# Maxthon Browser vs Whale

Maxthon Browser and Whale are too close to call on the numbers: across 10 compared parameters — price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Maxthon Browser against 4.5 for Whale. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 701 and 311 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Maxthon Browser's written reviews are positive against 65% of Whale's.

Maxthon Browser ships an update every 2 weeks, Whale fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Maxthon Browser | Whale |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (701 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/maxthon-browser/id541052011/reviews) | [4.5 (311 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whale-naver-whale-browser/id1374073304/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **701** | 311 |
| Positive reviews | **70.5% of reviews** | 65.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 62 MB | 355 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Maxthon Technology Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/473194919) | [NAVER Corp.](https://appshunter.io/developer/311867731) |

## What reviewers say

### Maxthon Browser

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/maxthon-browser/id541052011)

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Whale

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whale-naver-whale-browser/id1374073304)

This browser offers a fast and intuitive web browsing experience with cross-device synchronization. It features a unique quick search function and a convenient scrapbook for saving content, all while blocking intrusive ads. Enjoy a personalized and efficient way to access web content.

**Highlights:** Fast and intuitive design, Cross-device data synchronization, Quick search on screen, Convenient scrapbook, Ad blocking

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly interface
- ✨ Clean and beautiful design
- 🚀 Fast and reliable performance
- 🔗 Seamless PC and mobile integration
- 💡 Useful built-in features (Papago, calculator, memo)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- ⚠️ Ad blocker not working effectively
- 🐌 Slow loading times on some devices/websites
- 🚫 Certain features not working as expected (PiP, screen time, translation)
- 📱 Mobile version less optimized than desktop

**Reported bugs**

- Picture in Picture (PiP) not working
- Playback slider not working
- Hacker using the interface (potential security issue)
- Screen time not working
- UI issues with YouTube and Naver on iPad

**Requested features**

- Add simplified Chinese language support
- Add Turkish language support
- Add Japanese language support
- Improve text selection and copy-paste functionality
- Add a search feature for opened tabs


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Maxthon Browser free?

Maxthon Browser is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Whale free?

Whale is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Maxthon Browser or Whale?

Maxthon Browser and Whale are both rated 4.5 out of 5 on the App Store, from 701 and 311 ratings respectively.

### Do Maxthon Browser or Whale have ads?

Neither Maxthon Browser nor Whale shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Maxthon Browser or Whale?

Maxthon Browser ships an update every 2 weeks, and Whale fortnightly. Most recently, Maxthon Browser was updated on September 20, 2026 and Whale on September 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*