Tor Browser
Tor Browser routes its own web traffic through the Tor network to help hide a user's real IP address and resist tracking, surveillance, and censorship. Based on Mozilla Firefox ESR, it adds privacy measures including letterboxing, user-agent spoofing, and first-party isolation to make browser fingerprinting harder. Connections to different websites use different Tor circuits, while the same website address uses the same circuit. HTTPS-Only Mode upgrades connections to HTTPS where possible. Its Standard, Safer, and Safest settings restrict browser features by varying degrees, which can cause some pages to work improperly. The browser can access onion services, and people in censored regions can configure bridges during setup. It is free, open-source software for Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows. Only Tor Browser's traffic goes through Tor; other applications on the device are not automatically protected. The Tor Project recommends verifying download signatures, and GetTor can provide a package, signature, signing-key fingerprint, and checksum. It strongly discourages extra browser add-ons because they may affect privacy, security, or functionality.
Who it is for
Tor Browser suits people seeking to route browser traffic through Tor or access onion services. It also offers bridge setup for users in censored regions.
What is good
- Free and open-source software.
- Available for Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows.
- Can access onion services.
- Three security levels offer different feature restrictions.
What to know first
- Other applications are not automatically routed through Tor.
- Security settings may cause some pages to work improperly.
- Extra browser add-ons are discouraged.
Verdict
Tor Browser combines Tor routing with browser privacy and security controls, while its security settings can affect page behavior. Remember that its protection applies to the browser's traffic, not other applications automatically.
Tor Browser plans and pricing
All plansCompared on web browsers
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- both
- Open source
- Yes
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