Comparison

Puffin Cloud Browser vs Maxthon Browser

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

Head to head
About

Puffin Cloud Browser

This app provides access to a cloud-based web browser, allowing users to view web content rendered on remote servers. It offers features like browser isolation, data saving, and full desktop mode, but does not render web content directly on the device.

Highlights
  • Browser Isolation
  • Cloud Acceleration
  • Data Saving
  • Download to Cloud
  • Flash Game Support
  • Full Desktop Mode
  • Internet Access Protection
Features
Read full description

DISCLAIMER: Puffin Cloud Browser is NOT a web browser. Puffin Cloud Browser is the client app that accesses the cloud server which runs the web browser. The Puffin client app and the Puffin cloud server do not communicate in HTTP protocol and the data exchange is not in HTML format. The Puffin client app is like the remote desktop client and the Puffin cloud server is like the remote desktop server. Puffin Cloud Browser gives the audience the illusion of a web browser but it is not, in reality, a web browser. Puffin Cloud Browser can only "display" the web content rendered on the cloud servers but can't "render" the web content itself on the client devices. ==== Differentiating Features ==== * Browser Isolation * Cloud Acceleration * Data Saving * Download to Cloud * Flash Game * Full Desktop Mode * Internet Access Protection * Virtual Gamepad/Mouse/Trackpad ==== Important Limitations ==== * Only works on websites that are publicly accessible from the US -- Does not work for private IP, corporate Intranet, and geo-restricted websites * Only works in countries that are not excessive in censorship -- Does not work in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates * For some websites, Puffin server IP blocks need to be white-listed -- Puffin can bring an excessive load to some websites More info at Puffin FAQ https://help.puffin.com/faq

About

Maxthon Browser

A mobile web browser designed for a streamlined and personalized experience. It offers a fresh interface, enhanced features like customizable favorites, and tools for privacy and eye comfort.

Highlights
  • New UI design
  • Re-planned homepage layout
  • Optimized feature layout
  • Enhanced favorites with text and images
  • Personalized data treasure chest
  • Incognito mode
  • Night mode
Read full description

The world changes every day but our beliefs remain the same. We firmly believe that good interaction is less while good product is neither more nor less, and good experience always comes from the heart. A fresh new Maxthon Browser for iPhone will become the treasure chest for you on mobile Internet. We made great efforts in this revision in a visual sense to get rid of complicated design. According to a large amount of users' feedback, we perfectly combined design and practical features to build a browser that suits you like no one does. Named “The Best Browser” by famous North American and European agencies many times : Download82 2017 Software 5-Star Award DEAL crunch 2017 Editor’s Choice About.com Most Popular Browser Award Share Networks Full-Stars Recommendation Award ...... All Awards can be checked here: http://www.maxthon.com/awards New Features: 【Video Enhancement】Support video speed adjustment, floating pop-up video and background video playback for a better viewing experience. 【Userscript Support】Tampermonkey userscript engine available to customize web pages and unlock more possibilities. 【Webpage Read Aloud】Text-to-speech for web content, free your eyes and listen to articles on the go. 【New design】Global UI interaction、fresh new design style; 【New Homepage】Re-planned page layout from traditional two-stage to three-stage, easily to view. 【New Layout】Optimized on overall features level, which highlighted the often used main features according to users feedback, greatly improved the convenience of operations. 【New Favorites】Breaking the traditional Favorites structure that can only save URL, re-identifying the favorites feature that can conclude pictures and text content. 【Personal Customized】 The new Maxthon Browser will not only be your information access platform, but rather your personal customized treasure chest for data that comes with a powerful edition of notes, password management, and numerous extensions. Others feature: 【Incognito mode】Browsing on the incognito mode will never record your cache, Cookie, history, and download record. 【Night mode】Make adjustments to brightness to reduce the damage to the eyes when browsing at night. More Info: Report Bug: http://www.maxthon.com/mx/bug/post/ Help Center: http://www.maxthon.com/mx5/help/question/ Contact us:contact@maxthon.com Website: http://www.maxthon.com/ Maxthon Community: http://www.maxthon.com/ Facebook:www.facebook.com/maxthon Twitter:www.twitter.com/Maxthon YouTube:www.youtube.com/MaxthonCloudBrowser LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/company/maxthon-international-limited

Screenshots

Puffin Cloud Browser3 screens
Maxthon Browser4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Maxthon Browser at 4.5 against Puffin Cloud Browser's 3.9. Maxthon Browser also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). Puffin Cloud Browser's advantage is ratings volume (6.7K vs 702) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

Both are free to download. Puffin Cloud Browser sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Maxthon Browser asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Maxthon Browser holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Puffin Cloud Browser has 6.7K ratings behind it against 702, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Puffin Cloud Browser's written reviews are positive against 69% of Maxthon Browser's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Puffin Cloud Browser ships an update every 6 weeks, Maxthon Browser every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Puffin Cloud Browser versus Maxthon Browser: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPuffin Cloud BrowserMaxthon Browser
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (6.7K ratings)4.5 (702 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.5% of reviews69.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6.7K — better702
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB62 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperCloudMosa, Inc.Maxthon Technology Limited

Customer experience

Puffin Cloud Browser

All ratings6,701 ratings
Positive71.8%
Neutral6.5%
Negative21.7%
Written reviews527 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral7.8%
Negative30.7%

Maxthon Browser

All ratings702 ratings
Positive88.6%
Neutral3.4%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews222 reviews
Positive69.4%
Neutral5.4%
Negative25.2%

User reviews

Puffin Cloud Browser

From 6.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and responsive browsing
  • 👍 Allows access to desktop websites
  • 🔍 Supports Flash content
  • 💻 Provides desktop-like experience on mobile

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 🔄 Constant reconnection issues
  • 🤖 Unreliable captcha system
  • ⚠️ Websites blocked or not loading properly
  • 💰 Subscription model and additional fees

Maxthon Browser

From 702 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient browsing
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 🔒 Secure and private browsing
  • 💡 Useful features like cloud sync and note-taking

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 👎 Cluttered and confusing UI after updates
  • 🚫 Forced login/account creation

Bugs and requests

Puffin Cloud Browser

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Gamepad controls crashing the app
  • Inability to type or log in to certain websites
  • Sudden loss of network connectivity

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved stability and reliability
  • Seamless integration with popular websites
  • Customization options for user interface
  • Ability to save progress in Flash games

Maxthon Browser

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Freezing and unresponsiveness
  • Bookmark and history sync issues
  • Incompatibility with older devices
  • Problems with file downloads and attachments

Requested features

4 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Improved tab management
  • Ability to customize homepage and bookmarks
  • Better video/audio playback support

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Puffin Cloud Browser

Subscriptions2
  • Puffin Monthly Subscription$0.991 Month
  • Puffin Yearly Subscription$4.991 Year
None

Maxthon Browser

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Puffin Cloud Browser free?
Puffin Cloud Browser is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Maxthon Browser free?
Maxthon Browser is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Puffin Cloud Browser or Maxthon Browser?
Maxthon Browser is rated higher. Puffin Cloud Browser averages 3.9 out of 5 from 6.7K ratings, while Maxthon Browser averages 4.5 from 702 ratings.
Do Puffin Cloud Browser or Maxthon Browser have ads?
Neither Puffin Cloud Browser nor Maxthon Browser shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Puffin Cloud Browser or Maxthon Browser?
Puffin Cloud Browser ships an update every 6 weeks, and Maxthon Browser every 3 weeks. Most recently, Puffin Cloud Browser was updated on October 11, 2026 and Maxthon Browser on October 13, 2026.

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