Best browsers and extensions to avoid AI answers (2026)
Some browsers promise never to add an AI assistant, some give you a switch, and some extensions fix the search page. Here is what each one does and where it stops.
To avoid AI answers, you have to know where they come from. One source is the search engine, which writes a summary above the results. The other is the browser, which can add a chatbot, a page summarizer or an agent. A browser setting can switch off the second; the first needs an engine setting, an extension or a filter. The nine options below cover both, and each entry says which one it addresses.
This list is ordered by approach and not by quality. We make Kitsuvo, which is the last entry, so weigh our view with that in mind. Facts about the other tools come from their own pages as read on October 10, 2026, and the sources are listed at the end. Chrome and Edge are not on the list because they have toggles and no single off switch; see how to turn off AI features in Firefox and Chrome.
At a glance
| Tool | What it does | Platforms | Price | Open source? | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firefox | One AI Controls switch, Block AI enhancements, hides current and future AI features | Desktop; Android and iOS have their own AI Controls screens | Free | Yes, source published by Mozilla | Covers Firefox's own features, not your search engine's answers; extensions can still use AI services |
| Waterfox | Firefox engine with a written policy not to embed LLMs as a default browser layer or mediate browsing through AI agents | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | Free | Yes | Policy covers the browser, not search results; users can still add AI extensions |
| Vivaldi | Says it will not add an LLM chatbot, summarizer or form-filling suggestions | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | No price on its download page; asks for donations | Partly: the UI layer is closed | Does not touch AI answers on search pages |
| VanBrowser | Zero AI features: no chatbot, summarizer or assistant | macOS 14+, iOS and iPadOS 17+ | Free, with an optional Pro upgrade | Not stated on its page | Apple platforms only; does not describe hiding search-engine AI answers |
| Brave | Ships an AI assistant, Leo, and says AI features in Brave Search are optional and can be turned off | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Free; Leo has a paid tier | Yes, source on GitHub; the repository is labelled MPL-2.0 | The assistant is there by default, so you switch it off rather than never see it |
| DuckDuckGo browser | Settings to turn off Duck.ai in the browser, plus Search Assist and Duck.ai in search | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS | Free | Not stated on the pages we read | Settings, not a ban: AI features exist and are opt-out |
| DuckDuckGo No-AI Search extension | Makes noai.duckduckgo.com your default search and filters AI images | Firefox and Chrome | No charge listed | Apache License 2.0 per its Firefox listing | Changes the search engine only; no help on Google or Bing |
| Pre-AI Search | Free tier filters Google to pre-2023 results and removes AI Overviews | Chrome | Freemium; free tier is limited | No, proprietary | Date cutoff hides recent pages; listing says it cannot guarantee complete removal |
| Kitsuvo | Hides AI answer panels it recognizes on Google, Bing and DuckDuckGo, and filters likely AI-built sites | Mac and Windows | Free; optional Plus at $6 a month | No, the browser is not open source | Has optional cloud AI checks, and the engine still generates the answer |
The options
Firefox
Best for: one switch that blocks current and future AI features on a mainstream browser.
Mozilla added an AI Controls page to Settings in early 2026. Block AI enhancements hides current and future AI features and the prompts that promote them; its announcement of February 24, 2026 lists website translations, image descriptions in PDFs, AI-enhanced tab groups, link previews and a sidebar chatbot among the controlled features. You can keep single features by setting them to Available or Enabled.
Not for: the answers on a results page. The panel controls Firefox's own AI features, and a search engine's summaries are not among the ones Mozilla lists. Mozilla's support article says extensions can still use third-party AI services.
Waterfox
Best for: people who want Firefox's engine and a written promise about LLMs.
Waterfox's LLM Usage Memorandum, dated January 23, 2026, says the browser does not include large language models by default and will not build them in as a default layer, route browsing through AI agents or require LLM features in core browsing. It separates small single-purpose tools, with local translation as the example, from general-purpose LLMs. Its home page lists Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, says it is free and open source, and describes no telemetry.
Not for: controlling search-engine answers. The memo also says users may install extensions that use external AI services and may re-enable features they turned off.
Vivaldi
Best for: a feature-rich Chromium-based browser whose maker has said no to an LLM assistant.
In a post dated August 28, 2025, Vivaldi says it will not use an LLM to add a chatbot, a summarization tool or a suggestion engine that fills in forms, until more rigorous ways to do those things are available. It lists Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. Vivaldi is partly open source: its article says the Chromium base and its C++ feature backend are open, and the UI layer is closed.
Not for: AI answers on a search page. Vivaldi's stance is about what it builds into the browser, and search engines still write their own summaries on the results page, whichever browser you use. Its position is also conditional on that "until" clause, so check it again later.
VanBrowser
Best for: Apple users who want a literal zero-AI browser, including on iPhone and iPad.
VanBrowser says it has zero AI features: no chatbots, no summarizers, no assistant reading your pages. It is built on WebKit, blocks ads and trackers by default using EasyList and EasyPrivacy rules, and is free to download with an optional Pro upgrade. Our VanBrowser vs Kitsuvo guide compares it with our browser in more detail.
Not for: Windows or Linux, since its page lists only Apple platforms, or for hiding AI answers that a search engine writes.
Brave
Best for: people already on Brave who want its assistant and Search AI turned off.
