You probably know how to use your Android TV for streaming shows from Netflix, Hulu, and HBO, but did you know your Android TV can also browse the internet? There is no default browser for Android TV, and no browser comes pre-installed with the stock OS. That means you’ll have to choose and install a browser yourself, which might leave you wondering which is the best web browser for Android TV.
We’ve compiled a list of the best browsers for Android TV. By the end of this article, you’ll know which browser is best for you. We’ll break down the following browsers:
- Puffin TV
- Firefox TV Browser
- TV Bro
- Samsung Internet Browser
- TV Web Browser
- Odin
- Google Chrome
- Nvidia Shield Browser
Let’s dive in!
Why Should You Use an Android TV to Browse the Web?
You don’t have to use your Android TV for web browsing. You probably already have a web browser on your phone and desktop computer or laptop, and that’s probably how you usually access the web. However, browsing the internet on your TV can be fun, especially if you have a big screen TV. If you want to use your TV to browse the internet, you will need an Android TV browser.
How to Start Using an Android TV for Web Browsing
To start browsing the web on your Android TV, the first thing you’ll need to do is install a web browser. Some of the options are available in the Android TV Play store, which comes pre-installed on your Android TV. To install one of those browsers, simply search for it in the Play store and download it onto your TV.
Some browsers, like Firefox and Chrome, are not available through the Google Play store but can be sideloaded via a Firefox APK.
Best Browser for Android TV 2024
Puffin TV Browser
This app is one of only a couple of browsers on this list that works with your Android TV remote. It’s also one of the TV browsers available on the Android TV Play Store, so it’s easy to download and install. The browser was specifically designed for Android TV.
Main Features
Puffin TV features a clean, card-based user interface that’s easy to navigate with the limited TV remote capability. It also gives you the option to create QR codes for URLs you frequently visit, so you can simply send a QR code to the TV rather than having to input a long string into the search bar.
We think this is the best browser for Android TV. The app is optimized for websites with videos, and loading times are very fast. You can perform Google searches via voice input.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Designed to work with Android TV
- Fast
- Optimized for video
- Can send QR codes to your TV instead of typing URLs
Cons
- There is a cap on daily free usage, after which you have to upgrade to a paid plan
Firefox for Android TV
Mozilla’s Firefox is a popular browser because of Mozilla’s commitment to privacy, lightning fast speed, and the convenience of syncing your preferences across multiple devices. Its Android TV browser provides the level of quality you would expect from Mozilla, and the browser is optimized to work with the TV, as opposed to being a port of the mobile app.
Main Features
The Firefox Android TV web browser has a nice, easy-to-use card-based UI. Furthermore, it gives you the ability to sync your Firefox profile, bookmarks, homepage, etc., from your existing devices to your TV, making navigating to your favorite sites easy. It’s optimized to work with video sites like YouTube. Nearly all of the add-ons you can use with the PC version of the browser are also available with the TV version.
Unfortunately, the app is not available in the Android Play Store, so you will need to sideload it from a TV browser APK. Don’t let that deter you from using this browser, though—sideloading is not difficult, and sideloaded apps are easily managed from within the Android TV UI.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Sync your existing Firefox profile
- Mozilla’s world-renowned dedication to privacy and quality
- Optimized for video
Cons
- Not available in the Play store—you have to sideload it
TV Bro
This is another browser that works natively with your Android TV remote, so it’s a great choice for people who don’t want to buy a separate game controller just for internet browsing. Behind Firefox, it’s the best free browser for Android TV. It’s also the only browser on the list that’s open source. All of the source code is available to view on Github.
Main Features
TV Bro was designed specifically to work with the Android TV remote. It includes tabs, support for bookmarks, and voice search support via your remote. There is an included download manager that makes accessing and working with your downloads very easy. Finally, the app defaults to loading the last-opened tab, a handy feature many of the apps on this list do not have.
Like many other TV internet browsers on this list, TV Bro is not available in the Play store. To get the app on your Android TV, you’ll need a USB stick with the APK file on it, or you’ll need to use a different browser on your Android TV to navigate to a website where you can download it from. This browser has less support than Firefox, so it might be more difficult to get it up and running on your TV from an APK if you’re not tech-savvy.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Works with the Android TV remote
- Voice search support
- Defaults to last-opened tab
- Open source
Cons
- Not available in the Play Store
Samsung TV Internet Browser
This browser was built for Samsung TVs but works surprisingly well on Android TVs too. It’s an often overlooked option, partly because it’s not available in the Android Play store, and because the name throws people off. If you have a Samsung smartphone, this is a good choice for you because you can sync your existing profile.
Main Features
The most interesting feature of this browser is its Tracker blocking technology. Once enabled, this prevents websites from tracking your browsing activity. There is also a privacy mode for incognito browsing and a built-in ad blocker. That makes it the best browser for Android TV with an ad block. Beyond that, the Samsung web browser gives you a decent interface and good load times.
Unfortunately, it was designed to work with a Samsung remote, so it does not work with the Android remote, and the app must be sideloaded. However, the interface is easily navigable on a TV.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Built-in tracker blocking
- Privacy mode
Cons
- Doesn’t work with the remote
- Must be sideloaded
TV Web Browser
This is a lightweight, no-frills browser designed specifically to work with TVs. It’s compatible with the remote and available in the Android Play store. The browser interface is simple and easy to use. It works with many different smart TVs, and it’s touted as the best web browser for Sony TV.
