Best Chrome Alternatives on Android
Chrome on Android may be too big. It is undoubtedly a heavy browser with not many downloadable features. There’s no built-in reading mode, no ad blocker, no tab management, no VPN, nothing. Chrome isn’t even that customizable.
If you want more from your Android browser, you can’t go wrong. If you’re willing to switch to a third-party browser, you can get a browser that’s faster than Chrome, uses fewer resources, provides all the features I just talked about, and more.
There are many options to choose from, but here are my top Chrome alternatives, depending on what kind of user you are.
Vivaldi: Best suited for large screen devices.
Vivaldi is a fast and stable desktop-style tabbed browser that’s ideal for those with larger phones. With this app, you get a scrollable tab bar with full titles right on the tab bar. There is no need to press a button to switch or manage different tabs.
Instead, you’ll find a horizontally scrolling list of tabs. Although you can also disable it if you wish. And like most Android browsers, you can place the tab bar at the top or bottom of the screen. Vivaldi also supports this tab layout on larger screens, so if you’re using an Android tablet or foldable tablet, this browser may be right for you.
The Vivaldi browser for Android syncs with its desktop counterpart and, like the desktop app, offers ad blocking and tracking options by default. You also get speed dial, search engine shortcuts, reading list, and topics.
Otherwise, Vivaldi is quite lightweight and the interface is easy to use. There’s no AI agent, no free VPN, no news feed to turn off.
Firefox: Best Option for Adding Functionality
Firefox is the only browser on this list that supports extensions. This instantly makes Firefox the best choice in terms of customization.
The Firefox Android app is quite capable on its own. It’s fast, simple and easy to use. Using Firefox Sync, you can access all your Firefox (or any other Firefox-based browser) tabs on your Android smartphone. The same goes for passwords.
Firefox also has Collections, a native feature for manually grouping tabs in the tab switcher. The tab bar supports a convenient gesture: you can swipe left or right to switch between recently used tabs (like how you swipe between apps using the home bar).
But as I said, the main feature is the extensions. The Dark Reader extension will enable dark mode for any website, uBlock Origin will provide a fast and effective ad blocker in Firefox, the Bitwarden extension will provide autofill for passwords and much more. There are extensions for tracking prices online, downloading YouTube videos, and more.
Although with most of them you don’t have to worry. Simply adding a couple of extensions like uBlock Origin and Dark Reader will greatly improve your browsing experience.
Brave: The Best Option for Privacy
Brave is known for its privacy and security, and the Android browser is no exception. Brave is faster compared to Chrome and blocks ads and trackers by default, there is no need to enable any settings or configure anything for this. By default, Brave uses Brave’s own search engine, which is also private by default, and uses its own search engine instead of using third-party data.
Brave offers many additional features, but they are all disabled by default. If you want, you can enable a private news feed. And although Brave has its own AI bot Leo and its own paid VPN, they are hidden in the menu and easy to ignore.
There is an experimental night mode that automatically inverts colors throughout the website, making them dark backgrounds and light text. Brave also has grouped tabs to make tab management easier.
Via: Best for Older Devices
Via is a minimalistic and lightweight browser that works well on any Android device. The browser weighs only 1.5 MB, making it ideal for devices with limited memory. It also works well on devices with limited RAM.
Via is a simple browser. It opens on a minimal start page, with no news feeds or shortcuts. It has a really simple tab management feature and the tab bar is at the bottom of the screen.
The application has built-in ad blocking, and it is also possible to edit and customize ad blocking filters. There is a reading mode and even a night mode that inverts colors on all sites.
Overall, if you’re tired of Chrome’s bloated software or have an older device where Chrome is too slow, you should consider Via.
Opera: Best at Reducing Tab Overload
The Opera browser for Android is all about features. There’s a built-in reading mode, an ad blocker enabled by default, a free VPN service, and a customizable address bar that can be pinned to the bottom of the screen.
Opera puts its Arai AI front and center, leaving room in the toolbar. But you can easily edit it.
Like Vivaldi, there’s an option to enable desktop-style tabs that you can swipe through. And tabs are what Opera really specializes in. There’s support for tab islands, where Opera automatically groups and color codes multiple web pages from the same site. When you go to the tab switcher, you will find three different layout options: carousel, grid, and list. The Carousel option lets you quickly scroll through open tab groups and tabs. You can freely drag tabs between groups to change their order.
If you use Opera on your desktop, your computer’s tabs can appear on Android, and you can use the Flow feature to share links, files, and notes between all your devices.