Your web browser is a gateway to your online world. Every day, you use it to search and connect with information, products, games, and more. Yes, you use apps as well. But that browser is never far away and your go-to if you can’t access an app or don’t want to. 

More than half of us use Google's Chrome browser, according to Oberlo. Safari on Apple devices is the second-most popular browser, Microsoft’s Edge comes in third, with Firefox fourth. These browsers do a good job keeping you online, but they have some shortcomings – a good enough reason to check out alternatives. 

Why would you use a different browser? The most common reason is for privacy – the popular browsers might track your web activity in ways you don’t want. Some are also notorious for using a lot of your device's memory. If you’re a power user, you might want to customise your browser, or consider a browser with special features, such as downloading media and torrent files. 

If you’re content with Chrome, Safari or Edge, you likely don’t need to change browsers. But if you’re looking for something different, here are some alternative browsers worth trying. 

Brave 

Brave is the leading alt browser, very popular for its privacy features. By default, Brave will block ads and provide a wide range of options to tweak your online privacy. The browser also supports Brave's alternative search engine, in case those Google results are insufficient. It claims to be faster and uses fewer resources than Chrome while still supporting Chrome plugins.  

• Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. 

Vivaldi 

Vivaldi is the ultimate answer for power users who need more from their browsers. You can heavily customise its features and layout, tweaking every detail to create what you need. Vivaldi also has a useful split-screen feature on PCs that lets you look at two websites side by side. It's easily the most versatile multitasking browser available today. 

• Available for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. 

Min 

Min stands for Minimal, and this browser fully embraces that concept. The user interface is very simple and great if you don't have a big screen. But it still has all the features you'd expect from a modern browser. The browser is only available on macOS and Linux, but more versions might appear soon. 

• Available for macOS and Linux. 

Epic 

Epic is very serious about privacy and safety. It features a built-in VPN to encrypt and hide your online traffic and blocks ads and ad tracking. It’ll also block ultrasound signals that marketers apparently use to track your devices and block crypto mining scripts that steal your computer's resources. Epic is a good choice if you’re extremely concerned about online safety. 

• Available for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. 

DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser 

DuckDuckGo is a hyper-privacy-focused search engine that ensures you aren't tracked for ads and other data. It provides a privacy-enhancement plugin for all popular desktop browsers. But if you want extra protection on your mobile device, the service has a browser for smart devices that disables tracking, encrypts your traffic and keeps your search results private. 

• Available for Android and iOS. 

Get Connected To Use Your Alternative Browser

Get Vodacom Fibre and stay connected when using one of these new browsers. For those who browse on the go, there are Vodacom Just 4 U deals where you get to save money on bundle offers tailor-made for you, based on your usage patterns.