The European alternative to Google Chrome
Same Chromium engine, so every website works the same way. None of Google's account prompts, none of Google's data collection, and a real built-in ad blocker (the kind Chrome's new extension rules don't allow anymore). Dazr is the European version of the same browser, with the parts you don't want removed and the parts you actually want added.
Why people are leaving Chrome
If any of these are why you're here, you're in the right place.
Manifest V3 broke ad blocking
Chrome's new extension rules (called Manifest V3) quietly limited what ad blockers can do. The full version of uBlock Origin was removed from Chrome because it couldn't keep working under the new rules; the "Lite" version that replaced it blocks fewer things. Dazr has a full-strength ad blocker built into the browser itself, so it isn't bound by Manifest V3 in the first place.
"Privacy Sandbox" still tracks you
Google's "Privacy Sandbox" — the umbrella name for the Topics API, FLEDGE / Protected Audience, Attribution Reporting, and Shared Storage — is its replacement for third-party cookies. The marketing says privacy; the reality is it still builds a behavioural profile of you (just on your device instead of on Google's servers) so advertisers can keep targeting. Dazr turns the whole thing off.
Constant data sent to Google
Chrome sends usage data, crash reports, search suggestions, "Safe Browsing" checks, sync data, and feature experiments back to Google by default. Even with most settings turned off, the browser keeps making background requests to Google services. Dazr doesn't send anything to Google. Ever.
Google account lock-in
The moment you sign into Gmail in Chrome, you're often signed into Chrome too. Your bookmarks, history, and saved passwords start flowing into your Google account profile, sometimes without an obvious prompt. Dazr has no account system at all, there's nothing to sign into, and nothing to leak into a profile.
It's a US company
Chrome is made by Google, and Google is American. US laws like the CLOUD Act and FISA Section 702 can require American companies to hand over user data to government agencies, sometimes with secret court orders. After the 2020 Schrems II ruling, sending personal data to US-based services is on shaky legal ground under European privacy law. A European browser isn't subject to any of that.
You can't fully turn the tracking off
Chrome's privacy settings are spread across deep menus, and many of the toggles don't do what they sound like ("Do Not Track" sends a polite request that websites are free to ignore, and most do). Dazr starts with the safe settings already on. There's no "privacy mode" to enable, because privacy isn't a mode.
Dazr vs Chrome at a glance
No marketing language, what each browser actually does, side by side.
| Feature | Google Chrome | Dazr |
|---|---|---|
| Sends usage data to vendor | Yes (by default) | None, ever |
| Default search engine | Dazr Search (no logging) | |
| Country / jurisdiction | USA (Google) | EU |
| Built-in ad blocker | No | Yes, full strength |
| Full uBlock Origin works | No (limited by new rules) | Built-in equivalent |
| Anti-fingerprinting (stops sites identifying your device) | No | Yes, by default |
| Strips tracking codes from links (utm, fbclid, gclid) | No | Yes |
| Unwraps Google AMP back to the original site | No | Yes |
| Skips tracking redirect URLs | No | Yes |
| WebRTC IP-leak protection | Manual | On by default |
| Encrypted DNS (DoH / DoT) | Manual | European non-profit DNS, on by default |
| Google "Privacy Sandbox" APIs (Topics, FLEDGE, etc.) | On | All disabled |
| Phishing protection | Google Safe Browsing | European/open-source feeds, no Google |
| Account required for sync | No account, no sync | |
| Free | Yes | Yes |
What you actually get when you switch
An ad blocker that actually blocks ads
Chrome changed its rules in 2024 in a way that quietly broke the best ad blockers. The full version of uBlock Origin was pulled from Chrome because the new rules wouldn't let it work properly. The "Lite" version that replaced it can't block as many things.
Dazr has its own ad blocker built into the browser, same blocklists as uBlock Origin (EasyList, EasyPrivacy, and the community-maintained "quick fixes"), refreshed every week. It runs at the network layer, before any extension would even see the request.
