I dumped Chrome almost immediately.
Right from the start, I found it annoying in many ways, and that was before I even knew what being annoyed with aspects of Android really was.
So, I went with FireFox at first, becuse that is what everyone does, right?
But the thing is so slow. Like molassass in Alaska slow. Did I mention how slow it was? I swore I saw an old lady with a walker lap the block while I was checking the weather.
Then there was Brave. I adore cats, so the icon looked awesome on my pathetic device.
It seemed ok. But that was right at their beginnings. The app was very new.
After a while and some more learning on my part, I discovered some things I did not like about Brave.
The size of the app. The ads. Yes, they can be turned off- they still exist. The other offers, and things I don't remember (it has been a few years).
Then I scanned Brave with Add-Ons Detector. This app tells you what things are lurking inside each of your apps (ever wonder why I despise Google so much?).
Turns out that Brave has one of the most dangerous permissions allowed on Android: ABILITY TO DOWNLOAD FILES WITHOUT PERMISSION.
This is just as nefarious as it seems upon first reading- the app can literally download files from the internet without your permission, or even telling you about it.
When I asked them why this is a part of their app, the answer was basically a word salad that was not very satisfying.
Yeah, so I dropped that b**** off at the curb.
I threw that cat's litterbox right out with it.
The answer to my prayers for a better browser were soon answered upon my discovery of Lightning.
Yes, I go on and on about this browser, but I really have made some converts- all they have to do is try it and see.
The UI is eye pleasing (in dark or amoled mode), unlike any of the other listed apps (without ad-ons, which slow browsers down) and mentally ergonomic. Swipe right for your tabs, and swipe right for your bookmarks.
The privacy that is built in is pretty hard to beat (you just need to USE it).
The speed is phenominal. Second to none.
Lightning uses the Android System Webview that is built into every Android device. Browsers that are bloated in size are often using their own webview. Why do I want two?
There is a built in ad-blocker.
The cookies, cache, and web storagecan all be set to clear upon the closing of the app.
Unlimited tabs, unlimited bookmarks.
And then there is the way that you can have any homepage that you want, and the choice of any search engine.
Sure, it looks pretty plain and unexciting when you first start it up, but remember that it is designed to be customized by the user.
Lightning (Lightweight web browser) -
https://f-droid.org/app/acr.browser.lightning
