Comparison

Emerald Browser vs Lens

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

Head to head
About

Emerald Browser

Browse the web with a clean, distraction-free experience. This browser includes a built-in ad blocker and smart organization tools to help manage your online life. It's designed for professionals and students alike, offering enhanced privacy and customization.

Highlights
  • Ad blocker
  • Smart organization
  • No spyware
  • Customization options
  • Secure browsing
Features
Read full description

Emerald is a browser that you can organize. Thanks to Spaces, Folders, Pinned Tabs, Tabbies and Profiles, you can organize your whole internet life. ORGANIZE YOUR WHOLE INTERNET LIFE SPACES - split your browsing into separate Spaces, each with its own name, icon, and custom theme, so different parts of your life stay visually distinct. FOLDERS - group your tabs into folders to keep related work together and your Sidebar clutter-free. PRIVATE FOLDERS - lock sensitive folders behind a password, protected by Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode. PINNED TABS - pin your most-used tabs to any Space or Folder so they're always one tap or drag away. TABBIES - keep your open tabs organized and accessible without losing track of what you're working on. PROFILES - assign shared or separate accounts and data across your Spaces, so work data stays separate from personal browsing, or shared where you want it. BROWSE WITHOUT DISTRACTIONS NO SPYWARE, NO CLUTTER - a built-in ad blocker and a clean interface keep your browsing focused on what matters. SEARCH THAT KEEPS UP WITH YOU SMART SUGGESTIONS - search across the web, your recents, pinned tabs, and open tabs all at once. SITE SEARCH - search directly within your favorite websites just like you would with a search engine, with built-in and customizable options. SWITCH TO TABS & SPACES - jump straight to an open tab or Space right from the search bar, no digging required. RENAME & EDIT URLs - access all of Emerald's search features even while editing a URL. BUILT FOR EVERY SCREEN SIDEBAR - on iPad, a dedicated sidebar keeps your Spaces, Pinned Tabs, Folders, Tabbies, and Recents within easy reach. FLOATING SEARCH PANEL - a larger search bar on bigger screens with all the same smart features as iPhone. RECENTS - quickly revisit what you were browsing, accessible as a sheet. Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Lens

A private web browser focused on speed and simplicity. It blocks ads and trackers by default, offers customizable search engine options, and features automatic tab archiving. Enhanced privacy controls include Face ID protection for private tabs.

Highlights
  • Search-first interface
  • Ad and tracker blocking
  • Customizable search engines
  • Automatic tab archiving
  • Face ID protected private tabs
  • Link preview and translation
Features
Read full description

Lens is a web browser that stays out of your way. Open it and type: search comes first, your favourite sites are one tap away, and there's nothing else to learn. No ads, no trackers, no account, and nothing collected about you. Free. SEARCH FIRST • Lens opens straight to search, with your pinned sites one tap away. • Pick your search engine: DuckDuckGo, Brave, Kagi, Ecosia, Google or Bing. THE WEB, WITHOUT THE NOISE • Ads, trackers and most cookie pop-ups don't load. • Hide anything that bothers you on a page, and it stays hidden next time. PRIVATE ON ITS OWN • No account, no analytics, no tracking. Lens doesn't know who you are. • Lock private tabs with Face ID. • Forget This Website clears everything a site saved. • Secure connections everywhere, and tracking codes are cleaned from links. TABS THAT TIDY THEMSELVES • Tabs you haven't opened in a day move to the Archive. Nothing is lost. • A tab with a half-filled form stays open until you send it. • Pinch a page to see your tabs, swipe along the bar to switch, flick a tab up to close it. SMALL THINGS THAT HELP • Mini Player: keep listening while you browse, with Picture in Picture. • Downloads that keep going in the background. • Reader, in seven soft colours. • Translate pages right on your iPhone. • Press and hold a link to preview it, and scroll it, before you open it. • Buttons for Reader, Translate, video and Downloads show up only when you need them. • Zoom, fullscreen, desktop site and blocking, set for each site. • Swipe anywhere on a page to go back or forward. • Copy an article as clean Markdown. MADE FOR iPHONE DUO • Open, the page gets the whole big screen, with the bar down the side. • Half-fold it in landscape, and Reader becomes a book you turn page by page. • Closed, it's the same Lens you know from iPhone. WORKS WITH YOUR iPHONE • Make Lens your default browser. • iCloud Passwords, passkeys, one-time codes, Apple Pay and Wallet passes. • iCloud sync for pins, history and tabs, end-to-end encrypted. • Buttons for Control Center and the Lock Screen, and Siri and Shortcuts. FOR DESIGNERS AND DEVELOPERS Select any text to see which font draws it. Tap anything to see its box, colours and contrast, measure the gap between two elements, or pause the page to look at a menu. Turn on Developer Tools in Settings. LENS FOR MAC A free menu bar app with your pins, your iPhone's tabs and the pages you send from your iPhone. No feeds, no clutter, no AI you didn't ask for. If you like Lens, you can leave a tip and unlock extra app icons.

Screenshots

Emerald Browser4 screens
Lens4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Lens at 4.9 against Emerald Browser's 3.8. Lens also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly) and review sentiment (100% vs 83%). Emerald Browser's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Emerald Browser sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month and Lens 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

Lens holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 54 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Emerald Browser's written reviews are positive against 100% of Lens's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Emerald Browser ships an update fortnightly, Lens every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Emerald Browser versus Lens: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmerald BrowserLens
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (12 ratings)4.9 (54 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1254 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Vision ProiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size218 MB67 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperDario OrtizMaximos Angelakis

Customer experience

Emerald Browser

All ratings12 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

Lens

All ratings54 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Emerald Browser

Subscriptions2
  • Emerald Premium (Monthly)$3.491 Month
  • Emerald Premium (Yearly)$29.991 Year
4 purchases

Lens

One-time4
  • Coffee$3.99
  • Coffee & Snack$6.99
  • Lunch$14.99
Show 1 more
  • Big Thank-You$29.99

Questions

Is Emerald Browser free?
Emerald Browser is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lens free?
Lens is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Emerald Browser or Lens?
Lens is rated higher. Emerald Browser averages 3.8 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Lens averages 4.9 from 54 ratings.
Do Emerald Browser or Lens have ads?
Neither Emerald Browser nor Lens shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Emerald Browser or Lens?
Emerald Browser ships an update fortnightly, and Lens every 2 days. Most recently, Emerald Browser was updated on November 5, 2026 and Lens on November 12, 2026.

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