Safari and Chrome are both capable browsers, and for most people they work well. Vanilla is built for a narrower purpose: a separate browser of its own that you run alongside Safari or Chrome. It starts private by default, keeps that browsing apart from your everyday browser, blocks ads and trackers, and includes no analytics or advertising SDKs. If that is exactly what you want, here is how the three compare on iPhone.
 Vanilla |
 Safari |
 Chrome |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Private by default | Yes, every tab | Optional Private Browsing mode | Incognito mode only, and Google's own disclaimer notes it doesn't stop sites or Google from collecting your data |
| Separate from your main browser | Yes, a browser of its own; nothing mixes with the browser you use day to day | Private Browsing lives inside Safari, next to your normal tabs and history | Incognito lives inside Chrome, next to your normal tabs and history |
| Data collected about you | Vanilla does not collect browsing history or search queries. No analytics SDKs or account. Websites and external services receive requests; see the Privacy Policy. | Minimal; designed to process data on your device | Extensive. Its App Store privacy label lists location, browsing history, search history, and identifiers linked to you, used for analytics and advertising |
| Blocks ads and trackers | Yes, by default | Blocks cross-site trackers by default; does not block ads | Not by default |
| Account required | No account system at all | Optional Apple account for iCloud sync | Optional Google account for sync |
| Choose your search engine | Yes, DuckDuckGo by default | Yes, Google by default | Yes, Google by default |
| Simple and easy to use | Yes, minimal and focused | Full-featured | Feature-heavy |
If you use Safari
Safari is genuinely strong on privacy. It blocks cross-site trackers by default, is designed to process data on your device, and integrates deeply with iCloud and the rest of Apple's ecosystem. If you rely on that integration, Safari is hard to beat. Vanilla takes a more minimal path: it blocks ads as well as trackers, has no accounts or sync, and does not collect your browsing history or search queries.
If you use Chrome
Chrome is fast and cross-platform, which is convenient if you live in Google's ecosystem and want your browsing to follow you across devices. The trade-off is that it is made by an advertising company: Chrome's own App Store privacy label discloses that it collects data such as your location, browsing history, and search history and links it to you. Incognito mode does not change that, as Google's updated disclaimer now makes clear. Vanilla has no account system or advertising SDKs. It stores browsing data locally, while websites and search services receive the requests needed to load pages and provide results.
A browser that stays separate
In Safari and Chrome, private browsing happens inside the same app you use for everything else, alongside your normal tabs, history, and signed-in accounts. Vanilla keeps its tabs and website data separate from Safari and Chrome. Keep using your everyday browser, and open Vanilla whenever you want browsing that stays on its own.
Why Vanilla
Vanilla includes no analytics or advertising SDKs and has no account system. Every tab is private by default, ads and trackers are blocked, and you can pick your own search engine. "Clear All Data" clears tabs, history, and website data while keeping your settings. Read the Privacy Policy for details on local storage, online suggestions, website requests, and support emails.