Most Android browsers are either bloated or boring. While Samsung Browser is my go-to on my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, I recently came across a new browser called Eddy. It’s an open-source browser that is still in beta, and its release build is only about 3.5MB. Eddy browser has no ads and no data sharing, yet when you use it, it feels as if a big team spent a year on it. If you’ve been hunting for a Chrome alternative on Android, or you’re curious about Android System WebView, this one deserves your attention.
Eddy is …nice
A tiny browser with a big browser look
Eddy is a fast, lightweight, privacy-focused browser. It is written in Kotlin with Jetpack Compose, and its interface follows Google’s Material 3 Expressive style. This means rounded, bouncy shapes and springy animations, similar to other Google apps you’re familiar with.
The size of the app is what stands out here. When I looked at the GitHub repo, with a few stars, I expected something rough and half-finished. However, to my surprise, the first screen I saw looked like a browser from a much bigger company.
Eddy doesn’t ship its own rendering engine but uses Android’s system WebView, which is the same component many apps use to show web pages themselves. Notably, WebView only shows a page by default. Things like an address bar and navigation controls are left out for the browser to manage. So a browser built on it has to add those itself. This is one of the big reasons Eddy stays so small.
- OS
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Android
- Price model
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Free
Eddy is a lightweight Android WebView browser designed to provide a simple, fast, and streamlined web browsing experience. Its open-source design focuses on essential browsing functionality with a minimal footprint, making it suitable for users who prefer a straightforward and efficient mobile browser.
The design is where Eddy surprises you
One-handed browsing that actually makes sense
We all know how big modern phones have become. To fix this, Eddy uses floating controls that sit near your thumb, with a single bottom bar while you browse. The browser has expressive shapes and a calm start page. You’ll notice this most on a big phone, as I did on my Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The best part is that you don’t need to stretch up or do hand gymnastics to reach the top of the screen just to switch tabs or type a new address. While this hasn’t been an issue for me since I’ve been using the Samsung Browser, those still using the likes of Chrome, etc., would understand the pain. Upon launching Eddy Browser for the first time, you are given a five-step tour. Here’s the neat part: you can choose the theme, colors, search engine, and toolbar position, and whatever you pick during the tour applies to the real settings live.
Here are some of the features that won me over and made me use Eddy browser more:
- Privacy features: Eddy blocks third-party requests using host-based lists. You get a per-site switch, support for custom lists, and a daily background refresh. But blocking is domain-based only, so you’ll still see some empty ad spaces on certain pages.
- Incognito mode that actually works: Plenty of browsers treat incognito mode as a cosmetic change, where no history is saved. Eddy’s version uses a separate WebView profile, where cookies and storage get deleted when you close the last incognito tab.
- A password manager with encryption: Eddy only saves a password after you’ve signed in successfully. Passwords are encrypted with AES-256-GCM using an Android Keystore key. It lets you import and export passwords as a Chrome-style CSV file.
The repository also says that Eddy Browser doesn’t show you any ads or share data.
Everyday features that keep up
It has good memory management
Eddy keeps at most four live tabs at a time. Older tabs get saved with their full back-and-forward history and rebuilt when you open them. This helps save memory, since Eddy drops everything except the tab you’re looking at. This means you can continue opening a pile of tabs without the browser slowing down your Android phone. When you tap on the tabs, you can pick up from where you left off.
This browser also comes with its own download engine. It lets you pause, resume, and retry, shows speed, and saves your files inside the Downloads folder. During my time with Eddy Browser, aside from a few glitches, I did not come across anything major. Every function worked perfectly, and I was impressed with the tab management.
With that being said, it is still important to note that this browser is still in beta. You may see issues that I may not have come across. So, you can share those in the comments below. If you are not ready to switch, you can still opt for some popular names.
Good for tinkerers
If you’re someone like me who loves trying new apps, I would recommend you try Eddy Browser once. It is free, open-source, and does what it says. It is one good example of what one good developer can do with modern tools. The best part, the Android world is full of such interesting apps. If the Eddy browser is not your cup of tea, you can try out a bunch of lesser-known Android browsers that do more than what Chrome can do.