Let me be honest — I've used Chrome as my primary browser of choice for over a decade. Several browsers have come and gone, but I've stuck with good 'ol Chrome. Sure, it has its flaws — but it has worked well for my usage. More recently, though, I set out to try different browsers to see if I could attempt to switch away from Chrome. The first on the list was Perplexity's Comet browser. It's definitely a good option for AI enthusiasts — but I ain't one. I then thought of looking for privacy-focused options. Some of the most obvious options that came to mind were Brave, DuckDuckGo, and LibreWolf. However, I wanted to try something new.

That's when I encountered Iridium. It was lightweight, built on the Chromium engine, and was available for macOS. Since it checked all of those boxes, I decided to give it a shot. After using it for a week, I can totally see more users adopting Iridium for a privacy-focused browsing experience. That said, it's not perfect. There are some notable downsides that may put certain users off. If you're looking to switch to a private browser to keep your credentials from prying eyes, let me tell you if Iridium is for you or not.

Worry-free browsing experience

Enhanced protection on the web

There are several aspects of Iridium that make it an excellent browser for those concerned about their online privacy. For starters, the browser doesn't allow queries, keywords, user metrics, etc., to leave the browser without the user's consent. By default, Iridium blocks cookies from third parties — thus preventing tracking. Then, there's the default search engine, which is Qwant. For those unaware, Qwant is a privacy-focused European search engine that prioritizes privacy. Moreover, it shows results directly from the web without the AI slop that Google is serving on the search page more recently.

Generally, browsers preemptively connect to servers based on typed URLs or search queries. Iridium disables this behavior along with DNS prediction. Finally, the browser always works in incognito mode by default, i.e., it clears the browsing history and site data every time you exit the browser. This leaves no traces behind. Some other behind-the-scenes improvements include stronger encryption, with the RSA key size increased to 2048 bits. Plugins like Java and Flash are disabled, and IP leaks are prevented by generating new identities and key pairs for each WebRTC connection. I also like how the startup page is just a blank new tab.

Falls short in some aspects

It's not perfect

Before I even get to the downsides inside the browser, let's address the elephant in the room — if you head to Iridium's website to download the browser, you'll see that there's no download link for the app. Instead, you will have to compile it from source. For the average Joe, this is undoubtedly a big bummer. I had to use Homebrew, Xcode command line tools, clone the repository, and then compile the source code on my Mac. The entire process took more than two hours. Once that's out of the way, the first big miss for me is the lack of cross-platform support. Iridium isn't available on Android and iOS, so if you're a mobile-first user, you're missing out on the privacy enhancements.

You can get by with using a different browser on your phone, but you can't ignore the fact that Iridium will receive fewer updates compared to its counterparts — thanks to slow development. This also means fewer security patches. Then, there's no built-in ad-blocker that we're used to seeing on other popular browsers like Brave and Vivaldi. The last two flaws are more of a feature for those who are strictly looking for the best privacy (why else would you use this browser?) — some extensions don't work due to the strict privacy rules, and while Google's password manager is present, it doesn't sync across devices since you cannot sign in to your Google account. So, your bookmarks also won't sync with other devices. You can, however, use themes and some extensions flawlessly. If you can get past these limitations, Iridium does a great job of keeping your browser sessions private.

Ideal for privacy purists

If you're a normal user who wants a good level of privacy without compromising on additional features like extensions, cross-device sync, etc., Iridium may not be for you. It skimps on some useful features that make life easier when using the browser every day. That said, if you're concerned about your data, credentials, and sensitive information leaving your device, Iridium will save you a lot of headaches. Even if you don't want to use it as your primary browser, you can resort to Iridium for online banking, uploading sensitive files, or when you're not connected to a trusted network.