VanillaSurf vs iPrivateBrowser
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
VanillaSurf
This app offers a full-screen browsing experience with robust download management for MP3s and other files. It allows for offline tab support, bookmark import/export, and multiple search engine options.
- Full-screen browsing
- MP3 download manager
- Offline tab support
- Bookmark import/export
- Multiple search engines
- Private browsing
- Ad-blocker
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The best MP3 download manager inside a browser. Great alternative to Safari. Full screen. Import/Export bookmarks and more. FULL SCREEN BROWSING Browse the web in full screen in the portrait and landscape mode without losing comfort. You can also lock the auto rotation (this works of course also in the non-full screen mode). The locked rotation will be restored when you start VanillaSurf. TABS with OFFLINE SUPPORT Define the behavior of creating new Tabs in the settings. New Tabs can be opened in the background or directly. VanillaSurf stores the currently opened Tabs and reopens them on launch (even if no internet connection is available - you can disable offline browsing in the settings). You can delete a tab with a swipe to the right. DOWNLOADS Download files from any website with VanillaSurf and transfer them to you desktop computer with the built-in web server or iTunes File-Sharing. You can also view downloaded files directly in the app. BOOKMARKS with IMPORT and EXPORT Create bookmarks (and organize them in folders). Import Bookmarks from Safari or Firefox or export them back from VanillaSurf using the built-in web server or iTunes File-Sharing. The bookmarks are also synced across your devices through iCloud. Access your latest shared links on Facebook through the Bookmarks. HOMEPAGE Easily set any website as your homepage. Just load the desired website and tap and hold the homepage button for one second. To go to the saved homepage, just tap on the button. SEARCH Use multiple search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, Twitter, Amazon, eBay, Wikipedia). You can select another search engine by tap and hold the current search engine icon for one second. OTHER USEFUL FEATURES If you're in Safari and want to open the current page in VanillaSurf add this code as a bookmarklet in Safari: "javascript:document.location.href='vsurf://'+document.location.href;" and then just open this bookmarklet on the current page. Download, copy or save images (just like in Safari tap and hold on an image). You can make a screenshot of the current website (also in full screen mode). Choose between different Themes (Classic like Safari and Black). Send an URL to a friend, Twitter or Facebook. Activate private surfing or the the Ad‐Blocker. Deactivate loading of pictures to save bandwidth. Auto-Completion: VanillaSurf remembers your search terms and loaded URL's (history) for an easy re-usage (you can clear the history in the settings). Support for HTTP Authentication protected pages. SUPPORT If you have any problems with VanillaSurf or experiencing bugs: please contact us! This helps us improving this application and tailoring it to your needs.
iPrivateBrowser
A private and secure mobile browser offering TOR integration, ad-blocking, and customizable settings for enhanced online privacy. Enjoy a faster, more secure browsing experience with features like unlimited tabs and passcode protection.
- TOR Integration
- Ad-Blocking
- Passcode Protection
- Unlimited Tabs
- SSL Encryption
- User-Agent Switching
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iPrivateBrowser is a privacy-first web browser built from the ground up to keep your browsing safe, private, and anonymous. With built-in Tor integration, ad blocking, and HTTPS-Only mode, you're in complete control of your online privacy. PRIVACY BY DEFAULT Nothing you do is sent to us — no tracking, no telemetry, no analytics. Clear Data on Exit, on by default, wipes your browsing data whenever you leave the app, and Burn erases it all with one tap. TOR INTEGRATION Route your traffic through the Tor network for maximum anonymity. Your IP address is hidden from every website you visit. Access .onion hidden services directly. WebRTC is automatically blocked when Tor is enabled to prevent IP leaks. Traffic is encrypted through multiple relay hops worldwide. Turn Tor on or off from the shield menu. Tor is an in-app purchase — your first 3 sessions are free. AD & TRACKER BLOCKING Turn on content blocking to remove ads and trackers before they load. EasyList and EasyPrivacy come with the app and refresh weekly. Pages load faster and your browsing stays private, even offline. HTTPS-ONLY MODE Automatically upgrades all connections to HTTPS. Insecure HTTP connections are blocked unless you explicitly allow them. Onion sites are correctly exempted. PRIVATE TAB MANAGEMENT Visual tab switcher with screenshot previews. Swipe to close tabs. Your open tabs are encrypted at rest, and wiped automatically when Clear Data on Exit is enabled. Close all tabs with a single tap. APP LOCK Protect the browser with PIN or biometric authentication — Face ID, Touch ID, and Optic ID are all supported. Configurable auto-lock timeout. After 10 failed attempts, all browsing data is erased. FULL DEVICE SUPPORT Optimized for iPhone and iPad, with three toolbar layouts to choose from. Full landscape support. External keyboard shortcuts. VoiceOver accessibility throughout. Available in 50 languages. ADDITIONAL FEATURES • Bookmarks and favorites with search • Find in Page • Reader Mode for distraction-free reading • Pull to refresh • Custom search engine selection (DuckDuckGo, Startpage, Brave, Google) • Pop-up blocking • JavaScript toggle Your data stays yours. Browse the web on your terms with iPrivateBrowser.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: VanillaSurf at 5.0 against iPrivateBrowser's 3.9. VanillaSurf also leads on review sentiment (52% vs 31%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). iPrivateBrowser's advantage is ratings volume (14 vs 3). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. VanillaSurf sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and iPrivateBrowser sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
VanillaSurf holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of VanillaSurf's written reviews are positive against 31% of iPrivateBrowser's.
VanillaSurf ships an update every 3 weeks, iPrivateBrowser every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VanillaSurf | iPrivateBrowser |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 3.9 (14 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 52.5% of reviews — better | 31.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 14 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | MetaCert Inc. | Shmoopi LLC |
Customer experience
VanillaSurf
iPrivateBrowser
Bugs and requests
VanillaSurf
Reported bugs
4 issues- Pages not loading correctly
- Tabs not behaving as expected
- Settings reset after updates
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Bookmark management and organization
- Password manager integration
- Ability to download files
- Landscape mode keyboard support
- Sync with cloud services
iPrivateBrowser
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
VanillaSurf
- VanillaSurf Premium Upgrade$0.99
iPrivateBrowser
- pro version$0.99
Questions
Is VanillaSurf free?
Is iPrivateBrowser free?
Which has better reviews, VanillaSurf or iPrivateBrowser?
Do VanillaSurf or iPrivateBrowser have ads?
Which is updated more often, VanillaSurf or iPrivateBrowser?
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