Comparison

Cloak vs VanBrowser

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

Head to head
About

Cloak

This private browser prioritizes your online privacy by blocking ads and trackers. It offers session protection with a passcode and ensures no browsing history is saved by default, with an option to instantly erase all data.

Highlights
  • Ad and tracker blocking
  • Auto-updating filter lists
  • App passcode lock
  • App switcher blur
  • Private browsing by default
  • One-tap data erase
  • Tabbed browsing
Features
Read full description

Cloak is a private browser built for one thing: keeping your browsing yours. BLOCK ADS & TRACKERS Cloak blocks ads, trackers, and analytics using community-maintained filter lists (EasyList, EasyPrivacy and more) that update automatically — no app update required. See exactly how many trackers you've blocked, right on the home screen. LOCK IT DOWN Protect your sessions with your own app passcode. Cloak locks every time you leave, and blurs its contents in the app switcher so nothing leaks to prying eyes. LEAVE NO TRACE Private by default: history, cookies and cache are never saved. Close the app and it's gone. Or burn all browsing data instantly, whenever you want. FAST & CLEAN A clean, focused browser with tabs, adaptive blocking and a dark, focused design. FEATURES - Auto-updating ad & tracker blocking (EasyList / EasyPrivacy / Japanese filters) - Live tracker counter and per-site breakdown - App passcode lock + app-switcher blur - No-trace private browsing by default - One-tap "burn" to erase everything - Tabbed browsing - Picture-in-Picture video Your browsing is nobody's business but yours. Cloak keeps it that way.

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

Cloak3 screens
VanBrowser4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: VanBrowser at 5.0 against Cloak's 4.2. VanBrowser also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks). Cloak's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6). On price, ratings volume, device support and iOS requirement 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. Cloak asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VanBrowser holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 6 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cloak ships an update every 3 weeks, VanBrowser every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Cloak versus VanBrowser: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCloakVanBrowser
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (5 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings56 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB28 MB
Age rating+1717+
DeveloperMIZOU, CO., LTD.Vertolini

Customer experience

Cloak

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

VanBrowser

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Cloak

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 Cloak free?
Cloak 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, Cloak or VanBrowser?
VanBrowser is rated higher. Cloak averages 4.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while VanBrowser averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Cloak or VanBrowser have ads?
Cloak shows ads; VanBrowser does not.
Which is updated more often, Cloak or VanBrowser?
Cloak ships an update every 3 weeks, and VanBrowser every 2 days. Most recently, Cloak was updated on September 21, 2026 and VanBrowser on September 13, 2026.

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