Top 5 Best Alternatives for the Tor Browser

The Tor browser has become quite popular among internet users. It allows users to browse anonymously at a time when lots of privacy issues seem to be bugging people on the internet. In addition to the privacy factor, there are others advantages too that attract users to the Tor browser. It lets them venture into the unindexed parts of the web as well and also helps them create deep websites and marketplaces like Dream Market on the deep web. Enchanted with the advantages of the Tor browser, users are now seeking out alternatives to it as well. Here’s a look at the top 5 best alternatives for the Tor browser:

1. Freenet

A great peer-to-peer network that’s available for free, the Freenet allows for censorship-resistant communication. Freenet uses a decentralized distributed data store to keep and deliver information and works by separating the network structure from the rules guiding the user interface.

Since Freenet 0.7, which was released in May 2008, the network offers a two-tier kind of security- two different levels of security. The first one, Opennet lets users connect to arbitrary other users while with the other one, namely Darknet, users can connect only to “friends” with whom they have previously exchanged public keys. Both the modes can be used together.

2. Freepto

A Linux-based OS, Freepto can be booted into computers through USB and is pre-loaded with a number of useful apps like web browser, image editor, mail client etc. The installation process is easy and it’s easy to make changes to Freepto or add one’s own software to it. Since Freepto is based on Debian Live build, it’s easy to make new tools as well.

3. Tails

Tails is a great option for someone looking for a live OS. It can be loaded on to a device through a USB drive, DVD or SD card. Tails, which makes use of Tor’s anonymity services (with a few more security levels added), comes with some pre-configured apps like office suite, web browser, IM client, image editor, sound editor etc.

4. I2P

I2P (Invisible Internet Project), which is definitely one of the best anonymous peer-to-peer networks available today, allows for censorship-resistant communication. The anonymity of the communication is achieved with end-to-end encryption of user’s traffic and then sending the same through a volunteer-run network of about 55 thousand computers that are distributed around the world. The I2P software that implements the encrypted communication layer is called an ‘I2P router’ and any system where it’s running is called the ‘I2P node’. A free, open source OS, I2P is faster than the Tor browser and selects peers on the basis of continuous ranking and profiling.

5. Subgraph OS

Subgraph OS, which works almost like Tails and even uses the Tor Network for anonymity, has one difference in that it focuses more on usability. With its built-in encryption, firewall and email client, Subgraph OS gives you maximum protection online. You could either choose to have it as a permanent OS on your computer or else opt to boot it from a DVD or USB.