Main Features
This browser is not as fully-featured as Mozilla Firefox, Puffin TV, or even TV Bro, but you get the basic stuff you need to browse the internet. The menus are all easily accessible from the left sidebar. There is no default search engine, so you can choose your own (i.e., Google, DuckDuckGo, etc.) The app provides easy voice search support via the Android remote, and there is support for bookmarks and browsing history.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Lightweight and easy to use
- Works with the Android TV remote
- Voice search
- Available on the Play Store
Cons
- No syncing across devices
- Not as fully-featured as some of the other options
Chrome for Android TV
It may surprise you to learn that Chrome doesn’t come pre-installed on your Android TV. It may surprise you even more to learn that Chrome isn’t even available for Android TV in the Android Play store—you have to sideload it.
You might be even more surprised to find out that using Chrome to browse the web on an Android TV is a horrible experience. In fact, it’s probably the worst option out of all the browsers on this list.
Main Features
Using Chrome on an Android TV is like using the mobile or desktop version of the app but on your TV. Basically, it’s difficult to use and clunky. While other TV browsers like Firefox and Puffin have been designed with the TV remote and easy navigation in mind, this is basically just a port of the Chrome mobile app. Oddly, the default Google browser is not the best browser for Google TV.
Furthermore, the app doesn’t work with the Android remote. It’s also incredibly slow. The one upside to using Chrome to browse the web on your Android TV is that you can sync your Chrome profile from your other devices.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Sync across devices
Cons
- Slow
- Clunky
- Doesn’t work with the remote
- Not available on the Play Store
Odin Browser Android TV
Odin browser is specially designed for Android TV devices. It’s available through the Android Play Store and compatible with the Android TV remote. It’s pretty bare-bones, and there are very few add-ons. Some users have reported difficulties in closing popup ads. There is also no bookmarks bar.
Main Features
The Odin browser is similar to the TV Web Browser in that it gets the job done without any bells and whistles. You can browse the web, perform a quick search, access full-screen mode, see your browsing history, and specify a preset navigation page.
It’s not always clear how to close apps on Android TV with this browser. According to users, you can only ‘X’ out of pages and tabs you have opened, meaning that any popups you encounter will be impossible to close.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Lightweight
- Available in the Play Store
- Compatible with the remote
Cons
- Very limited feature set
- Popups become impossible to close
Nvidia Shield Browser
This option is only suitable for people with a bit of technical know-how. If you have an Nvidia Shield, you can use GameStream to access your Windows desktop from your Android TV. This allows you to use your favorite desktop browser.
Main Features
To enable browsing via GameStream, add the Remote Desktop Connection app to GameStream through the GeForce Experience app (this is on your PC) like you would add any other game. You should now be able to access your Windows desktop from your Android TV and open whichever browser you think is the best browser for Nvidia Shield.
The downside to using this method is that you’ll be using your Android TV remote as a mouse, which is clunky and tedious. Some Android TVs support a Bluetooth-connected mouse, which would be a better option for browsing this way.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Use any browser you like from your PC desktop
Cons
- Difficult to use the TV remote as a mouse
- Must have some technical know-how to set this up
- Must own an Nvidia Shield
Summary
In our opinion, Puffin TV is the best web browser for Android TV. It’s compatible with the Android TV remote, available in the Play store, easy to download and install, and easy to use. It has a nice interface specifically designed for Android TV to facilitate easy navigation, and it supports Google voice search, bookmarking, history, and all the other features you’d expect a browser to have.
Unfortunately, Puffin TV has a limited free tier that only allows for a certain amount of data every day. If you want to do more than what’s allowed, you’ll have to upgrade to a paid plan.
The second place for the best browser for Android TV goes to Mozilla Firefox. You have to sideload the app, but in our opinion, it’s worth taking this small and pretty easy step to have the power of Firefox available on your TV. The app has been purpose-built for TV browsing, unlike the Chrome app, and it allows existing Firefox users to sync their profiles, bookmarks, etc.
FAQ
Puffin TV is the best TV browser because of its ease of installation and use and clean and intuitive UI. The only downside to Puffin TV is that its free tier has a daily limit. Other good options for Android TV browsers include Mozilla Firefox, TV Bro, and TV Web Browser. The least recommended browser to use on Android TV is, surprisingly, Google Chrome because of its clunky interface and slowness.
Yes. Your Android TV is a smart device connected to the internet to allow you to stream shows from Netflix, Hulu, and other platforms. By downloading and installing the best internet browser for Android TV, you can browse the internet just like you would on your smartphone or laptop.
Browsing the internet from your TV might give you access to content that’s not available through pre-installed apps like Netflix and YouTube.
The best smart TV browser is the one that’s easiest to use and most compatible with your device. For example, the Samsung TV Internet Browser is the best browser for Samsung devices because it was designed to work with the Samsung TV and comes pre-installed.
Unfortunately, there is no such browser for Android TV, so you have to download and install your own. We think the best web browser for Android TV is Puffin TV.
The Google Chrome app is not available through the Android TV Play Store, but you can sideload it. Sideloading is the process of loading apps onto your device either by downloading them via a web browser, or by uploading them onto the TV via a USB stick.
You will need a web browser for Android TV APK file for Google Chrome, which you can get by downloading it from Chrome. You will also need to go into your Android TV settings and allow your device to install apps from unknown sources.
Once you’ve installed the app, you won’t see it on your device’s home screen, so you’ll have to access it either through the Android TV’s settings menu or through the Sideload Launcher app, which is available in the Android TV Play store.
This sounds tedious, but it’s not very difficult and only takes about 15 minutes to do. If you believe that Google Chrome, or another sideloaded browser, is the best web browser for Android TV, don’t let sideloading stop you from installing it.