DuckDuckGo Browser vs Onion Browser (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, DuckDuckGo Browser and Onion Browser share a 2.8 GPA, both have a free plan, and Onion Browser has no paid plan to buy, against $8.33 a month when paid by the year for DuckDuckGo Browser.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
DuckDuckGo Browser grades higher on platforms. Onion Browser grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
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
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 Onion Browser if
- Fits if you want Tor routing on an iPhone or iPad
- Makes sense if you want no history kept between sessions
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Android or a computer: the project points you to Tor Browser
- Not for you if you want the strongest anti-tracking: the project says WebKit gives less control than Firefox
- Tight if you want speed: traffic passes through volunteer relays and is slower
- Watch out: the App Store listing shows in-app purchases with no amounts
How we grade them
| 2.8GPADuckDuckGo BrowserGood | 2.8GPAOnion BrowserGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AThe app is free and open source, so under 60% of this category's cheapest quarter, though the App Store lists in-app purchases without amounts. |
| 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. | AThe full app downloads free from the App Store. In-app purchases are shown, but the listing gives no amounts. |
| 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. | CTor routing, no saved history and per-site security levels, but the project says WebKit gives it less control than Firefox for anti-tracking. |
| 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 rating on record. You install it and browse, with tabs that close when you are done. |
| 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. | DiOS and iPadOS only. The project points desktop and Android users to Tor Browser. |
| Best for | private browsing with nothing to set up | Tor browsing on an iPhone or iPad |
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 Onion 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. Onion Browser has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
DuckDuckGo Browser scores higher, and starts $8.33 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other browsers on the chart, 8 score higher than DuckDuckGo Browser for less, and none scores higher than Onion 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
- Onion Browser is open source, according to its own site.
- DuckDuckGo Browser also covers password manager.
At a glance
| DuckDuckGo Browser | Onion 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. | Free to download from the App Store; the listing also shows in-app purchases. |
| 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 | Tigas Ventures |
| Price read from | duckduckgo.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
Onion Browser
- iOS and iPadOS only; the project points desktop and Android users to Tor Browser.
- Apple requires the WebKit component, which the project says gives less control than Firefox for anti-tracking.
- Browsing over Tor is slower because traffic passes through volunteer relays.
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.
Onion Browser
- Tor routing
- Traffic is encrypted and sent through the Tor network, so sites do not see your real IP address.
- No saved history
- The site says it does not save history, and tabs do not persist, so each session starts fresh.
- Per-site security levels
- Security settings can be adjusted for each website visited.
- Onion sites and bridges
- Opens onion sites and supports Tor bridges for networks that block Tor.
- Open source
- The code is public, with contributors including Mike Tigas, Benjamin Erhart and the Guardian Project.
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.
Onion Browser
Free$0
The full app is free; the App Store listing also shows in-app purchases without amounts.
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.
Onion Browser
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, DuckDuckGo Browser or Onion Browser?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Onion 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 Onion Browser is free.
Which has a free plan, DuckDuckGo Browser or Onion Browser?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both DuckDuckGo Browser and Onion Browser have a free plan.
Which platforms do DuckDuckGo Browser and Onion Browser run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only DuckDuckGo Browser lists macOS, Windows and Android apps. Both list an iOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.