Aloha Browser

Aloha Browser is a privacy-oriented browser for iOS, Android and desktop with a VPN, an ad blocker and tracking protection built in instead of added as extensions. Aloha also includes a file manager with password protection, page translation, biometric locking and a privacy report.

The browser engine is Aloha Core, a fork of Chromium with an ad-filtering component, which Aloha publishes on GitHub under the BSD-3-Clause licence. Aloha Browser is the only entry in this list with an iOS app, and the company also sells a white-label browser and a VPN SDK to businesses.

Aloha Mobile Ltd is registered in Cyprus under number HE352095 at 84 Spyrou Kyprianou, 4004 Limassol, and its terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Cyprus.

The company page says Aloha was established in 2015 and names Andrew Frost as founder; it does not say who owns the company. Aloha's privacy policy states that no registration is needed, that IP addresses are not recorded, that visited URLs are not recorded and that VPN servers store no access logs. Aloha states on its homepage that its privacy policy is regularly audited by Leviathan Security Group.

Aloha Browser has a free version with the core privacy features and a Premium subscription that adds more than 80 VPN locations, a kill switch, phone-wide VPN protection and extra file management.

A one-week free trial of Premium is offered; the price is not shown on the Aloha website. Aloha states that it earns commission from sponsored and affiliate links. Aloha Browser suits iPhone and Android users who want a VPN inside the browser. Aloha Browser is less suited to people who want a fully open source browser or a product without advertising partners.

What Aloha Browser does well

• Available for iOS, Android and desktop, with the only iOS app in this list
• VPN, ad blocker and tracking protection are built in
• Aloha Core, the Chromium-based engine, is published under BSD-3-Clause
• Cyprus registration number and Limassol address are published in the terms
• No registration needed for basic use, according to the privacy policy

Where Aloha Browser falls short

• The Premium subscription price is not published on the Aloha website
• Aloha earns commission from sponsored and affiliate links with partners such as Booking.com and eBay
• The company page does not state who owns Aloha Mobile Ltd
• Aloha's terms state that paid fees are non-refundable

Standout feature. Aloha Browser puts a VPN, an ad blocker and a file manager into one phone app, from a Limassol company that publishes its Chromium fork on GitHub.