to address issues that are reported. Privacy Policy: • The Noir extension requires access to the websites you visit to analyze the existing style of the page and to override it with Noir's dark style. • Noir never collects your browsing data. The only data Noir ‘collects’ are your settings, and those will never leave your device or iCloud account. • You can read Noir’s full Privacy Policy at https://getnoir.app/privacypolicy

About

xEngine for Safari

This utility app allows users to customize their default search engine within Safari. It supports a wide variety of popular and AI-powered search engines, and enables users to add their own custom options while prioritizing privacy through local processing.

Highlights
  • Customize Safari's default search engine
  • Support for popular search engines
  • Add custom AI search engines
  • Local data processing for privacy
  • Manage your own search engines
Features
Read full description

xEngine — Customize Your Safari's Default Search Engine Tired of Safari's limited search options? xEngine gives you control. Switch between a wide range of search engines — or add your own, including AI engines like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity — all without sacrificing privacy. Key Features: - Choose from popular engines like Brave, Yandex, Startpage, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and more - Add and manage your own custom search engines - Local processing only — xEngine never collects your data Simple. Private. Yours. Download xEngine and search the web your way.

Screenshots

Noir4 screens
xEngine for Safari3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Noir at 4.6 against xEngine for Safari's 3.3. Noir also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 50%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months). xEngine for Safari's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $2.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Noir costs $2.99 and xEngine for Safari $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Noir holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Noir has 1.4K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Noir's written reviews are positive against 50% of xEngine for Safari's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Noir ships an update every 3 weeks, xEngine for Safari every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Noir versus xEngine for Safari: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNoirxEngine for Safari
Price$2.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.6 (1.4K ratings) — better3.3 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews80.9% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1.4K — better6
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#4 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB6 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperJeffrey Kuiken磊 汪

Customer experience

Noir

All ratings1,352 ratings
Positive88.7%
Neutral3.0%
Negative8.4%
Written reviews886 reviews
Positive80.9%
Neutral7.7%
Negative11.4%

xEngine for Safari

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Noir

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Websites crashing or repeatedly reloading
  • Images appearing in negative colors
  • Compatibility issues with iOS 17

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to blacklist/whitelist specific websites
  • Automatic dark mode scheduling based on sunset/sunrise
  • Option to customize text/link colors
  • Keyboard shortcut to toggle Noir on/off

xEngine for Safari

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Noir

No in-app purchases

None

xEngine for Safari

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Noir free?
Noir costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is xEngine for Safari free?
xEngine for Safari costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Noir or xEngine for Safari?
Noir is rated higher. Noir averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while xEngine for Safari averages 3.3 from 6 ratings.
Do Noir or xEngine for Safari have ads?
Neither Noir nor xEngine for Safari shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Noir or xEngine for Safari?
Noir ships an update every 3 weeks, and xEngine for Safari every 6 months. Most recently, Noir was updated on October 20, 2026 and xEngine for Safari on October 7, 2026.

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