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Browsers with built-in anti-tracking and fingerprint protection

How They Work

Privacy-focused browsers include built-in protections that reduce your digital fingerprint without requiring additional tools. They block trackers, randomize fingerprint data, and limit what websites can learn about your hardware.

What They Protect

• User agent — spoofed or standardized to a common value
• Screen resolution — rounded or reported as a common size
• GPU renderer and WebGL — blocked or randomized
• Canvas fingerprint — noise added or blocked
• Detected fonts — limited to a standard set
• CPU cores and device memory — spoofed to common values
• Pixel ratio — standardized
• WebRTC — disabled or restricted to prevent IP leaks

Browser Comparison

Firefox Desktop + Mobile

Not a privacy browser by default, but offers extensive privacy configuration through about:config settings like privacy.resistFingerprinting. The foundation that many privacy browsers are built on. Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

• Enhanced Tracking Protection blocks known trackers
• Highly configurable through about:config
• Large extension ecosystem for additional privacy tools
• Requires manual configuration for strong fingerprint protection

Brave Desktop + Mobile

Blocks trackers and ads by default. Randomizes (farbles) fingerprint values like canvas, WebGL, and fonts. Each session generates different fingerprint noise, making cross-site tracking difficult. Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

• Built-in ad and tracker blocking (Brave Shields)
• Fingerprint randomization for canvas, WebGL, fonts, and audio
• Optional Tor mode for routing traffic through the Tor network
• Chromium-based — compatible with most websites

Mullvad Browser Desktop only

Built on Firefox, designed to be used with Mullvad VPN. All users share the same fingerprint profile, similar to Tor Browser's approach but without the Tor network. Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. No mobile version exists.

• Uniform fingerprint across all users
• Based on Tor Browser's privacy patches
• Best paired with Mullvad VPN for full protection
• No telemetry or data collection

LibreWolf Desktop only

A hardened fork of Firefox with telemetry removed and privacy.resistFingerprinting enabled by default. Blocks fingerprinting scripts and limits API access. Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. No mobile version exists.

• All Firefox telemetry removed
• privacy.resistFingerprinting enabled out of the box
• uBlock Origin pre-installed
• Automatic updates through package managers

What About Mainstream Browsers?

Many people assume that popular browsers like Chrome or Safari protect their privacy — especially in "Incognito" or "Private" mode. In reality, these modes only prevent your browsing history from being saved locally. They do nothing to hide your IP address, prevent fingerprinting, or stop websites from tracking you.

Google Chrome Desktop + Mobile

Chrome is the most popular browser in the world, but it is built by an advertising company. Google's business model depends on collecting user data, and Chrome reflects that. Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

• No fingerprint protection — your screen resolution, GPU, fonts, and all other parameters are fully exposed to every website
• Extensive telemetry — Chrome sends browsing data, usage statistics, and crash reports to Google by default
• Incognito mode is not private — it only hides history from other users of the same device. Websites, your ISP, and Google can still see everything
• Limited extension support for privacy — Chrome is phasing out Manifest V2 extensions, which weakens ad blockers like uBlock Origin

Apple Safari Desktop + Mobile

Safari has some privacy features built in, making it better than Chrome for privacy — but it still falls short of dedicated privacy browsers. Available on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS only (Apple ecosystem).

• Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) — blocks cross-site tracking cookies and limits third-party trackers using machine learning
• Basic fingerprint protection — reports a simplified system configuration to websites, reducing some fingerprint uniqueness
• Hide IP from trackers — iCloud Private Relay (paid) can hide your IP from known trackers, but not from all websites
• Apple ecosystem only — available only on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Not an option for Windows or Linux users
• Closed source — the WebKit engine is open source, but Safari itself is proprietary and cannot be independently audited

Microsoft Edge Desktop + Mobile

Edge is a Chromium-based browser from Microsoft. While it includes some tracking prevention features, it also collects significant telemetry for Microsoft. Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

• No fingerprint protection — all browser parameters are fully exposed, just like Chrome
• Tracking prevention — offers Basic, Balanced, and Strict tracking prevention levels, but even Strict mode does not block fingerprinting
• Heavy telemetry — sends browsing data to Microsoft, including URLs visited in some configurations
• Integrated with Microsoft services — tight integration with Bing, Microsoft accounts, and Copilot means more data is shared with Microsoft

Opera Desktop + Mobile

Opera includes a built-in "VPN" feature, which may give users a false sense of privacy. It also has a concerning ownership history. Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

• The "VPN" is actually a proxy — it only routes browser traffic (not all system traffic) through Opera's servers and does not provide full VPN encryption
• No fingerprint protection — all parameters are fully exposed to websites
• Owned by a Chinese consortium — acquired in 2016 by a group of Chinese investors, raising concerns about data handling and jurisdiction
• Ad tracker built in — Opera has integrated advertising features and has been criticized for promoting predatory loan apps in developing countries

Samsung Internet Mobile only

Samsung Internet is the default browser on Samsung Android devices. It is one of the most widely used mobile browsers in the US, yet most users don't realize it offers almost no privacy protection. Available on Android only (primarily Samsung devices).

• No fingerprint protection — all device parameters (screen size, GPU, fonts, etc.) are fully visible to websites
• Basic tracker blocking — offers "Smart Anti-Tracking" which blocks some cross-site cookies, but does not prevent fingerprinting
• Samsung telemetry — sends usage data to Samsung's servers. Privacy policy allows sharing data with third-party partners
• Android only — only available on Android devices, primarily Samsung phones and tablets
• Chromium-based — shares the same limitations as Chrome regarding extension support and fingerprint exposure

Fingerprint Exposure Comparison

The table below shows which fingerprinting parameters each browser protects by default. Green means the parameter is blocked or spoofed, orange means partial protection, and red means fully exposed to every website.

A Note on iOS Browsers

If you use an iPhone or iPad, there is an important limitation you should know about: Apple requires all browsers on iOS to use the WebKit rendering engine — the same engine that powers Safari. This means that Firefox, Brave, Chrome, and every other browser on iOS are essentially Safari with a different interface.

As a result, many of the privacy advantages of desktop browsers do not apply on iOS:

• Firefox on iOS cannot use privacy.resistFingerprinting or its own Gecko engine — it's WebKit underneath, so advanced anti-fingerprinting features are unavailable
• Brave on iOS still blocks ads and trackers, but its fingerprint randomization (farbling) is limited because WebKit controls how canvas, WebGL, and fonts are rendered
• Chrome on iOS is essentially Safari with Google's sync features — it offers no additional privacy or fingerprint protection over Safari itself
• Extensions are severely limited — iOS browsers support only a fraction of the extensions available on desktop, and most anti-fingerprinting extensions are not available

For iPhone and iPad users in the US (where ~55% of smartphones are iPhones), Safari is often your best option since it includes Apple's Intelligent Tracking Prevention, simplified fingerprint reporting, and is the native WebKit implementation. Other browsers on iOS are running the same engine with fewer optimizations.

Which Browser Should You Choose?

The right browser depends on what you need. Use the flowchart below to find the best match for your situation.