Comparison

VanBrowser vs The Browser

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

Head to head
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/

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

VanBrowser4 screens
The Browser4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
VanBrowser versus The Browser: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVanBrowserThe Browser
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (7 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.4
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB38 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperVertoliniCristian Camilo Arias Botero

Customer experience

VanBrowser

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

The Browser

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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
None

The Browser

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VanBrowser free?
VanBrowser is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Browser free?
The Browser is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, VanBrowser or The Browser?
VanBrowser and The Browser are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 7 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do VanBrowser or The Browser have ads?
Neither VanBrowser nor The Browser shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VanBrowser or The Browser?
VanBrowser ships an update every 3 days, and The Browser every 2 days. Most recently, VanBrowser was updated on October 1, 2026 and The Browser on October 12, 2026.

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