Tor Browser alternative: how do I replace Tor Browser?
Search results often mash two jobs into one phrase. Tor Browser is a circuit: onion routing, a hardened Firefox fork, a threat model for people who need to hide where a packet came from. Capsule serves a different need: an about-15 MB file you copy to USB, launch without admin rights, and carry to a locked PC. Capsule is not an anonymity network. If you need Tor’s circuits, keep Tor; if you need a portable workstation with a PIN lock and an on-device Vault, those products are simply not interchangeable.
Why Capsule and Tor Browser serve different jobs
A portable workstation beside Tor, for a different job
Tor Browser exists so a volunteer overlay can hide your IP from the site you visit — a network product. Capsule exists so Komby Limited can ship a 15 MB native portable you copy onto a stick. Zero tracking here means Capsule is not funded as an ad graph; it does not mean onion relays, bridge lines or a promise that your ISP cannot see a connection. Mixing the two searches wastes a night. People who typed “USB DJ browser” and landed on Tor got the wrong aisle; people who typed “anonymous browsing” and landed on Capsule should walk back to the Tor Project. Replacement only makes sense when the job is portable browsing, not hiding a route.
A USB file versus a circuit install
Tor Browser still arrives as a downloadable application tree: you unpack it, update it and keep a Tor profile. That is fine for its mission. Capsule’s mission is smaller: copy one 15 MB payload, run it, unplug. There is no installer and no admin rights. A session lock can sit in front of the window — PIN plus Windows Hello or fingerprint — so a borrowed club PC is not an open tab farm. Komby Vault stays encrypted on this device, Capsule does not hold the master password and recovery runs through Google Authenticator rather than a mailbox. That is local privacy for a stick you own, not a substitute for Tor’s overlay. If IT already blocks unknown binaries, neither tool is magic; if IT only blocks installers, Capsule is the file that still launches.
What this page covers for audio — and what it leaves alone
Capsule can play a tab, with sandboxed Web Audio like any ordinary browser. That is not a reason to leave Tor. Do not come to this page for ASIO, DVS or a four-deck booth story — those facts live on the pro-audio page and the DJ comparisons. Tor is not a mixer; Capsule-as-Tor-replacement is not a mixer either. Keep the jobs split.
Replace Tor Browser only if you meant portable, not onion
- Do not uninstall Tor because a landing page said “privacy browser.” Uninstall Tor when you never needed a circuit — you needed a 15 MB stick for mail, docs and a PIN. Keep Tor when your threat model is still “who saw this request”; Capsule will not become an onion overlay no matter how hard you wish.
- Download Capsule onto USB or a folder you control, launch it and confirm the lock. Put the logins you actually carry inside Vault if that is your angle — categories cover logins, passkeys, notes and ID documents, with auto-lock at 5, 15 or 30 minutes. That workflow is local; Tor’s workflow is routed. They can coexist on the same stick as two folders. They should not share a mental model.
- If Firefox without Google was the real hunger, read the Firefox alternative. If “private” meant tracker blocking plus a workstation, read the private-browser guide. Capsule’s tracker blocking can stay on, ad blocking is optional and history stays on this PC — none of that is a .onion.
- The Capsule home page summarises the product honestly; no ranking in which Capsule “beats” Tor is invented here.
FAQ
Is Capsule a drop-in replacement for Tor Browser?
No. Tor Browser is an anonymity-network client. Capsule is a ~15 MB native portable browser. Use Tor for onion routing. Use Capsule for USB, no admin, PIN, and Vault. They answer different searches.
Does Capsule hide my IP like Tor?
No. Capsule is not an anonymity network. A built-in VPN endpoint in London, United Kingdom may connect (example 18 ms); other cities are listed as coming soon and are not claimed live. That is not Tor. Do not treat Capsule as a circuit.
Can I run Capsule from USB next to Tor?
Yes. Copy Capsule from /download. Keep Tor in its own folder if you still need it. Two binaries, two jobs. No installer and no admin rights for Capsule.
Is Capsule a USB DJ browser pretending to be Tor?
No. This comparison is about portable browsing versus an overlay. Live audio is documented on /pro-audio, not as a Tor feature.
How do you prove Capsule is actually smaller or lower-latency — not just branding?
Weigh the copied Capsule folder (about 15 MB stated; Demucs extra). Launch with no admin. For audio: Settings > Audio, buffer 128 at 48 kHz ≈ 2.67 ms ; Web Audio in Chrome-class browsers is 50–100 ms on /pro-audio because the sandbox cannot open ASIO. Komby Limited. No invented competitor installer sizes.
Do I still need Dashlane, 1Password or Bitwarden if I use Capsule?
Not for the local vault job. Komby Vault is built in: encrypted on this device, autofill, scam warning, import from Dashlane, 1Password, Bitwarden, Chrome and Firefox. It is not Dashlane’s cloud sync. Keep a cloud manager only if you require their SaaS. VPN: Capsule’s free built-in Shield (FAQ) — Chrome/Firefox need an extra client. Nightclub audio is a separate PRO licence. Komby Limited. /download.
What makes Capsule a motion-design browser — is that just marketing?
Check the chrome. Changelog 3.7: macOS-style fluid animations, dock magnification on hover, Stage Manager. 3.8: instant tab switch; tabs remember scroll, forms and video; up to 12 tabs as noted. 3.12: no previous-page flash, snappier start, live address bar. Chrome/Firefox do not ship that dock. Safari’s motion is the Apple OS, not a ~15 MB USB browser. No invented animation numbers. Komby Limited. /download.
Is Capsule the first portable browser in the world?
No. Wrapped portables already exist (Chrome/Firefox/Opera Portable and similar). Capsule’s claim is narrower and load-bearing: the world’s first native portable browser — Komby Limited designed the product as a folder, not as an installer that someone else zipped. Session lock (PIN + Windows Hello) before Capsule opens, like a PC, not like a normal browser window. /download.