17+ Best Android Web Browsers You Shouldn’t Ignore | 2018 Edition

Android runs on over 2 billion devices, that is more than Windows, iOS & others combined. That implies how popular the Android is among smartphone users, that is every two out of three picks Android over other operating systems. As a matter of fact, Android is used platform to access the web. But getting the fastest web browser for Android wouldn’t lead to a happy ending.

In my sincerest recommendation, going with the trusted browsers sounds like the smart thing to do. The reason being, Internet surfing is a private affair, and since you don’t want to suffer from the lack of security when accessing private information, you ought to go with what you know, eh? Let’s see some of the top best Android browsers 2018, without any further ado let’s login, shall we?

Best Android Web Browsers You Shouldn’t Ignore – 2018 Edition

1. Google Chrome

Google Chrome is one of the quicker and best browser for Android known to mankind (sort of). Being a product of the tech giant, Chrome provides ample features to tinker around. Chrome is loaded with lots of features which is more than adequate for average person, which includes built-in Flash, HTML 5, incognito window, Data saver (have to enable), & importantly possess the ability to sync all histories, passwords & bookmarks across any device seamlessly using Gmail account.

It makes your experience seamless across multiple devices, and the faster web page rendering engine makes it hands down choice. Well, the jaw-dropping features might not make Chrome as the best Android browser, if your smartphone isn’t packing some decent power inside. It requires sufficient system memory and horsepower to get going, to say less it is a memory hog. Although it is resource intensive, but the features and the security it provides makes us rethink the decision. Best part, it is updated regularly which weeds out potential bugs, so no hindrance is likely to be encountered.

• Tabbed browsing.
• Sync history/bookmarks across your devices.
• The private/incognito mode feature is available.
• “Do not track” is a built-in option.
• Data saver is built-in for optimized data usage.
• Voice search & better integration with voice assistants like Google Now & Allo.
• Multiple gestures supported are supported.

 

2. Mozilla Firefox

Firefox is the old school browser that dominated the industry before Chrome’s launch. It is open source in nature, which attracts mostly developers and geeks. The overabundance of addons stepped by the game for Firefox. When it comes to the options and area to explore, it wins over any browser. You can install Add-ons right into your mobile browser, making the competition tougher for Chrome.

Firefox carries the same genes from its cousine, which includes synchronisation, built in flash, data saver, private browsing and others. But it isn’t resource intensive as Chrome, it is easy on memory so you can give it a shot. It could be quite faster, if you compared with chrome it falls short.

• Well organised.
• Synchronise history/bookmarks across different platforms.
• Add-ons supports for geeky nerds.
• Private Browsing
• Store passwords securely, encrypt it with a master password.
• Gestures will make browsing intuitive.
• Flash is inbuilt.
• Block trackers, web malware.

 

3. Opera Browser

Opera, everyone’s favourite web browsers getting better. It has some signature features which makes it stands out in the crowd along with few short comings. It supports flash, faster downloading, private browsing, tabbed browsing, and you can customize the way you want it to look.

Well, Opera isn’t for everyone the sponsored notification might let off some, you can turn it off in settings. The built in newsfeed can make or break Opera it has some trending news in worldwide scale, many find it useless whereas some found it worth. The Data saver is a boon for many cellular data users, you can fire up Ad blocker, video compression and image quality accordingly.

• Clean & clutter-free UI.
• Easy tabs navigation especially tablet mode.
• Private browsing.
• Opera Turbo – Renders web pages faster and saves the data.
• Pop-up blocker and filters anonymous ads.
• Intuitive download manager.
• One clicks user agent switcher.
• Sync all your data with single sign-in.

 

Opera Browser

Opera Mini

If you need lighter version of Opera but ready to sacrifice few options, you could go with Opera Mini. Both browsers are lighter on memory and CPU, so either do works.

4. Dolphin

Being a great alternative to stock Android browsers, Dolphin provides you ample features for accessing to the internet. The user interface is simple and intuitive, you can save your favourite bookmarks or shortcuts for instant access. Apart from that, the built-in flash player and pop-up blocker will make browsing smooth.

