Safari vs Tor Browser
Safari
apple.com
Tor Browser
torproject.orgSide by side
| Figure | Safari | Tor Browser |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Web browsers | 8.6 (#28) | 9.1 (#10) |
| Founded | 1976 | 2006 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Maker | Apple says it was founded in Cupertino and has called the Bay Area home for nearly 50 years. | The Tor Project is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2006 to advance human rights and freedoms through free, open anonymity and privacy technologies. |
| Supported platforms | both | both |
| Support | Apple Support provides Safari help for updating, clearing browsing history and cookies, blocking pop-ups, and troubleshooting websites that do not load. | Tor Project provides a user support team and recommends its public forum for help; its support channels focus on assisting Tor users in censored regions. |
| What it does | Safari is a web browser app and web technology platform built on WebKit. | Tor Browser routes browsing through the Tor network to hide the user's IP address, resist tracking and help bypass censorship. |
Plans
In their own words
Safari
Safari is a free web browser and web technology platform built on WebKit, included with Apple device operating systems. It supports iOS, macOS, and extensions. Intelligent Tracking Prevention uses on-device machine learning to help prevent cross-site tracking, while Privacy Report shows trackers prevented from profiling you. Private Browsing does not retain visited pages or AutoFill information, and its open tabs are not stored in iCloud or synced across devices. Safari synchronizes passwords, bookmarks, history, tabs, and more across Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch. Built-in tools include page translation, text interaction in images and paused video, and Visual Look Up. Extensions come through the App Store, and web apps can be saved to the Mac Dock or iPhone and iPad Home Screen. When enabled, Fraudulent Website Warning flags suspected phishing or malware sites. Apple no longer offers Safari updates for Windows or other non-Apple operating systems; Safari 5.1.7 was the last Windows version.
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 measures such as letterboxing, user-agent spoofing, and first-party isolation to make browser fingerprinting harder. Connections to different websites use different Tor circuits, while connections to the same website address use the same circuit. HTTPS-Only Mode upgrades connections to HTTPS where possible. Standard, Safer, and Safest security levels restrict browser features to varying degrees, which can cause some pages to work improperly. The browser can access onion services, and users in censored regions can configure bridges during setup. It is free, open-source software for Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows. Only Tor Browser traffic goes through Tor; other applications on the device are not automatically protected. The Tor Project recommends verifying download signatures and strongly discourages extra browser add-ons because they can affect privacy, security, or functionality.