DuckDuckGo Browser vs Epic Privacy Browser (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Epic Privacy Browser grades higher than DuckDuckGo Browser: 3.2 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Epic Privacy Browser grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
DuckDuckGo Browser
Free browser that blocks trackers, ads and cookie pop-ups by default
Epic Privacy Browser
Free Chromium-based browser that blocks ads and trackers
Which one is for you
Pick DuckDuckGo Browser if
- Fits if you want trackers, ads and cookie pop-ups blocked without changing a setting
- Works for people who want private search and anonymous AI chat in the same app
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on Linux, as the desktop browser is Windows and Mac only
- Not for you if you want the subscription outside the US, Canada, the UK and the listed EU countries
- Pricey if you only wanted the VPN, since it comes in the $9.99 a month bundle and nothing smaller
- Watch out: nothing on record says whether it takes extensions, and there are no integrations or API
- Watch out: it keeps a list of tracking exceptions so sites don't break, and says no service blocks all hidden tracking
Pick Epic Privacy Browser if
- Fits if you want ads and trackers blocked without installing extensions
- Works for people who already use Chrome extensions and want to keep them
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a working VPN: the App Store listing says it's no longer supported
- Watch out: the updater was removed, so updates may mean downloading new versions yourself
- Not for you if you use Linux, as no Linux version is listed
- Watch out: the company earns money from a default search partner and a paid search engine, and its comparison table is the vendor's own
How we grade them
| 2.8GPADuckDuckGo BrowserGood | 3.2GPAEpic Privacy BrowserVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe browser costs nothing. The extras you might want, the whole-device VPN, better AI models, information removal, identity restoration, come as Plus at $9.99 a month, the dear end of what browsers charge. Pro at $19.99 is in this category's dearest tenth, and the subscription is sold in only some countries. | AFree outright, with no paid tier, and the US App Store listing shows no in-app purchases. A program anyone can download and run. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright on all four platforms, with private search, tracker, ad and cookie pop-up blocking, a password manager, Email Protection and the basic Duck.ai models. Paying adds the VPN, better AI models and identity services. | ANothing to pay for: the whole browser is free on all four platforms. |
| Features | CThe blocking covers third-party trackers, most ads including YouTube's, cookie pop-ups opted out of for you, and one button that wipes tabs, history and the lot. Past that the listing is short for a browser, with nothing at all about extension support, and no Linux build. | CAd and tracker blocking, fingerprinting protection and Chrome extension support. The listing shows gaps: the VPN is no longer supported, and with the updater removed you may have to download new versions by hand. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but there's nothing here to set up: install it and the blocking is already on, with passwords and bookmarks imported from Chrome if you want them. | BNo store rating on record. You install it and browse, with the blocking already on. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, iPhone and Android, so both a computer and a phone are covered. No Linux build, and no integrations or API on record at all. The paid protections are only reachable through this browser. | BWindows, Mac, iPhone and Android. No Linux version is listed, and the list of integrations is thin. |
| Best for | private browsing with nothing to set up | a free browser that blocks ads and trackers by default |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: DuckDuckGo Browser and Epic Privacy Browser. How we grade
Price against what you get
DuckDuckGo Browser starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Epic Privacy Browser has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Epic Privacy Browser starts $8.33 a month lower. Of the other browsers on the chart, 8 score higher than DuckDuckGo Browser for less, and none scores higher than Epic Privacy Browser for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- DuckDuckGo Browser also covers password manager.
- Epic Privacy Browser also covers ad and tracker blocking.
At a glance
| DuckDuckGo Browser | Epic Privacy Browser | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year (Plus subscription) | Free |
| Free plan | The browser is free on every platform, with private search, tracker, ad and cookie pop-up blocking, Email Protection, a password manager and the basic Duck.ai chat models. | Epic is free. The FAQ says the company earns money from its default search partner and from subscribers to its EpicSearch.in search engine, not from ads or data sales. |
| Free trial | Free trial of the subscription for new subscribers; its length was not shown when read | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | DuckDuckGo | Hidden Reflex |
| Price read from | duckduckgo.com | epicbrowser.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
DuckDuckGo Browser
- The VPN, advanced AI models, Personal Information Removal and Identity Theft Restoration need a subscription from $9.99 per month.
