Comparison

BetterCast vs Umbra Browser

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

Head to head
About

BetterCast

Features
Read full description

Requires a Mac. BetterCast is a receiver: it shows your Mac's screen on this iPhone or iPad. Install the free BetterCast Sender on your Mac from bettercast.online. Turn your iPad or iPhone into a second monitor for your Mac. Extend your desktop to get more room to work, or mirror it for presentations. Free, with no subscriptions, ads or watermarks. HOW IT CONNECTS • Wi-Fi: put both devices on the same network and pick your iPad in the Sender app. • USB cable: plug your iPad into your Mac for the lowest latency, no Wi-Fi needed. BUILT FOR REAL WORK • Extend or mirror your Mac display • Touch control: drag windows, select text, double-tap to open • Hardware H.264 and H.265 decoding for smooth, low-latency video • Up to 60 FPS, with crisp text at your device's native resolution • Mac audio plays through your iPad or iPhone • Aspect fill to remove letterboxing • Name each device for multi-screen setups COMPLETELY FREE BetterCast is free and open source. No subscriptions, no ads, no watermarks. Requirements: a Mac running macOS 13 or later with BetterCast Sender installed, and iOS 15 or later on this device.

About

Umbra Browser

A privacy-focused browser that isolates each tab into a secure vault, blocking ads and trackers. It offers encrypted bookmarks, anti-fingerprinting, and optional integration with a password manager. All features are available for free.

Highlights
  • Tab isolation with per-tab data destruction
  • Built-in ad and tracker blocking
  • Anti-fingerprinting technologies
  • Encrypted bookmarks and DNS-over-HTTPS
  • Optional password manager integration
  • Reader mode for distraction-free browsing
  • Userscript support for custom functionality
Features
Read full description

Umbra is a privacy-first browser that treats your data the way it should be treated: as yours alone. Every feature is free. EVERY TAB IS A VAULT Each tab runs in its own isolated container. Cookies, cache, and localStorage are completely separated between tabs and destroyed the moment you close one. No browsing history is ever written to disk. BLOCK ADS & TRACKERS Umbra blocks ads, trackers, and fingerprinting scripts using built-in content blocking powered by EasyList and EasyPrivacy. See exactly what's blocked with the per-tab privacy shield. Tap the shield icon for a full breakdown of blocked ads, trackers, and scripts. Your all-time blocked count now shows on the new tab page, and you can open a shareable privacy report at any time. Turn on an optional weekly reminder to see what Umbra blocked that week. SAVE LOGINS TO PASSPONY If you use PassPony, our open-source password manager, Umbra can save new logins straight to it as you browse. They are encrypted with your own keys and stay on your device. No accounts, nothing sent to us. ANTI-FINGERPRINTING Canvas fingerprinting, WebGL probing, navigator sniffing. Umbra neutralizes the most common fingerprinting techniques by injecting protections at the browser level. ENCRYPTED EVERYTHING HTTPS-first browsing with automatic upgrade and HTTP warning interstitials. Encrypted DNS-over-HTTPS with your choice of provider (Cloudflare, Google, Quad9, and more). Bookmarks encrypted with AES-256-GCM, key stored in your Keychain. SSL certificate inspector: tap the lock icon to verify any site's certificate. SMART PRIVACY FEATURES Automatic UTM parameter stripping on every URL. DuckDuckGo as default search engine (Startpage and Brave Search also available). Per-site whitelist to disable blocking where needed. Share sheet strips tracking parameters automatically. BOOKMARKS Import your bookmarks from Safari, Chrome, or Firefox using their exported bookmarks file. Everything you save is encrypted at rest with your Keychain-stored key. READER MODE Distraction-free reading with a clean, fast-loading text view. No ads, no popups, no clutter. USERSCRIPTS Install custom userscripts to extend Umbra's functionality. Inject JavaScript on any page: block elements, restyle sites, or add features. SESSION RESTORE Pick up where you left off. Umbra saves your open tabs and restores them on launch. COMMAND PALETTE A quick-access command palette to switch tabs, open bookmarks, search history, and navigate. OPEN SOURCE Umbra is open source under the MPL-2.0 license. Read the code at github.com/norsehorse-dev/UmbraBrowser. ALL FEATURES INCLUDED Everything is free with no restrictions. Custom DNS providers, advanced blocklists, userscripts, session restore, encrypted bookmarks, and every privacy feature, available to all users. Built by NorseHorse. No ads. No tracking. No compromises. Terms of Use: https://umbrabrowser.app/eula Privacy Policy: https://umbrabrowser.app/privacy

Screenshots

BetterCast2 screens
Umbra Browser4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BetterCast at none against Umbra Browser's 3. BetterCast also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, 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. Umbra Browser sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. BetterCast asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BetterCast ships an update monthly, Umbra Browser every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
BetterCast versus Umbra Browser: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBetterCastUmbra Browser
PriceFreeFree
Rating—1.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB3 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperSTEPHEN JAN LOVINOKevin Stewart

In-app purchases

None

BetterCast

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Umbra Browser

Subscriptions2
  • Eclipse Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Eclipse Yearly$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Eclipse Lifetime$59.99

Questions

Is BetterCast free?
BetterCast is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Umbra Browser free?
Umbra Browser is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BetterCast or Umbra Browser have ads?
Neither BetterCast nor Umbra Browser shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BetterCast or Umbra Browser?
BetterCast ships an update monthly, and Umbra Browser every 2 months. Most recently, BetterCast was updated on October 24, 2026 and Umbra Browser on October 18, 2026.

Other comparisons