Solstice
The Solstice icon: a golden solar eclipse with a bright spark of light on a midnight background

Solstice

SOL-stis, noun: the moment the sun reaches its highest point.

A private, secure web browser for Mac. Bright, fast, and built to keep you safe.

Try it in your browser Coming soon for Mac

Solstice is being tested now. It will be free, and will need macOS 14.4 Sonoma or later, on Apple silicon or Intel.

Protection that’s already on

Solstice is built on WebKit, the engine behind Safari, and adds safeguards that work from the first page you open. Nothing to configure unless you want to.

  • HTTPS-First

    Solstice asks for the secure version of every site, and warns you before loading a page that can’t be encrypted.

  • Safe Browsing warnings

    Known phishing and malware sites are flagged before they load, using the same protection as WebKit and Safari.

  • Trackers and cryptominers blocked

    Blocked by default, with WebKit’s cross-site tracking prevention on top. Ad blocking is there if you want it.

  • Lockdown Mode

    An optional maximum-protection mode, for one site or all of them, that switches off complex web features attackers rely on. It uses the same technology as Apple’s Lockdown Mode.

  • A password manager that stays on your Mac

    Logins are saved in the macOS Keychain and filled only when you choose. Solstice generates strong passwords, and seeing saved ones takes Touch ID or your Mac password.

  • Breached password check

    Finds passwords that have appeared in known data breaches. Your password never leaves your Mac: only the first 5 characters of its SHA-1 hash are sent to Have I Been Pwned.

  • Private windows

    Nothing is saved and cookies are kept separate. Private windows lock with Touch ID when you step away.

  • Profiles

    Keep work and personal sign-ins, cookies and browsing apart, each in its own profile.

  • Secure Proxy

    Connect Solstice to your VPN provider’s proxy server (HTTPS or SOCKS5) to hide your IP address from websites. A kill switch stops pages from loading outside the proxy, and WebRTC leak protection keeps your address from slipping out.

    This covers traffic from Solstice only, not other apps. You’ll need an account with a VPN or proxy provider; Solstice doesn’t run VPN servers.

  • Checked downloads

    Files you download are marked as coming from the internet, so macOS Gatekeeper checks them before they open.

  • Safety Check

    One place to see your protection status, any compromised, reused or weak passwords, and whether you’re up to date.

  • Clear on quit

    Optionally clear history, cookies and tabs every time you quit.

  • Signed, automatic updates

    Solstice updates itself with signed releases. WebKit security fixes arrive with macOS updates.

And everything you need day to day

Tabs

Tab Groups, pinned tabs, Tab Overview to see everything at once, and one click to mute a noisy tab.

Smart address bar

Suggestions from your bookmarks, history, open tabs and search engine. Choose Google, DuckDuckGo, Bing or Ecosia.

Reading

Reader for distraction-free articles, Hide Distracting Items, and on-device page translation on macOS 15 or later.

Saving and finding

Bookmarks, a Reading List, a History sidebar and a Favorites start page.

Per-website settings

Remember zoom, Reader, camera and microphone choices for each site. Picture in Picture for video.

For developers

Web Inspector, page source and a user-agent switcher.

What Solstice sends, and to whom

Besides the websites you visit, these are the places Solstice connects to, and what they receive.

The Solstice developers
Nothing. There are no accounts, no analytics and no telemetry.Checking for updates downloads an update feed from this website.
Your search engine
What you type in the address bar, to show search suggestions.You can turn suggestions off. They’re never fetched in Private windows.
Websites
Requests for their own site icons.
Safe Browsing
Lookups are handled by WebKit and macOS, not by Solstice.
Have I Been Pwned
The first 5 characters of a password’s SHA-1 hash, never the password itself.Only when you run a check or save a password.
Your proxy provider
Your browsing traffic, through the proxy server you choose.Only if you turn on Secure Proxy. Its “Test connection” button asks api.ipify.org for your visible IP address.

The privacy page has the details.

Questions

Is Solstice a VPN?

No. Secure Proxy can send Solstice’s traffic through a proxy server from a VPN provider you already use, which hides your IP address from websites. It covers the browser only, not other apps on your Mac, and you need an account with that provider. Solstice doesn’t run any VPN or proxy servers.

When can I download it?

Solstice is in testing right now. It will be released here once it has proven itself in everyday use. Until then, you can try the interactive preview in your browser.

Will it be free?

Yes. Solstice will be free to download and use, with no account to create.

What engine does it use?

WebKit, the engine behind Safari. That’s why pages look the way you’d expect on a Mac, and why WebKit security fixes arrive through macOS updates. Keep macOS up to date to get them.

Does it sync with my iPhone?

No. Solstice doesn’t use iCloud sync, so your bookmarks, history and tabs stay on this Mac.

Can I import bookmarks and passwords from another browser?

Not yet.

Will there be a Windows version?

Solstice is Mac-only for now.

Coming soon

Solstice is being tested now. Free for Mac, with no account and no tracking.

Try it in your browser

Requires macOS 14.4 Sonoma or later, on Apple silicon or Intel.