For power users, you’ll also get the advanced features like Gesture support and personalized search. Sonar is something special; you can make use of your voice to search the web. You don’t have to install any personal assistants, it’s built right into the browser itself. You can also customise the browser with a wide array of themes out there.

• Easy sync bookmarks/history.
• Browser store for installing web apps and add-ons.
• A variety of gestures is supported.
• Voice search is packed.
• Custom rendering engine.
• Flash player is supported.
• Classic and list style tab browsing.
• One-tap sharing.
• Highly customizable UI.

5. Maxthon

Maxthon is the brilliant choice of a web browser for Android phones; its unique features makes it worth a try. Browsing speed is optimum, and the smooth user interface runs parallel to it. On the other hand, it supports all the feature like Incognito Mode, Flash and other practical stuff that is preliminary for smooth browsing.

Features including Magic Fill (fills the form details automatically), user agent switcher (switches between mobile, desktop, and tablets), images off, AdBlock Plus (still in the beta mode), sync options (sync history favorites, tabs), NewsBites (latest news engine) and others. If you had a bad experience with a browser or need to switch to a new one, then Maxthon must be the first one on your list. Well-organized, intuitive interface and faster browsing are what makes Maxthon well-known.

• A straightforward and intuitive user interface.
• Browsing was Faster than we expected.
• Automatically fill forms with Magic Fill.
• One click user agent switcher.
• Vast sync options.
• NewsBites for the latest news.
• AdBlock Plus (Beta mode)

6. Apus

Apus is the lightweight and powerful browser that’s enough for most of the daily needs. Apus Web browser is aimed to provide the smooth and fluid browsing experience even on the low-end smartphones with  2G/EDGE & slow internet connections.

Apus browser is the best performer for the low-end smartphones. The favorite shortcuts make you access your most visited websites without typing in the URLs. Furthermore, the tab management makes most of your browsing experience. Incognito and Night modes are somewhat essential for a night-owl which is built-in. Features like Speed mode (renders pages faster), Full screen (hides notification bar), desktop site, privacy sites (pattern lock websites), offline pages (saves pages offline), night mode (dark theme for low light conditions), delete data (one click clear your browsing records).

• Smallest browser (less than 3 MB).
• Speed mode to render pages faster.
• Privacy sites – Lock the websites for private access
• Experience faster browsing with slower internet.
• HTML5 is supported.
• Incognito, No images, Game and Night Modes.
• Compatible with Android tablets.
• Well-organized tab browsing.

7. UC Browser

Although, it is a great web browser it collects unnecessary informations and ask for almost all the permissions. There was breach in its datacenter few months back, we don’t recommend UC browser anymore. And the way it handles sponsored articles and news is undeniably worst.

UC browser created a wave and overtook the rival browsers. You’ll get access to the fast internet and the UI meets expectations. Although, you’ll get promotional contents of third-party websites, you’ll also get a lot more to grab on your plate. With enhanced downloading speeds it is one of the best browsers for downloading. You won’t need any download managers for android phone to get the work done.

You can also customize browser theme, and switch to night mode if you need. The turbo boost resonates with Opera Turbo but does the job well. Too many promotional contents and notification may annoy anyone, if this isn’t a concern then UC Browser has your name written on.

• Easy and smooth browsing.
• High-speed download.
• Incognito Mode.
• UC Turbo for faster browsing.
• Flash supported.

8. Brave

Brave Browser (Formerly known as link bubble browser) is another app that is concerned about the privacy of its users. It blocks all the Ads and other trackers that track the user behavior and brings you safe and secure browsing.

You don’t have to wait till the web page completes loading, you could browse others in real-time. You could redirect the link to a particular app such as Google Play Store, etc.

9. Puffin Browser

Puffin is another reliable player with smart features. You could experience the ultra fast browsing with the latest flash version and enhanced page outlets. With the advanced javascript rendering engine, it would fetch the data fast even with slow connections.

If you don’t want to download files to the smartphone, you can save them to the cloud storage services like Dropbox, etc. Later, you could download the collected data from the cloud to your phone using the browser. Puffin browser comes with the Android v 6.0 (Marshmallow) update.

