Onion Browser vs Brave Browser & Search Engine
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Onion Browser
This app provides a secure and private way to browse the internet using the Tor network. It protects your privacy from trackers, secures your traffic on public Wi-Fi, and allows access to .onion sites. It also offers features to block scripts and clear cookies automatically.
- Browse internet over Tor
- Protect privacy from website tracking
- Secure traffic on insecure networks
- Access .onion sites
- Block scripts
- Automatically clear cookies and tabs
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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 **
Brave Browser & Search Engine
A fast, private web browser with built-in ad blocking and a VPN. It offers an AI assistant, a crypto wallet, and a privacy-focused search engine. Enjoy offline media playback and enhanced security features.
- Built-in Adblock and Pop-up Blocker
- Firewall + VPN
- AI Assistant (Brave Leo)
- Secure Crypto Wallet (Brave Wallet)
- Privacy-Focused Search Engine (Brave Search)
- Offline Media Playback (Brave Playlist)
- Voice Search
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Brave is a fast, private web browser that blocks ads and trackers on every site, automatically. No settings to change, no extensions to install. Over 125 million people browse with Brave. It's free, open source, and independent — we don't sell your browsing data. Everything below is built into the browser. One app, not a stack of them. BLOCK ADS ON EVERY SITE Brave Shields stops banner ads, pop-ups, autoplay interruptions, and the ads that play before and during videos. Same on news sites, shopping sites, forums and video pages — no per-site setup, no ad blocker extension. It dismisses cookie consent banners too, and it's on from your first tab. PRIVATE BROWSING THAT BLOCKS TRACKERS Private mode in most browsers only hides your history from your own phone. Brave blocks the cross-site trackers and fingerprinting scripts that follow you from a shopping page to your social feed, strips tracking codes from links you copy, and turns on Global Privacy Control by default. SHRED: DELETE ONE SITE'S DATA, NOT ALL OF IT Clearing browser data usually logs you out of everything. Shred deletes the cookies and storage for one site and leaves your other sessions intact. Set Auto Shred to run whenever you close a tab. BRAVE SEARCH: A PRIVATE SEARCH ENGINE, BUILT IN Brave Search is the default search engine in the browser, running on its own independent index — not resold results from Google or Bing. It doesn't profile you or log your searches. Ask Brave puts search results and AI answers in one place. Switch search engines any time. BRAVE LEO: A FREE AI ASSISTANT Summarize a long article, translate a page, or draft a reply without leaving the tab. Choose from several AI models. Leo doesn't record your conversations, share them, or use them to train models. BRAVE NEWS: A FEED WITH NO PROFILE BEHIND IT Personalize a news feed from hundreds of sources or any RSS feed with Brave News. FASTER PAGES, LESS MOBILE DATA Ads and trackers are most of what a modern page downloads. Blocking them means fewer requests, less data and less battery drain. We rebuilt Brave's ad blocking engine to use 75% less memory, so it stays responsive with many tabs open. MAKE BRAVE YOUR DEFAULT BROWSER Open Settings, scroll to Brave, choose Default Browser App. Every link you tap — from Mail, Messages or any app — opens with ad and tracker blocking already on. WHAT'S FREE AND WHAT ISN'T Free: the browser, ad and tracker blocking, Shred, Brave Search, Brave Leo, Brave News, Sync and night mode. Subscriptions: - Brave Firewall + VPN encrypts your whole device, not just browser traffic, with a kill switch and smart proxy. - Brave Leo Premium unlocks more capable AI models. - Brave Origin: The streamlined, minimalist browser that gives you Brave's industry-leading privacy and ad-blocking, with none of the extras. One-time purchase: Brave Origin, an ultra-minimalist build of Brave — no AI, no crypto, nothing but the web. One purchase covers all your devices. Also inside: encrypted Sync, a self-custody Brave Wallet (off by default), night mode, voice search, password autofill, custom app icons, and bookmark import from Safari or Chrome. OPEN SOURCE Brave is open source, so anyone can audit what the browser does. Read what we collect at https://brave.com/privacy/ Our mission is to protect your privacy online by building a fast, private browser — while growing a fairer revenue model for creators. Enjoying the app? Please leave us a 5 star review! Brave.com · Support: https://brave.com/support Terms of Use: https://brave.com/terms-of-use/ Privacy Policy: https://brave.com/privacy/ SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Price may vary by location. Subscriptions are charged to your Apple Account. Firewall + VPN and Leo Premium are offered monthly and annually, and renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in Account Settings. Free trials may be used once; any unused portion is forfeited on purchase.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Brave Browser & Search Engine at 4.8 against Onion Browser's 3.2. Brave Browser & Search Engine also leads on review sentiment (73% vs 41%) and ratings volume (655K vs 2.1K). Onion Browser's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Onion Browser sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Brave Browser & Search Engine sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Brave Browser & Search Engine holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brave Browser & Search Engine has 655K ratings behind it against 2.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Onion Browser's written reviews are positive against 73% of Brave Browser & Search Engine's.
Onion Browser ships an update monthly, Brave Browser & Search Engine every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Onion Browser | Brave Browser & Search Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.2 (2.1K ratings) | 4.8 (655K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 41.2% of reviews | 73.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.1K | 655K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #21 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 83 MB | 361 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Mike Tigas | Brave Software |
Customer experience
Onion Browser
Brave Browser & Search Engine
User reviews
Onion Browser
From 2.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and stable
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 👍 Recommended by Tor Project
- 💡 Customizable security settings
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent disconnections and reconnections
- 🐛 Unstable and unreliable
- 🐛 Endless permission loops
- 🐛 Bookmarking issues
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
Brave Browser & Search Engine
From 655K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and efficient browsing
- 🔒 Strong privacy and security features
- 👍 Customizable settings and options
- 💰 Earning potential with Brave Rewards
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🤔 Confusing or unintuitive UI changes
- 🚫 Lack of full sync capabilities across devices
Bugs and requests
Onion Browser
Reported bugs
4 issues- Fails to connect to Tor network
- Crashes or freezes when switching apps
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Inability to disable JavaScript completely
Requested features
4 requests- Add option to disable JavaScript
- Improve tab management and browsing experience
- Integrate with more privacy-focused search engines
- Allow setting custom default search engine
Brave Browser & Search Engine
Reported bugs
3 issues- Disappearing tabs and lost browsing data
- Compatibility issues with certain websites
- Problems with the Brave Playlist feature
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to clear browsing history and data in bulk
- More customization options for the home screen and UI
- Improved integration with other apps and services
- Expanded Brave Rewards program and payouts
In-app purchases
Onion Browser
- Small Onion Browser Tip$0.99
- Medium Onion Browser Tip$4.99
- Large Onion Browser Tip$9.99
Brave Browser & Search Engine
- Monthly Firewall + VPN7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Brave Leo AI (monthly)7 Days trial$14.991 Month
- Annual Firewall + VPN7 Days trial$99.991 Year
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- Brave Leo AI (annual)7 Days trial$149.991 Year
- Brave Origin$59.99
Questions
Is Onion Browser free?
Is Brave Browser & Search Engine free?
Which has better reviews, Onion Browser or Brave Browser & Search Engine?
Do Onion Browser or Brave Browser & Search Engine have ads?
Which is updated more often, Onion Browser or Brave Browser & Search Engine?
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