If you’ve been using Aloha Browser and hitting paywalls for features like ad blocking, file management, or VPN access, Atlas might be worth a look. It covers much of the same ground — privacy-first browsing, media downloads, and built-in file management — without charging for core features.

Here’s how the two compare.

Privacy & Security

Aloha markets itself as a private browser with a built-in VPN, tracker protection, and third-party security audits. These are solid features, but the VPN’s full functionality — including autostart, 80+ server locations, and device-wide protection — requires a premium subscription.

Atlas takes a different approach. Private browsing uses a non-persistent data store, meaning nothing is saved after your session ends. You can configure automatic clearing of cookies, cache, and history on a schedule (on exit, after 5 minutes, after an hour, and more). Atlas also sends Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control headers by default. There’s no VPN, but your browsing data never leaves your device in the first place.

Both browsers support biometric locks (Face ID and Touch ID). Atlas also supports Optic ID for Apple Vision Pro.

Media Downloading

This is where Atlas really stands out. Aloha offers multi-threaded downloads and a basic media player with Chromecast and VR support.

Atlas has a full-featured download system that handles:

  • Video: MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, AVI, and HLS streams (.m3u8)
  • Audio: MP3, WAV, FLAC, AAC, OGG, M4A
  • Images: JPG, PNG, GIF (with animation), HEIC, WebP
  • Documents: PDF, DOCX, TXT, Markdown, HTML
  • Archives: ZIP, TAR, 7Z, RAR

Downloads continue in the background when you switch apps. Every download is stored in a sandboxed filesystem, keeping files isolated and secure.

Built-in Media Player

Atlas includes a custom video player with Picture-in-Picture, fullscreen mode with smooth animations, playback resume (pick up where you left off), and the ability to download videos directly from the player. Aloha’s media player supports Chromecast and VR playback, which Atlas doesn’t offer — but for everyday use, Atlas’s player covers the essentials well.

File Management

Aloha’s file manager is functional but locks password-protected folders behind its premium tier.

Atlas gives you a full file manager built into the browser. You can sort files by date, name, or size, filter by type (videos, images, audio, documents, archives), select and share multiple files at once, and save to either the in-app downloads folder or directly to the Files app. All files are stored in a sandboxed environment — other apps can’t access them.

Ad Blocking

Aloha offers basic ad blocking for free and “AI-powered” ad blocking for premium subscribers. Atlas doesn’t currently include a built-in ad blocker, but iOS content blockers from the App Store work with Atlas just as they do with Safari.

Cross-Platform Support

Aloha is available on iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. Atlas currently runs on iOS, macOS, and visionOS — all from the same codebase with native UI on each platform. Android and Windows aren’t supported yet.

What Atlas Doesn’t Have

To be fair, there are things Aloha offers that Atlas doesn’t:

  • VPN: Aloha includes a built-in VPN. Atlas focuses on local privacy controls instead.
  • Web translation: Aloha can translate pages in real-time.
  • Device sync: Aloha syncs data across devices.
  • Android/Windows: Atlas is Apple-platform only for now.
  • VR player: Aloha has a dedicated VR media player.

What You Get for Free

The main difference comes down to cost. Many of Aloha’s best features — the full VPN, AI ad blocking, password-protected folders, and higher AI request limits — require a subscription. Atlas gives you private browsing, media downloading, a custom video player, full file management, and biometric security at no cost.

If you’re on iOS and want a privacy-focused browser with strong media and file handling, give Atlas a try on TestFlight.