10. Mercury Browser

With the simple user interface, it stands out not only with the straightforward UI but also features it offers. It also has the inbuilt file manager to explore the files you have downloaded or in your cloud storage. Apart from that, it has day/night mode, privacy browsing, reading list, user agent switcher, no image browsing and bunch of others.

FAB icon comes handy, if you are about to add the current page to speed dial, bookmarks or reading list. Did I said, you can customise the FAB settings. With a plethora of plugins including, AdBlock, Gallery mode, screenshot and others, it satisfies your extension needs.  You can also sync your bookmarks, passwords, history with other devices through Mercury connect. Not the best, but still an excellent android stock browser alternative.

11. Next Browser

Simple browser, which was developed aiming the light and moderate users. The UI is clean, with full screen mode. Like most of the browsers, it has night mode, bookmarks, no image mode, private browsing and few others. You can get your hands on few plugins to the browser in the extension centre, though the extension count is low, still more than enough for light users.

You can switch the user agent to desktop, Android or iPhone which might be useful. Apart from that nothing fancy, all the features are primarily targeting light users.

12. Ghostery

If privacy is your primary concern, why shouldn’t you try Ghostery browser? Ghostery’s advanced algorithm gathers the tracking script of hundreds of websites and stores in its database; so that none of your data is tracked. You could browse the web anonymously without worrying about your privacy.

Apart from that, the browsing experience isn’t slow; you’ll get an exceptional speed. The app requires additional permissions, unlike any regular web browser.

13. Chrome Beta

Simpler and faster browser replicate the Google Chrome with modified features in beta mode. You could install the Chrome beta along with Google Chrome, which fetches the history, bookmarks and other things. Apart from that, everything resembles the original Chrome web browser for the smartphones.

14. Opera Mini

Opera Mini is the most popular web browser accompanied with the traditional and impressive features. But flash contents were not supported in this browser; you have to switch to the browser with flash support.

15. CM Browser

It’s lightweight (2.9MB), lightning fast, and provides AV-Test verified security. In one word, it is just SUPER! The stunning user interface will make you hypnotized to use this browser over others. Say goodbye to Chrome and Firefox, CM Browser has it all.

The gesture control lets you access your favorite sites with a single click! The browser is also equipped to auto-scan any snooping spyware, malware, and quarantines it for you.

It also comes with something called Card Tabs which means you can access more websites at a simultaneous pace. The most profitable feature of CM browser is the Privacy Cleaner which deletes all your personal information, such as bank records, and previously accessed websites and saves nothing! Which means more privacy for you!

16. Flynx

Flynx is a one-of-a-kind web browser that brings the best of smart browsing features to your smartphone. It understands the need for multitasking in the modern age and allows its user to do the same without a scuttle. You can now open all the links from your apps which will run in the background. Your favorite articles are now opened in a clutter-free manner for easier reading facility. Any link that you open from other apps can also be saved for offline accessibility and reading.

17. Javelin

Javelin Browser is a powerful browsing app for Android devices that includes AdBlock Plus. Concurrently, Javelin has a stunning elegant design that you’ve not seen elsewhere. The main window and address bar are the most key designed features of this browser.

Javeline also organizes your most read bookmarks in a nice fashion, by showing the most frequently used/read pages to the top and the least used to the bottom. Other features include incognito mode and full reading mode which facilitates the ease of reading long articles. An intelligent web browser such as Javeline, poses a strong opposition to the traditional web browsers such as Google Chrome, so try it once and become a fan!

 

Wrapping up,

After all, it is best to stick with what works best for you, if you need faster browser and don’t care about the memory hogging issues then Chrome is way to go. For developers, who tinker around with Addons or Javascript Firefox is for you, for rest of the genre you could either go with Opera or Dolphin.

Well, that is the list of some best Android browsers 2018 edition, all these are better than stock web browser in terms of rendering engine, responsiveness & features, so you might find your perfect companion. Have we missed any other browser for Android on this list? If YES, let us know in the comment section, also drop your browser of choice & why in the comment section below.