Best Ad-Free Browsers You Can Sideload on iOS
Apple requires all iOS browsers to use WebKit as their rendering engine — the same engine that powers Safari. This means Chrome, Firefox, and Brave on iOS are essentially Safari with a different interface. While this limits some customization, it does not prevent sideloaded browsers from adding aggressive ad blocking, tracker prevention, custom DNS, and privacy features that the App Store versions exclude to comply with Apple’s guidelines. Using Scarlet iOS, you can install enhanced browser versions that go further than anything available on the App Store.
Why Sideload a Browser?
App Store browsers face two constraints: they must use WebKit, and they must comply with Apple’s content policies which limit certain types of network-level blocking. Sideloaded browsers can:
- Implement more aggressive ad blocking at the network request level
- Block tracking scripts that App Store content blockers cannot reach
- Include features Apple has rejected from App Store submissions
- Use custom certificate handling for privacy research and security testing
- Enable features like custom user agents and advanced developer tools
- Bypass certain regional content restrictions
Best Sideloadable Browsers for iOS
Firefox Focus Enhanced
Firefox Focus is available on the App Store in a standard version, but the sideloaded enhanced IPA removes the App Store limitations and enables more aggressive blocking lists. The enhanced version adds EasyList, EasyPrivacy, uBlock Origin filter lists, and Peter Lowe’s ad/tracking server list — far more comprehensive than what Apple allows in the public release. It also adds a custom DNS-over-HTTPS setting so you can route your DNS queries through Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 or NextDNS for additional tracker blocking at the DNS level.
Firefox Focus’s design philosophy of blocking everything by default and erasing your history when you close the app makes it ideal for private browsing sessions. The enhanced sideloaded version takes this further with stricter fingerprinting protection that masks your device’s screen resolution, font list, and canvas API responses from tracking scripts.
Brave Browser Unlocked
Brave is one of the most privacy-focused mainstream browsers and its iOS version is already strong. The sideloaded unlocked version enables Brave’s Shields feature set more aggressively — blocking first-party ads that the App Store version is more cautious about, enabling strict fingerprinting protection by default, and unlocking Brave’s IPFS integration for browsing decentralized websites. The unlocked version also removes the “promoted” suggestions from the new tab page and disables Brave Ads entirely for users who do not want the BAT token reward system.
Orion Browser (Full Version)
Orion by Kagi is an interesting browser because it natively supports Chrome extensions and Firefox extensions on iOS — something no App Store browser can legally do. The sideloaded version of Orion unlocks the full extension library, letting you run uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, Dark Reader, and hundreds of other extensions directly on your iPhone browser. This is genuinely transformative — uBlock Origin alone blocks more ads and trackers than any native iOS content blocker.
Orion also has excellent performance characteristics, using less RAM than Chrome and loading pages faster than Firefox on comparable hardware. For power users who rely on browser extensions for productivity, Orion with its full extension support is the most compelling browser available for iOS sideloading.
Iceberg Privacy Browser
Iceberg is designed specifically for iOS and focuses on being the most private browser possible within the WebKit constraint. It includes built-in Tor routing (routes your traffic through the Tor network for anonymity), a built-in VPN mode using WireGuard, automatic HTTPS upgrading for all sites, and a strict content security policy enforcer. The Tor integration slows page loading but provides genuine anonymity for sensitive browsing. Iceberg is available only as a sideloaded IPA — it was rejected from the App Store due to its Tor integration.
iSH Browser (Developer Version)
For developers and security researchers, the iSH browser includes a built-in web inspector that works on all sites (not just those that enable inspection), a network request interceptor for examining what sites load, certificate transparency log checking, and a custom header editor for each request. These features are absent from App Store browsers and make iSH invaluable for web development and security testing on iOS.
How to Install Sideloaded Browsers via Scarlet iOS
- Open Scarlet iOS on your iPhone
- Search for your preferred browser in the Search tab
- Tap Install — Scarlet downloads and signs the IPA automatically
- Trust the certificate in Settings > General > VPN & Device Management
- Open the browser and configure your preferred blocking lists and DNS settings
Most sideloaded browsers can coexist with Safari and your regular App Store browser. You do not need to set them as your default browser — use them specifically for sessions where you want enhanced privacy or ad blocking.
Configuring Ad Blocking in Sideloaded Browsers
Once installed, take a few minutes to configure blocking aggressiveness. Recommended settings for most users:
- Enable EasyList and EasyPrivacy filter lists
- Enable the Peter Lowe tracking server list
- Set DNS to Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 (for DNS (DoH): https://cloudflare-dns.com/dns-query)
- Enable strict fingerprinting protection
- Enable HTTPS-only mode
- Disable WebRTC (prevents IP address leakage through browser)
These settings block the vast majority of ads and trackers on the modern web. Pages load faster without ad scripts executing, and your browsing data is significantly harder for advertising networks to collect.
Performance Impact of Heavy Ad Blocking
Contrary to what some claim, aggressive ad blocking generally makes pages load faster and use less data, not slower. Ad scripts are among the heaviest resources on modern web pages — blocking them reduces both data transfer and JavaScript execution time. The Lighthouse performance score for most news sites improves dramatically when ad scripts are blocked.
The exception is sites that require you to disable ad blockers to access content. For these, you can whitelist specific domains in any of the browsers listed above, preserving your blocking for everywhere else.
Staying Private While Browsing
Browser choice is one layer of privacy. For complete mobile privacy, combine a sideloaded privacy browser with a trustworthy VPN and a privacy-respecting DNS resolver. This three-layer approach prevents your ISP, DNS provider, and websites from building a comprehensive profile of your browsing activity.
To explore more privacy-enhancing apps available through sideloading, check out the best productivity apps to sideload on iPhone. Get Scarlet iOS installed today and take control of your iPhone’s browsing experience.