An in-depth review of Ulaa: The web browser set to challenge Chrome, Edge, others

When Internet Explorer was launched in 1995, it went on to be the king of web browsers for at least another decade. If you don’t remember its reign, it is likely that you were not internet-savy in that generation.

One of the major reasons that aided the dominance of Internet Explorer was because the browser before it, the Netscape Navigator, was not free of charge and available to all personal computers. Nonetheless, the introduction of Internet Explorer brought in a browser war that has now led to a more sophisticated way of intruding and accessing the internet.

Well, if there is anything that history has taught us, it is that innovations bring about paradigm shifts, and the Ulaa browser by Zoho might just be the next innovation to challenge the status quo.

Google Chrome is arguably the industry standard currently for web browsers and search engines. Since its launch in 2008, it has replaced older browsers like Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox and now leads the way. This is not far-fetched from the fact that it is fast, easy to use and possesses the largest library of browser extensions.

But, and this is coming from personal experience, if there is one browser that has the potential to compete with Google Chrome for efficiency, it would be the Ulaa browser.

Ulaa is a privacy-centric browser launched by Zoho, a global technology company. The browser is specifically built to help users secure their data and activity by providing a browser solution that universally blocks tracking and website surveillance.

Just like Chrome, Ulaa is super-fast and easy to use, but unlike Chrome, it helps protect its users’ data and privacy against internal and external invaders. In fact, since downloading the browser about a week ago, it has successfully helped prevent over 6.3k malware and privacy concerns, coupled with ads-supported sites.

Apart from the fact that it is fast and easy to use, it is also free to download for most gadgets. Ulaa provides state-of-the-art features that ensure your personal information is kept confidential. Your online footprint remains hidden from the advertiser’s prying eyes. With its blocked tracking, zero browser monitoring, and multi-tier ad blocker, Ulaa protects you from privacy abuse and high-risk cybersecurity threats.

This article is going to review the Ulaa browser and the pros and cons of using it. The review comes from personal and first-hand experience, so let’s check it out.

Read also: Zoho launches Ulaa; a web browser that prioritizes privacy by eliminating surveillance.

Installation

Ulaa is free, and its desktop version is available for download here. For this review, we used a Macbook, and downloading the browser from the dashboard was really straightforward. All we needed to do was click on the top-right tab, which carried the ‘download for Mac intel’, and it was already downloading in the blink of an eye.

It is worthy of note that while its desktop version is available for download, the iOS and Android versions are currently in beta and available for download.

The installation is a snap, and no reboot is required. A fresh installation took up about 140MB. After installation, when you run the browser, it requires you to choose the mode you want to operate out of the five modes it offers; personal, developer, work, kids and Open season Modes. Each mode has its theme and feel, which can also be customised to the user’s taste. And then, you are good to go.

If you care to know, I used the work mode and it allowed the importation of browse history and passwords from my previous default browser.

Interface and Features

As mentioned earlier, Ulaa has five browsing modes that are isolated from each other, providing unique protected browsing experiences. Each mode comes with a unique-themed interface that gives the user a relaxed feel of what they are doing.

Users can use Dynamic Mode Switching to save preferred modes for specific websites. It will automatically open the site in the saved mode when the user revisits it. Users would be prompted to switch modes if a website was previously opened in a different mode.

Regardless of the mode you are working in, your browsing history, bookmarks, saved tabs, and other data are compartmentalized and synchronized to prevent data mixing between different modes.

Personal and Work Modes

The personal and work modes are easy to differentiate for home or work use. Personal Mode can be used for banking, streaming, and shopping without signing in, and has secure logins and privacy features like ad-blockers. Work Mode can pull in apps, websites, and extensions for work and has an ad blocker for protection from phishing attacks.

Developer Mode

Ulaa’s Developer Mode is for web developers and testers. It has developer tools and suggested extensions to ensure website compatibility and test new features. Users can inspect HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and track assets and load time.

Kids Mode

This family-friendly Kids Mode provides a safe online space for children to learn, play games, and explore content. It has content filtering and Parental Control features to block inappropriate websites. It’s easy to navigate and has ad-free games and creativity-promoting apps. Features like Child Lock and Learning-on-the-Go restrict access to other modes.

This mode offers a unique Learning On The Go feature that keeps your child engaged and productive while they learn. The Child Lock feature is designed to restrict access to other modes with the help of a password prompt every time the child enters or exits the mode ensuring they remain in a safe environment at all times.

Open Season Mode

This mode has no privacy restrictions, no ad or tracking blockers and no UI or feature breakages. It’s similar to an average browser and allows access to all websites, including “zero-restriction” sites. The red theme serves as a reminder of disabled data protection features and informs users they’re being surveilled online.

Read also: Zoho launches 13 AI extensions as it integrates ChatGPT into Zia

Other features

Tabs manager

Other features include the Tabs Manager, which allows you to view all your open tabs in one place and group and organize them. You can easily switch between tabs, close tabs you no longer need, or move tabs to a different mode or a new window. You can also save tabs from a particular session and reopen them again.

