Comparison

Web Browser vs Shimmer Browser

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

Head to head
About

Web Browser

Browse the web with enhanced performance, security, and privacy. This lightweight browser offers an ad-free experience with built-in tracker blocking and cookie management. Its intuitive design prioritizes user-friendliness and accessibility.

Highlights
  • Ad-blocker
  • Anti-tracker protection
  • Cookie blocker
  • SSL/HTTPS security
  • Lightweight design (<10MB)
  • Intuitive UI with bottom search bar
Features
Read full description

An app for browsing the web, built from the ground up to improve performance, security, privacy, and to make sure it fits the platform and and feels at home in your device. Performance/ It is hard to put this in words, instead, try it for yourself, download Web Browser and see how fast it can load your favourite websites; did you notice the memory foot print of this app? Forget about using all your iPhone's storage downloading any other browser, this apps is under 10 MB and it plans to stay that way. Security/ Allowing only secure connections with SSL and HTTPS and making sure websites you visit have valid certificates. Privacy/ Anti-tracker protection and blocker, cookies blocker, and other features that make sure no one is watching your online activity, no one is finger printing you, and no one has access to your internet history. Ad-blocker/ You won't see ads anymore. Tailored for platform fit/ iOS// Making sure the design follows intuitive patterns, making it easy and reachable for your finger tips, and restricting the amount of touches that you need to accomplish any single task. Did you notice the search bar is at the bottom? Doesn't it feel more natural to have it accessible, closer to your thumb? Other web browsers, for example Safari, have also implemented the search bar at the bottom, but Web Browser was the first one to launch this revolutionary design, since back in 2020. macOS// Being on desktop means more power, more space, bigger screens, and bigger responsibilities. That is why it feels even more powerful than the competition, benchmark Web Browser against any other of your browsers, and you will notice a huge difference.

About

Shimmer Browser

This web browser offers customizable visual styles and a resizable sidebar for a personalized experience. It includes features to manage tabs, set time limits for browsing, and block web annoyances. Users can also add widgets to their homescreen for quick access to selected tabs.

Highlights
  • Customizable visual styles
  • Resizable sidebar
  • Tab saving and organization
  • Time limits on saved tabs
  • Web annoyance blocking
  • Homescreen widgets for tabs
Features
Read full description

Introducing Shimmer Browser - The focus browser! Your style - 3 visual styles to choose from, resizable sidebar with a compact icon-only made, and all buttons are fully customisable. Arc-like - save tabs, organise them into folders, sync via iCloud. No more doom-scrolling - set time limits on saved tabs. Clutter-free - block annoyances on the web, quickly clean up unsaved tabs, or set them to auto-close! Tab triage - saved tabs detect links to other sites, and present them in tab triage with options to save for later. Tabs on your homescreen - add widgets to your homescreen and select the tabs they show. Give it a try! It’s free up to 4 tabs at once, so you can get a sense of the browsing experience. If you like it, you can unlock the full experience and help me add more features!

Screenshots

Web Browser4 screens
Shimmer Browser4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Shimmer Browser at 5.0 against Web Browser's 4.6. Web Browser's advantage is ratings volume (34 vs 3) and review sentiment (63% vs 50%). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Web Browser sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Shimmer Browser sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shimmer Browser holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Web Browser has 34 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 63% of Web Browser's written reviews are positive against 50% of Shimmer Browser's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Web Browser ships an update every 5 days, Shimmer Browser weekly. Both last shipped on November 4, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Web Browser versus Shimmer Browser: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWeb BrowserShimmer Browser
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (34 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.5% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings34 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better27.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB47 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperVicente Garcia CortesJamie Froggatt

Customer experience

Web Browser

All ratings32 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral6.3%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative25.0%

Shimmer Browser

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Web Browser

One-time5
  • Sponsor$0.99
  • Bookmarks$2.99
  • Web Intelligence$2.99
Show 2 more
  • Images$2.99
  • Cookie Centre$2.99
4 purchases

Shimmer Browser

One-time4
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$3.99
  • More Tabs$7.99
Show 1 more
  • Generous Tip$9.99

Questions

Is Web Browser free?
Web Browser is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shimmer Browser free?
Shimmer Browser is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Web Browser or Shimmer Browser?
Shimmer Browser is rated higher. Web Browser averages 4.6 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while Shimmer Browser averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Web Browser or Shimmer Browser have ads?
Neither Web Browser nor Shimmer Browser shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Web Browser or Shimmer Browser?
Web Browser ships an update every 5 days, and Shimmer Browser weekly. Most recently, Web Browser was updated on November 4, 2026 and Shimmer Browser on November 4, 2026.

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