Puffin Web Browser

Puffin Browser is a cloud-based web browser for Android and iOS that is considered one of the fastest and the most functional apps for surfing the Internet, including good old Adobe Flash. Download Puffin Browser and take your mobile browsing to a new level!

Design 5/5

The home page looks quite common nowadays, with your most frequently visited sites on top and the endless feed of suggested news below. The unified field for entering URLs and search requests is on top. There are also buttons for bookmarks, history, downloads, and settings. The developers didn’t reinvent the wheel but made one rolling fast and stable.

Usability 5/5

Like any modern browser, it loads and renders web pages of virtually any site, despite mobile limitations. It can save your bookmarks and passwords, cookies and downloaded files. With Puffin you can navigate the pages you’ve visited, with buttons or gestures.

It dramatically increases loading pages due to preprocessing on its clouds, so it takes less time and less data for you to load pages on your device. This feature (the one Opera Mini owed our love to in the late 2000s) is still demanded, and Puffin delivers. Add its fast engine that does the processing on your device swiftly, and you’ll get the fastest mobile browsing possible now. Even on flagship devices, the difference is noticeable, let alone old and budget ones.

Last but not least: Puffin has its own encryption for all your traffic, so you don’t have to be afraid of sniffing hackers if you operate with sensible data.

Features 5/5

One of the features that make Puffin outstanding it its lasting support of Adobe Flash, made possible through cloud processing. So it doesn’t matter what device you are using to visit sites still using it. Another option, not critical, but pleasing, is Puffin’s cloud that can store files up to 1 GB in size. If you use it on a tablet, you’ll appreciate a swipe-based emulated mouse, working almost as precisely as a hardware one.

In-app purchases 4/5

It’s been a long time since we saw a popular paid browser (though there are some on app stores), and Puffin Mobile is completely free as well. But if you wish to enjoy syncing with desktop versions, as you do with Chrome or Firefox, you’ll have to buy a subscription for its cloud support ($2/mo). Probably, if the developers find another way to monetize it, it will become a real rival to those mentioned above.

The Bottom Line

Puffin isn’t one of the most popular browsers, but it has millions of fans, and it’s certainly worth your attention. If you are not paranoid about clouds your traffic passes, there’s nothing to trying it right now.

• Graphics 5
• Gameplay 5
• Controls 5
• Replay Value 4

Pros

Quickly loads pages;
Stores your history, bookmarks and passwords;
Clouds and gaming services;
Built-in encryption mechanics;
Adobe Flash supported.

Cons

The traffic goes through Puffin’s servers;
The desktop version is paid.