This article recommends the best 3 web browsers that can be used instead of the built-in Safari web browser. Each offers unique features that Safari does not. The Safari browser on the iPhone, iPad (Mini) and iPod Touch offers a great web browsing experience. And, at this point, there is still no way to set another browser as the default browser. However, some of the features on 3rd party web browser apps are superior to what Safari offers. Because of this (and because all 3 of these alternative browsers are free), it is worth trying each of these 3rd party apps in case you like one better than Safari. Here are the 3 recommendations of the best alternative web browser choices for iPhone, iPad (Mini), and iPod Touch.
1. Google Chrome
The Google Chrome browser is an excellent browser on iOS devices. Chrome includes all the standard features like tabbed browsing, find in page, and bookmarks. However there are a few unique features that this browser offers. First, Chrome offers swipe left and right to switch between open tabs. This makes switching between tabs really easy. There is also a feature to request the desktop site of a particular page which gives you the full site instead of the mobile version. This is a great feature as I often feel like the mobile versions of websites lack the full features of desktop versions. Overall, Chrome is an excellent alternative to Safari. Click here to download the app: Chrome Browser
2. Dolphin
Dolphin is another excellent browser for iPhone, iPad (Mini), and iPod Touch. Like Safari and Chrome, it offers the standard essentials like tabbed browsing, find on page and bookmarks. Dolphin has some additional innovative features that make it one of the best browser alternatives. First, swipe left to reveal open tabs and swipe right to reveal bookmarks. This feature is so intuitive and makes switching between tabs or selecting/adding bookmarks a simple swipe and tap process. In addition, you can tap the dolphin to use gesture shortcuts or pay $.99 as an in app purchase to activate sonar which is audio control for many of the browser’s shortcuts. Tap the 6 dots at the bottom to reveal one tap sharing, access downloads, settings, and more. Dolphin also lets you broadcast the website you are browsing to other devices that are on the same wi-fi network. This comes in handy if you are in a meeting and you want everyone to be able to see the same webpage that you are viewing. You can also sync tabs and bookmarks between multiple devices. One of the features I like the most about Dolphin is its built-in ability to share webpages with Evernote. Just connect your account and you have 2 tap sharing to save all the important sites you visit. Overall, Dolphin has a refreshing UI and includes the most innovation of all the third-party web browsers I’ve used. Click here to download the app: Dolphin Browser
3. Opera
Opera is another great option as an alternative browser to Safari on your iDevice. Like Chrome, Safari, and Dolphin, it includes the standard features like tabbed browsing, bookmarks, and find in page. Opera also includes speed dial bookmarks and a built-in share option to easily share to social media platforms like Google+, Twitter, Facebook, My Opera, and email. There is also a feature called Saved Pages that is similar to Safari’s Offline Reading feature (see this post for more on how to use Offline Reading List). It allows you to save pages locally on your device so that you can access them later when you don’t have access to an internet connection (like on an airplane). One of the features that makes Opera stand out from all the other browser apps is the ability to track data usage. If you are away from Wi-Fi and are nervous about using up all your data by browsing the web, Opera allows you to see how much data you have used that session so you can keep track of your data usage. Click here to download the app: Opera Browser