In Ulaa, you can also group your tabs based on the website’s domain name, creating a stack of related tabs that are easy to manage and navigate.

Notes

Ulaa comes with a dedicated note-taking space that stays across all the tabs, so you can quickly jot down ideas, reminders, or essential information without leaving your browsing session. With this feature, you can take notes, organize them by topic or category, and even share them with others via email, social media, or other channels.

Password manager

Like Chrome, Ulaa’s password manager makes it easy to securely store and autofill the passwords for all your favourite sites so you can log in with just one click. You can create strong, unique passwords and save them for the sites you use without remembering them all.

Smart dashboard

The dashboard gives a comprehensive view of all your data at one glance. You can check your daily updates, current browser mode, frequently visited sites, and favourites, or even set reminders and assign work to your team right in your browser. The smart dashboard turns a new tab into an insightful and convenient start page with quick access links.

Screen capture

Ulaa’s inbuilt Zoho Annotator extension makes it easy to capture and save screenshots of anything you see on your browser window. Whether you want to capture a funny meme, save a portion of a webpage for reference, or create a visual tutorial.

Multi-device sync

Ulaa allows you to sign in using your Zoho account, so you can access your bookmarks, browsing history, and other data across multiple devices. Once you sign in, your data is automatically synced and updated in real-time. This allows you to always have the latest information at your fingertips, no matter which device you use.

Security

As was previously mentioned, Ulaa is a privacy-focused browser. Therefore, its main selling point is the protection and privacy it provides users. Its security features aid in defending users against high-risk cybersecurity threats and invasions of privacy.

With its several features, the browser is well able to protect users from unnecessary hacks and cyberstalking, as well as a secured IP address for users to access any site they choose. Here are some of the features:

Anonymised statistics

With Ulaa, every data that enters its servers from users’ devices cannot be mapped back to the user to identify individual users. Hence, a user’s IP address, location or whatever activity they carry on their devices cannot be tracked. Its information sanitization policies ensure complete user anonymity through randomized UID.

Auto reset browser IDs

Ulaa adds an additional layer of protection to users’ data by resetting all unique identifiers, such as Browser Randomised ID and Profile UID, each time they open their browsers. By generating new randomized IDs, Ulaa provides enhanced anonymity, making it feel like they using a fresh installation every time you launch the browser.

Ads blocker

If there was one thing that excited us about the browser, it was the ads blocker feature. The first thing we did when we downloaded the browser was try to download a movie from a popular site that supports ads.

Surprisingly, with its add blocker, downloading the movie was seamless and easy with no redirections.

Ulaa’s inbuilt EasyList filter removes ads from web pages to provide a non-intrusive experience to the user. Additionally, Peter Lowe’s Ad and Tracking Server List filters and blocks ads, spam, spyware, and malware from various URLs.

Social media moderation

Also, the Fanboy Annoyances List automatically removes pop-ups, social media share buttons, and sign-up banners from your browser. This also makes your web pages load faster and look cleaner.

Social media sites like Facebook keep track of user activities under the guise of personalized ads. They do this to hit users with targeted, uncannily relevant ads. (You know how you’ve been window-shopping online, and you see an ad for the product while scrolling on social media? Yes, that’s trackers snooping on you). With Ulaa, you can bid farewell to such threats to your privacy.

Social media companies like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn place trackers on other websites so they can follow what you do and see online. Ulaa’s enhanced tracking protection automatically blocks the most common social media trackers from following you online. This way, the web activity you want to keep private stays private.

Geographical data isolation

While users can access information from any place in the world, all such data is restricted to the legal geographical boundaries of the country they are located in. This ensures compliance with data protection regulations such as the GDPR.

There is more with the Ulaa browser when it comes to security. The browser offers a secure browsing experience by utilizing the uBlock badware filter to block malicious advertisements, it also maintains a malicious websites blocklist which stops you from accessing websites suspected of hosting malware, scams, or links to malicious software.

The NoCoin Adblock list also helps block crypto miners and protects your data from potential privacy violations. This is also coupled with its auto-update feature which sees that the browser is updated automatically across all platforms, such as Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Verdict

You can use Ulaa as a browser with total security. Its super-fast performance and support for various working modes are unaffected by this. Even adults can use the kid mode as a complete learning tool anytime.

A few minutes after we started using the browser, we recommended it to our users, because the no ads supported feature completely wowed us. Unlike Google Chrome, we could download and access other sites without any interference.

Perhaps what sets it apart from other browsers is its privacy-centric design. The browser helps to protect against cyberstalking, which has become a problem and is common among major internet platforms and corporations.

Users are at least given the assurance that all personal information and data stored on the browser will not be utilised to produce unwanted suggestions and advertisements for them, ensuring their anonymity while using the browser.

Given that it is suitable for all uses without significantly compromising on quality, privacy, efficiency, security, or productivity, if I had to rank the browser on a scale of 10, we would give it a strong 8 and absolutely recommend it to anyone.

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