- Full-strength blocking, not the watered-down Chrome version
- Login flows (CAPTCHAs, payment, sign-in) are allowlisted so they don't break
- One-click per-site toggle if you ever need to disable it
Anti-fingerprinting that doesn't break the web
Browser fingerprinting is when a website builds a unique ID for your computer based on tiny details: screen size, installed fonts, graphics card, audio hardware. Even with cookies blocked, fingerprinting can track you across sites. Most browsers don't try to stop it. Tor Browser tries so hard it breaks websites. Dazr is in between: enough randomness on canvas, WebGL, audio, and font measurements that you blend into the crowd, not so much that anything stops working.
Three settings, strict, standard (the default), and off, plus per-site overrides if a particular bank or login flow needs the standard setting.
- Defends against the most common fingerprinting tricks
- Login flows (banks, payment, sign-in) keep working
- One-click per-site override
European, all the way down
Every service Dazr connects to runs on European servers and follows European privacy law. DNS lookups go to a French/German non-profit instead of Google or Cloudflare. Search runs on our own European backend. Update checks go to dazr.eu, which is in Europe too. No Google services anywhere, not Maps, not Fonts, not Safe Browsing.
For European users (and especially European businesses), this matters: your data stays under European privacy rules, not US ones.
- No US cloud anywhere in the path
- No Google services anywhere
- European data protection rules apply by default
What Chrome still does that Dazr doesn't (yet)
- Mobile. Chrome runs on every phone. Dazr is desktop today (Windows, macOS, Linux). Mobile is on the roadmap.
- The Chrome Web Store. You can install Chromium extensions in Dazr, but the in-browser store experience isn't there. The built-in ad and tracker blocking already covers what most people use extensions for.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dazr based on Chromium?
Yes. Dazr is a Chromium-based browser, so websites render exactly as they do in Chrome. The difference is what we strip out (Google's services, telemetry, tracking APIs) and what we add (a full ad blocker, fingerprint defense, EU-only network services).
Will Netflix, Spotify, and other streaming services work?
Yes. Dazr supports Widevine, so DRM-protected streaming (Netflix, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO, YouTube Premium, and others) works out of the box.
Does Dazr support Chrome extensions?
Dazr supports loading unpacked Chrome extensions from a folder. The Chrome Web Store itself isn't integrated, because that requires a Google account and would phone home. For most users, the built-in ad and tracker blocking already replaces the top three extensions they'd install anyway.
Is Dazr really free? How does it make money?
It's free, and there's no paid tier. We don't take ad revenue, we don't sell data, and we don't take VC money that comes with growth pressure. The project is funded by a small team in Europe and (eventually) donations and EU public-interest grants. If we ever change that, we'll write a long blog post about it before anything ships.
How do I import my bookmarks from Chrome?
On first launch, Dazr offers to import bookmarks from Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Brave automatically. You can also import a bookmarks HTML file at any time from Settings → Import bookmarks.
Does Dazr collect any data at all?
No telemetry, no analytics, no crash reports, no usage pings, no sync. The only network traffic Dazr originates is: an update check against dazr.eu every 4 hours (which doesn't include any identifying information), DNS lookups via dns0.eu, and whatever pages you actually visit. That's it.
Will my password manager work?
Yes. Bitwarden, 1Password, Dashlane, and KeePassXC all work via their browser extensions. Native autofill from your OS keychain also works on macOS and Windows.
Does Dazr block ads?
Yes, by default. The blocker is built into the browser itself, with the same blocklists uBlock Origin uses, refreshed weekly. Unlike Chrome's new extension rules (which limit what blockers can do), Dazr's blocker can see and block every request.
Switch in two minutes
Download, run the installer, click "import from Chrome" on first launch. Your bookmarks come over, your tabs come over, and Google never sees you again.
Download Dazr