- The subscription is sold only in the US, Canada, the UK and listed EU countries, and its features are accessed through the DuckDuckGo browser.
- The desktop browser is available only for Windows and Mac; no Linux version is listed.
- DuckDuckGo says no service can block all hidden tracking, and it keeps a list of exceptions to avoid breaking websites.
Epic Privacy Browser
- The App Store listing says the VPN is no longer supported, although its description still mentions a free VPN.
- The site says the default updater was removed, so updates may need to be handled by downloading new versions.
- The company earns money from a default search partner and a paid search engine.
- Its own comparison table is vendor-made and not independently checked.
Key features
DuckDuckGo Browser
- Tracker and ad blocking
- Third-party trackers from companies such as Google and Facebook are blocked by default, along with most ads before they load, including ads on YouTube videos.
- Cookie pop-up handling
- The browser detects cookie consent pop-ups and, where possible, opts out automatically so the pop-up never appears.
- One-button data clearing
- A single button deletes all open tabs, history and browsing data, so nothing from a session is left behind on the device.
- Private search and Duck.ai
- DuckDuckGo Search is built in and does not track searches. Duck.ai offers anonymized chats with models such as ChatGPT and Claude that are not used for training, and it can be turned off.
- Password manager and Email Protection
- A built-in password manager stores logins, passwords and bookmarks can be imported from browsers such as Chrome, and Email Protection blocks hidden trackers in emails.
- Subscription protections
- Subscribers get a VPN that covers the whole device, advanced Duck.ai models, Personal Information Removal from data broker sites and Identity Theft Restoration, all reached through the browser.
Epic Privacy Browser
- Ad and tracker blocking
- A custom uBlock-based blocker with extra filter lists, plus third-party cookie blocking on by default.
- Fingerprinting protection
- The site lists protections against canvas and other fingerprinting, and it says Epic blocks WebRTC calls that can leak an IP address.
- Chromium without Google tracking
- It is built on Chromium with Google's data collection removed, and each tab runs as a separate process.
- Chrome extensions
- The site says almost all Chrome Web Store extensions work in Epic.
- Mobile features
- The iOS listing mentions ad block, video download, file vault and a browser-only VPN, but also says the VPN is no longer supported.
Plans
DuckDuckGo Browser
Free$0
The full browser with private search, tracker and cookie pop-up blocking, Email Protection, a password manager and basic Duck.ai models.
Plus$9.99
per month, or $99.99 per year, plus tax if applicable
Adds a full-device VPN on up to 5 devices at once, advanced AI models in Duck.ai, Personal Information Removal and Identity Theft Restoration.
Pro$19.99
per month, or $199.99 per year, plus tax if applicable
Everything in Plus, with the most advanced Duck.ai models, higher reasoning effort and 2x the Plus usage limits.
Epic Privacy Browser
Free$0
The full browser; the US App Store listing shows it as free with no in-app purchases.
Ways to pay less
DuckDuckGo Browser
- Annual discount
About 17% off with yearly billing
Plus is $99.99 a year against $9.99 a month, and Pro is $199.99 a year against $19.99 a month, a saving of about 17% over twelve monthly payments.
Epic Privacy Browser
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, DuckDuckGo Browser or Epic Privacy Browser?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Epic Privacy Browser is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $8.33 a month when paid by the year for DuckDuckGo Browser. DuckDuckGo Browser starts at $9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year (Plus subscription), and Epic Privacy Browser is free.
Which has a free plan, DuckDuckGo Browser or Epic Privacy Browser?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both DuckDuckGo Browser and Epic Privacy Browser have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.