Comparison

Ghost vs VanBrowser

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

Head to head
About

Ghost

Browse the web faster, smarter, and more privately with this all-in-one browser. It offers robust privacy tools, efficient media playback, and convenient download management for a streamlined online experience.

Highlights
  • Private browsing mode
  • Tracker protection
  • Picture-in-Picture video
  • Background video playback
  • Built-in download manager
  • Page summarization
  • Reader Mode
Features
Read full description

Ghost Browser – Smart Private Browser Browse faster, smarter, and more privately with Ghost Browser — a modern all-in-one web browser designed for speed, privacy, media playback, downloads, and powerful browsing tools. Ghost Browser combines a clean browsing experience with smart features and privacy-focused tools to make everyday browsing easier, smoother, and more secure. Whether you're exploring the web, watching videos, saving content offline, or managing multiple tabs, Ghost Browser gives you everything you need in one lightweight and intuitive app. Fast & Smart Browsing • Fast tabbed web browsing • Normal and Private browsing modes • Powerful search and address bar • Quick access homepage • Recently closed tabs • Tab search and session restore • Custom homepage support • Reader Mode for distraction-free reading • Find on Page support • Smart browsing suggestions • Home screen quick actions Privacy & Security • Private browsing mode • Tracker protection features • Popup protection • Cookie and cache controls • Privacy dashboard and site insights • Per-site browsing settings • Safe browsing tools • Adult content filtering support Ghost Browser helps provide a cleaner and more controlled browsing experience while giving users greater privacy options. Media & Video Features • Picture-in-Picture video playback • Background video and audio support • Video detection tools • Save supported videos for offline viewing • Streaming-friendly browsing tools • Fullscreen media experience Enjoy smoother media playback while browsing your favorite websites and streaming platforms. --- Downloads & Offline Access • Built-in download manager • Save pages for offline reading • Download progress tracking • Local file storage management • Offline video playback support Keep your important content available anytime, even without internet access. Smart Tools & Productivity • Page summarize and simplify tools • Translation support • Smart page actions • Quick notes • Calculator and utility tools • QR image reader • Focus and browsing insights • Smart tab organization Ghost Browser is designed to help you browse more efficiently and stay productive throughout the day. Designed for Everyday Use • Clean and modern interface • Smooth browsing experience • Customizable settings • Optimized performance • Easy-to-use controls • Lightweight and user-friendly Important Notes Some websites may restrict certain features such as video downloading, background playback, or content access due to platform limitations or copyright protections. Users are responsible for complying with website terms and local laws when downloading or saving content. Download Ghost Browser today and experience a smarter, faster, and more private way to browse the web.

About

VanBrowser

A fast, private web browser designed for Apple devices. It prioritizes user control and transparency by avoiding AI features and data collection. Offers advanced tools for inspecting web activity and managing online identities.

Highlights
  • No AI features
  • Advanced web inspection tools
  • Persona-based identity separation
  • Tracker and ad blocking
  • Local data storage
  • Optional iCloud sync
  • Native Apple device design
Features
Read full description

Fast, private, and built natively for Mac, iPhone, and iPad, VanBrowser puts you in control of your browsing experience instead of collecting data about it. Many browsers racing to add AI assistants, cloud services, and increasingly complicated and hidden interfaces. VanBrowser takes a different approach. It is a browser first, designed to help you browse the web with more transparency. NO AI. NONE. VanBrowser includes no AI features. No chatbot. No page summaries. No assistant watching what you browse. No prompts asking you to generate content. What you do in VanBrowser never becomes training data for us because we don't collect it in the first place. We don't collect data: You're not the product. Instead of monetizing your browsing activity, we rely on Pro subscriptions and optional tips to support continued development. SEE WHAT THE WEB IS DOING Most browsers hide what happens behind the scenes. VanBrowser puts that information in front of you. A live status bar shows page load times, transferred data, and resource counts as pages load. Open the Cookies, Network, and Page Info panels to inspect what a site sets, requests, and loads. Advanced users can also send and inspect raw web requests directly. PERSONAS: SEPARATE YOUR ONLINE IDENTITIES Keep work and personal accounts separate without juggling multiple browsers. Personas provide isolated browsing environments with their own cookies and device identities, making it easy to: • Stay logged into multiple accounts at the same time • Keep work and personal browsing separate • Open websites as a clean device • Automatically send specific websites to the correct Persona PRIVACY BY DEFAULT VanBrowser blocks many trackers and ads using maintained blocklists and is designed to give you greater control over your browsing data. History, bookmarks, passwords, and settings are stored locally on your Mac by default. If you use multiple devices, you can optionally enable iCloud sync to share supported data through your own iCloud account. VanBrowser is designed to minimize the collection of user data. We do not operate a cloud service for storing your browsing history, bookmarks, passwords, or synced data. BUILT NATIVELY FOR MAC, IPHONE, AND IPAD VanBrowser is designed specifically for macOS, iPhone, and iPad and feels at home here. Features include: • Tabbed browsing • Bookmarks and bookmarks bar • History and downloads • Reader View • Find in Page • Zoom controls • Built-in password vault • Built-in payment card vault • Per-site controls • Accessibility-focused design ACCESSIBILITY FIRST VanBrowser includes support for VoiceOver, Voice Control, and accessibility-focused customization throughout the app. FREE AND PRO VanBrowser is free to use. Upgrade to Pro to unlock iCloud sync, additional Personas, and other advanced features. A browser should work for you, not advertisers, data brokers, or AI companies. VanBrowser is a browser. That's the point. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Ghost4 screens
VanBrowser4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ghost at none against VanBrowser's 6. VanBrowser's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, ratings volume, ads 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. VanBrowser sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Ghost asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VanBrowser holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 7 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ghost ships an update every 2 weeks, VanBrowser every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Ghost versus VanBrowser: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGhostVanBrowser
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (10 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings10 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB28 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperPinki .Vertolini

Customer experience

Ghost

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative0.0%

VanBrowser

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Ghost

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

VanBrowser

Subscriptions2
  • VanBrowser (Monthly)$1.991 Month
  • VanBrowser Pro (Yearly)$19.991 Year
One-time4
  • Small Tip$2.99
  • Medium Tip$6.99
  • Large Tip$12.99
Show 1 more
  • VanBrowser Pro (Lifetime)$49.99

Questions

Is Ghost free?
Ghost is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VanBrowser free?
VanBrowser is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ghost or VanBrowser?
VanBrowser is rated higher. Ghost averages 4.8 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while VanBrowser averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.
Do Ghost or VanBrowser have ads?
Neither Ghost nor VanBrowser shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ghost or VanBrowser?
Ghost ships an update every 2 weeks, and VanBrowser every 3 days. Most recently, Ghost was updated on October 6, 2026 and VanBrowser on October 17, 2026.

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