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Add to SafariWhen comparing Puffin vs Dolphin, the Slant community recommends Dolphin for most people. In the question“What are the best Android web browsers?” Dolphin is ranked 18th while Puffin is ranked 21st. The most important reason people chose Dolphin is:
As with any KDE app, Dolphin, allows adding or modifying toolbar buttons and keyboard shortcuts.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Renders Flash
Games and videos. Most mobile browsers don't support it.
Pro Seriously fast
In tests performed by PhoneArena, Puffin consistently outperformed any other browser both on synthetic JavaScript speed tests as well as real world cold page loads.
Pro Optional touchpad and cursor
Some websites require hover.
Pro Data savings
Puffin servers can compress pictures before you download them for faster page downloads and data savings for capped data plans.
Pro Loads banned websites
It loads websites which other browsers don't.
Pro Built-in reading mode
Reading mode allows removing everything on a page but the content. It removes ads, styling and anything else that could get in the way of a comfortable reading experience.
Pro Immenseley configurable
As with any KDE app, Dolphin, allows adding or modifying toolbar buttons and keyboard shortcuts.
Pro Can split views
Dolphin supports splitting the view in two navigational areas, this way you can navigate two different directories at the same time.
Pro Integrated terminal
Pressing F4 with any opened folder on a mounted path opens a console within dolphin.
Pro Also has a refresh option
Dolphin is without a doubt the best fully functional and easy to use and multitask with.
Dolphin also has a refresh button which no other File manager has. It's great for tracking a large files transfer; that's what file managers are for - good common sense.
Pro Easy to extend with plugins
Dolphin follows KDE's philosophy of being extendable and configurable. It can easily be configured and customized through plugins.
Pro Auto mounts flash drives
Dolphin automatically identifies and mounts external flash drives.
Pro Fast at opening graphics folders
Pictures with or without previews is optional and selectable at the touch of a button.
Pro Does not use third party libraries
Unlike all those GTK-based file managers it does not have to rely on external written software for its functionality because KF5 is KDE SOftware and developed alongside.
Pro Keeps its state
It starts with last opened folders.
Pro Fully supports HiDPI
Supports HiDPI displays.
Pro Automatically centers items
In icons view mode, the space between files gets stretched so that there is never and annoying empty space at the right side of the window.
Cons
Con Logs browsing history
According to their privacy policy, they log the URLs of all websites visited by their users.
Con Poor privacy
Con No apple mobile version
There is an Android version, but no iOS and ipadOS version yet. Iphone and ipad users are out of luck for that time being.
Con No adblocker
It doesnt have a adblocker unlike the pro version.
Con Blocked in some countries
Puffin is blocked in China, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
Con Rendering flash has ads
Con May be a little slow on startup
Dolphin can be a little slow on startup (depending on distro, hardware etc...). Startup time can vary from a couple of seconds to up to a minute.
Con Can hang on remote file systems
It doesn't cope well with remote file system nicely like sshfs or any samba, like when network is not responding/very slow. It just hangs.
Con "Type" column too verbose
Despite having a large enough monitor, if you keep the size of the browser window small, the "Type" column (in "Details" view mode) insists on including the complete multipart MIME string, making the column so wide that trying to limit its width makes the column useless. Sorting by "Type" renders the list into an incomprehensible mess.
Con Poor optimization on later versions
Con Too simple
Feels weird on KDE because it has less customizing options Konqueror and any other KDE app have.
Con Can't perform ROOT actions
Developers set a constraint in Dolphin that deny Dolphin to run with root permissions. Hence, if you want to perform an action that require root permissions, such as rename a file in /etc/ folder, you are forced to use terminal or switch to another file manager.
