Ghost vs VanBrowser
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Private browsing mode
- Tracker protection
- Picture-in-Picture video
- Background video playback
- Built-in download manager
- Page summarization
- Reader Mode
Read full descriptionHide full description
Ghost is a private web browser with a built-in ad blocker, Split Screen for two websites at once, Background Play and Picture-in-Picture video. SPLIT SCREEN – NEW • Open two websites side by side on iPhone and iPad • Watch a video while you search or read • Compare pages without switching tabs PRIVATE BROWSING & AD BLOCK • Incognito mode that leaves no history • Block ads, trackers and pop-ups • Cookie and cache controls, per-site settings • Privacy dashboard and safe browsing tools • Adult content filter • Shake to clear browsing history instantly VIDEO & MEDIA • Picture-in-Picture for supported videos • Background audio playback • Fullscreen video player OFFLINE & DOWNLOADS • Save web pages to read offline • Built-in download manager with progress tracking AI & PRODUCTIVITY • Ask AI about the page on your screen • Summarise, simplify and translate pages • Listen to web pages read aloud • Reader Mode, Find on Page, QR reader, quick notes FAST, CLEAN, EASY Tabs with tab search, recently closed tabs, session restore, custom homepage and home screen quick actions. Some websites limit background playback or downloads. Please respect each website's terms and local laws.
VanBrowser
A private web browser that prioritizes user control and transparency. It offers features like isolated browsing environments, detailed network inspection, and built-in privacy tools without AI integration. Data is stored locally by default, with optional iCloud sync.
- No AI features
- Isolated browsing environments (Personas)
- Detailed network and cookie inspection
- Tracker and ad blocking
- Local data storage with optional iCloud sync
- Native macOS, iPhone, and iPad design
- Accessibility-focused
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: VanBrowser at Free against Ghost's $6.99. VanBrowser also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 10 days) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On ratings volume, 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
VanBrowser is free to download; Ghost costs $6.99 up front. Ghost sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and VanBrowser sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
VanBrowser holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 7 respectively.
Ghost ships an update every 10 days, VanBrowser every 3 days. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.
| Parameter | Ghost | VanBrowser |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (13 ratings) | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 13 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 29 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Pinki . | Vertolini |
Customer experience
Ghost
VanBrowser
In-app purchases
Ghost
- Ghost Premium Lifetime$6.99
VanBrowser
- VanBrowser (Monthly)$1.991 Month
- VanBrowser Pro (Yearly)$19.991 Year
- Small Tip$2.99
- Medium Tip$6.99
- Large Tip$12.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- VanBrowser Pro (Lifetime)$49.99







