Sustainable Substitutes for Browser

Alternatives to Chrome and Safari, focusing on privacy, ad-blocking, and open-source transparency.

LibreWolf

A fork of Firefox, with enhanced security and privacy settings.

LibreWolf is mostly ad-free, ensuring a cleaner and more private user experience.Source: LibreWolf Features
LibreWolf blocks trackers, ads, and fingerprinting by default, with enhanced protections like uBlock Origin pre-installed and stricter privacy settings.Source: LibreWolf Features
LibreWolf is fully open-source, allowing for community audits, contributions, and transparency in its development.Source: Codeberg Repos
LibreWolf does not allow third-party cookies or share user data with external parties.Source: LibreWolf Features
LibreWolfs’s built-in ad and tracker blocking reduces unnecessary data and energy consumption. The decision to avoid AI bloat in its browser saves even more resources.
Website

Mullvad Browser

A privacy-focused browser with Tor Project Collaboration.

Mullvad Browser blocks trackers, ads, and fingerprinting by default, with pre-installed uBlock Origin.
Mullvad Browser removes most ads and sponsored content, ensuring a clean and distraction-free browsing experience.
Mullvad Browser does not allow third-party trackers or share user data with external parties.
Mullvad’s built-in ad and tracker blocking reduces unnecessary data and energy consumption, making it more efficient for users on limited data plans or battery-powered devices.
Mullvad is a based in Sweden.
Website
firefox logo

Firefox

A popular open-source web browser developed by Mozilla.

Firefox’s Enhanced Tracking Protection blocks third-party trackers and fingerprinting scripts by default, especially in Private Browsing Mode and Strict mode.Source: Firefox blocks fingerprinting
Firefox is fully open-source, allowing for community audits, contributions, and transparency in its development.Source: Github Repo
Firefox does not allow third-party trackers in its default browsing experience.Source: Third-party cookies and Firefox tracking protection
Firefox’s built-in ad and tracker blocking reduces unnecessary data and energy consumption, making it more efficient for users on limited data plans or battery-powered devices, especially when combined with the uBlock Origin Plugin.
Website
vivaldi logo

Vivaldi

A highly customisable ad and AI free web browser based on Chromium.

Vivaldi is mostly ad-free, ensuring a cleaner and more private user experience.
Vivaldi blocks ads and trackers by default, with a privacy dashboard for visibility into blocked content.Source: Fighting for a better web
Vivaldi’s built-in ad and tracker blocking reduces unnecessary data usage and saves energy. Additional energy is saved by avoiding AI bloat in its browser.
By default Vivaldi does not allow third-party cookies.
Vivaldi Technologies is based in Norway.
Website
brave logo

Brave

A privacy-focused web browser based on Chromium.

Brave is ad-free by default, ensuring a cleaner and more private user experience.
Brave blocks ads, trackers, and third-party cookies by default, reducing exposure to online tracking and fingerprinting.
Brave does not use third-party trackers or allow external parties to collect user data.
Brave’s built-in ad and tracker blocking reduces unnecessary data and energy consumption, making it more efficient for users on limited data plans or battery-powered devices.
Website

How to move away from Big Tech Web Browsers

Here's a guide on how to easily get away from Chrome, Edge and Safari.

Android, iOS, MacOS and Windows all have their default browser options. All of them are no sustainable choices. But the good news is, that switching away from the default options is not very hard to do.

On mobile and MacOS you can find other browsers in the application stores (Play Store and AppStore), on Windows you can download the installation files from browser vendors websites or install them via the Windows Store.

Once installed, don't forget to make the browser of your choice the default option henceforth. And beware of Big Tech trying to force their browsers back onto you. Check out this list of tricks Windows pulled to get users to use Edge.

It should be noted that Apple limits the capabilities of Safari alternatives. They all have to work on the WebKit engine. (Read more on that matter on the awesome series Browser Choice Must Matter. One could argue that all Browsers on Apples operating systems are just Safari in different skins, but please go with an alternative anyway, even if it's just to show that you don't support their antitrust malpractice.