VanBrowser vs The Browser
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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/
The Browser
A fast, private web browser with on-device AI for summarizing pages and answering questions. It blocks ads and trackers by default, offers private tabs, and supports extensions.
- On-device AI for summarization and Q&A
- Blocks ads, trackers, and fingerprinting
- Private tabs with Face ID lock
- Supports Chrome and Firefox extensions
- Hide distracting elements on web pages
- Reader mode for articles
- Offline page translation
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The Browser is a fast, private web browser with a built-in AI that runs entirely on your device — no account, no data collection, no tracking. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT • Blocks ads, trackers, and fingerprinting out of the box • Automatically declines cookie-consent pop-ups • Private tabs locked with Face ID • Nothing is collected — your browsing stays on your device ON-DEVICE AI • Summarize any page or ask questions about it • Runs locally with a compact model — works even without Apple Intelligence • No prompts or pages are sent to a server EXTENSIONS (BETA) • Install Chrome and Firefox extensions — one tap from their web stores or from a file • Manage permissions and per-site access BUILT FOR FOCUS • Hide Distracting Items — tap to remove clutter on any page, remembered per site • Reader mode for clean, readable articles • Offline translation of pages in many languages MADE FOR iPHONE & iPAD • Optimized iPad layout with a sidebar and multiple windows • Voice search, downloads manager, per-site settings • A customizable start page Fast, focused, and private — the way browsing should be.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Browser at none against VanBrowser's 6. VanBrowser's advantage is ratings volume (7 vs 2). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. VanBrowser sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. The Browser asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for VanBrowser against 5.0 for The Browser. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 2 respectively.
VanBrowser ships an update every 3 days, The Browser every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VanBrowser | The Browser |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (7 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Vertolini | Cristian Camilo Arias Botero |
Customer experience
VanBrowser
The Browser
In-app purchases
VanBrowser
- VanBrowser (Monthly)$1.991 Month
- VanBrowser Pro (Yearly)$19.991 Year
- Small Tip$2.99
- Medium Tip$6.99
- Large Tip$12.99
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- VanBrowser Pro (Lifetime)$49.99
The Browser
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is VanBrowser free?
Is The Browser free?
Which has better reviews, VanBrowser or The Browser?
Do VanBrowser or The Browser have ads?
Which is updated more often, VanBrowser or The Browser?
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