Modern developments in the form of apps on our smartphones have given us little reason to use outdated and less responsive web apps in a browser. For anything that doesn’t come as a dedicated app on the Play Store, the default web browser is our best friend — or is it?
It turns out that there are better alternatives to Chrome or Samsung Internet for those who value speed and general speed over anything else when surfing the web. In this article, we’ve got seven of the fastest web browsers for Android that can help you perform searches noticeably faster.
1. Google Go
Google Go is arguably the cleanest, smoothest mini browser out there. Not only does it have the prominent advantage of being up-to-date with Google’s latest design guidelines, but it also has a few tricks up its sleeve that make it a viable option over Google Chrome, for example.
With the quick launch options, you can effortlessly perform a search using your voice, use your phone’s camera for live translation, or just find out what’s happening with your Google Feed. The browser also has shortcuts to search for images and GIFs that you can then share with your friends.
Aside from the snappy animations, you can choose a wallpaper of your choice, select a second language to quickly switch between search results, and even enable a lite mode to save additional data.
to download: Google Go (free)
2. Carbon: super fast browser
Aside from its incredibly to-the-point name, this browser ticks all the right boxes that make a browser fast. It has a simple interface, an ad blocker, a data saver and even a built-in VPN. The combination of all these features makes for a noticeably faster browsing experience.
Despite being a speed-oriented browser, Carbon has a decent list of options to fine-tune your search experience. In fact, the entire hamburger menu and its options are a “carbon” copy of Google Chrome’s. Finally, the browser also has Carbon stats that show the number of trackers and ads you have successfully dodged while using this web browser.
to download: Carbon: super fast browser (free)
3. Opera Mini
Opera is a name that has become synonymous with speed over the years, and the mini version of the web browser brings things even closer to the speed of light. By removing most of the features in the traditional Opera browser, what’s left of Mini is a simple search tool with some useful features.
Apart from the usual data saving and ad blocking tools in other browsers, Opera Mini allows you to share files with your friends offline. It has a special personalized news section that adapts to your browsing habits to show relevant stories. You can even jump into the customization settings to customize how the web browser looks.
to download: Opera Mini (free)
4. Brave
Many users have ditched Google Chrome for Brave in the recent past due to the revolt in the need for privacy-focused features. With a fully internal search engine and promised speeds of up to three times that of Google Chrome, Brave has amassed quite a number of loyal users around the world.
Being a privacy-first browser, you can expect the usual set of features such as an ad blocker, tracker protection, a third-party cookie blocker, and more. Brave also forces any web instance to load with an automatic HTTPS protocol and will warn you before accessing sites that are not secure.
The browser also has a built-in VPN that you can use to access geo-blocked content, although you have to pay for it.
to download: Brave (free, in-app purchases available)
5. Hermit Lite Apps Browser
Hermit takes the whole idea of fast web browsing to the next level by letting you turn any website into an app in seconds, so you don’t have to spend precious storage space on your phone to install different social media apps separately.
Of course, the app also works like a regular browser and retrieves the search results fairly quickly. Using Hermit is a great way to break your social media addiction without going completely MIA to your online friends. Other benefits of using lite apps in Hermit include little to no background battery drain, fast switching between profiles, and avoidance of fishy trackers.
Hermit Browser also has a one-time premium purchase that unlocks even more customization when it comes to using the lite apps. All in all, if you’re looking for a modern, simple and fast way to use your favorite social media apps without the usual drawbacks, give Hermit a try.
to download: Hermit (free, in-app purchases available)
6. Firefox focus
While the regular Firefox browser is considered one of the fastest web browsers for Android, Firefox Focus is even better suited for those looking for a streamlined browsing experience. Firefox Focus does this by blocking most trackers, cookies and ads and by treating each browsing session as private.
This means that there are hardly any resources like your browsing history or saved passwords to improve your browsing experience. It also achieves this by having an incredibly simple user interface with nothing but a search box and a number of customizable shortcuts waiting for you when you open the app. The few cookies and history it keeps can be easily cleared with a single tap.
to download: Firefox Focus (free)
7. Neeva Browser
Neeva is another good choice for those looking for a fast web browser on Android. It surprisingly has a clean UI with no annoying prompts for in-app purchases.
It has your usual ad and tracker blocking functionality built in for an even faster browsing experience. With a single tap, you can see how many trackers are haunting a webpage.
to download: Neeva Browser (Free)
Browse faster and more efficiently on Android
Since web browsing is a big part of our online lives, it is critical to select a client that is fast and reliable. While there are browsers that offer rich feature sets like there’s no tomorrow, sometimes all we’re looking for is a quick and easy search.
Since most browsers on this list prioritize speed, they’re actually built in with useful tools like VPNs and tracker-blockers that are generally nice features anyway. Even if it’s just bare bones functionality you’re looking for, the Play Store thankfully has a good number of options to choose from.