Brave ships Leo, an AI assistant that is free to use with a paid Premium tier. In a post of September 29, 2025, Brave says all AI features in Brave Search are optional and can be turned off via the settings menu. Brave's help center has an article titled "How do I disable Brave Leo?", which we could not load while writing this, so we have not verified its steps. Brave lists Linux, macOS, Windows, Android and iOS, and its source is public on GitHub.
Not for: a browser that never shows an assistant. Leo is part of the product, and you turn it off, which is different from a maker that has promised not to build one.
DuckDuckGo browser
Best for: one place to switch off Duck.ai and Search Assist, with phone apps.
DuckDuckGo's help page says that in the browser you go to Settings, then AI Features, and turn off Duck.ai. In search, Search Settings then AI Features has a Search Assist dropdown set to Never. The browser is listed for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, and the page calls it free.
Not for: anyone who wants AI absent by design. These are opt-out settings, and the features are there until you change them.
DuckDuckGo No-AI Search extension
Best for: making AI-free search your default in Chrome or Firefox without changing browsers.
DuckDuckGo's own extension sets your default search to noai.duckduckgo.com, which has Search Assist and Duck.ai turned off and AI-generated images filtered by default. Its Firefox listing, last updated September 25, 2026, names the Apache License 2.0 and says the developer does not require data collection.
Not for: Google or Bing results. It swaps the engine, so you get DuckDuckGo's results. Our no-AI search comparison covers what that engine leaves in.
Pre-AI Search
Best for: Chrome users who stay on Google and also want a pre-2023 date cutoff.
Pre-AI Search by Oliver Evans applies Google's date filter to show results from before 2023 and removes AI Overviews. Its Chrome Web Store listing, version 3.5 updated June 14, 2026, offers a free tier with one-click filtering and Pro features such as custom date ranges, and says the extension works locally and collects no data.
Not for: current topics, because a date cutoff hides recent pages. The listing also says it cannot guarantee complete removal of AI content.
Kitsuvo
Best for: hiding the AI answer panels that Google, Bing and DuckDuckGo show, and keeping AI-built sites out of the same results.
Kitsuvo is our desktop browser. Its Hide AI-labelled content and search answers setting hides answer panels it recognizes on those three engines and leaves a "Hidden by Kitsuvo" note with a way to show them. It has no built-in agent that browses for you. Its detection runs on rules on your computer; optional cloud checks are off by default, and a Local only setting refuses every cloud AI request.
Not for: anyone who wants no AI at all in the product, since the optional cloud checks exist. It works from the page after the engine has built it, so the engine still generates the answer and a layout change can make a panel go unrecognized. It runs on Mac and Windows only, and the current installers are not code-signed, so each system asks you to confirm the first launch; the install page walks through it. The steps for each engine's own settings are in how to turn off AI answers in search engines.
Which should you use?
- You want the browser itself to have no assistant: Waterfox, Vivaldi or VanBrowser state it as policy or design. Firefox and Brave give you a switch.
- You want the results page to stop summarizing: DuckDuckGo's no-AI search through its extension, or Google's Web filter, which needs no install (see how to turn off AI Overviews in Google).
- You want both on the engine you already use: a switch in the browser plus a filter such as Kitsuvo or Pre-AI Search for the page.
- You are on iPhone or iPad: VanBrowser, DuckDuckGo, Firefox, Brave and Vivaldi list iOS; Kitsuvo does not.
Hiding an AI answer does not remove AI-made websites from the list under it. For that problem, see best tools to filter AI-generated content from search and what is a no-AI web browser. To check whether one particular site was built with an AI builder, see best AI-generated website detectors.
Sources
All read on October 10, 2026. Settings and policies change, so check the maker's own page before you rely on a detail.
- Firefox: Mozilla's AI Controls announcement, February 24, 2026, the AI controls support article and the Firefox repository.
- Waterfox: LLM Usage Memorandum, January 23, 2026, and its home page.
- Vivaldi: Vivaldi takes a stand, August 28, 2025, its download page and open-source article.
- VanBrowser: vanbrowser.com.
- Brave: Ask Brave, September 29, 2025, the Leo page, the download page and repository.
- DuckDuckGo: opting out of AI, about noai.duckduckgo.com, the browser page and the Firefox add-on listing.
- Pre-AI Search: Chrome Web Store listing.
- Kitsuvo: this site's install and pricing pages and our AI answers guide.
Questions people ask
What is the best browser to avoid AI?
It depends on what you mean. For a browser whose maker says it leaves out AI assistants or LLMs, Waterfox, Vivaldi and VanBrowser state that position. Firefox offers a single switch to block AI enhancements. None of them removes the AI summaries that a search engine writes on its results page.
Does Firefox have an AI off switch?
Yes. Firefox Settings has an AI Controls page, and the Block AI enhancements switch hides current and future AI features. The features it controls are Firefox's own, and Mozilla's list does not include a search engine's AI answers.
How do I avoid AI answers in Google search?
Google has no setting for AI Overviews. Its Web filter shows plain links, and you can make that your default with a custom search engine. An extension such as Pre-AI Search, or a browser filter such as Kitsuvo, can also hide the panel.
Is Kitsuvo a browser with no AI?
Not literally. Kitsuvo has no built-in agent and its detection uses rules on your computer, but it has optional cloud checks that are off by default, and a Local only setting that refuses every cloud AI request.