noctra is a Chromium-based browser that cancels ad and tracking requests before they leave your machine. cookie walls hidden. zero telemetry. zero configuration — protection is not a feature you toggle, it's the default state of the program.
windows 10/11 x64 · free · no account · auto-updates · MIT-licensed core
# a typical news page, opened in noctra
GET news-site.com/article 200 OK
GET cdn.news-site.com/styles.css 200 OK
GET google-analytics.com/collect ✕ BLOCKED
GET doubleclick.net/instream/ad ✕ BLOCKED
GET facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js ✕ BLOCKED
GET taboola.com/recommendations ✕ BLOCKED# page rendered. 4 requests never happened.
what it looks like
# the whole interface. there is no part two.
☾ noctra– ▢ ✕
Onet – Jesteś na bieżąco xGitHub x+
$ noctra< > ⟳🔒 https://www.onet.pl/✕ 23■ Work ▾≡
$ shieldwww.onet.pl
# trackers & ads refused:
✕ onet.hit.gemius.pl9
✕ doubleclick.net7
✕ googletagmanager.com4
✕ taboola.com3
23 blocked on this page · 312 this session
# click the ✕ counter — every refused tracker, named and counted. per-site off switch at the bottom for stubborn pages.
# profiles grouped into categories — work, socials, burners. each is a sealed jar: colour-coded per tab, zero cross-contamination.
vs the others
# green = good for you. red = good for someone else.
ads & trackers blocked out of the box
NOCTRA✓ always
BRAVE✓ can be off
FIREFOXpartial
CHROME✗ none
cookie walls hidden automatically
NOCTRA✓ yes
BRAVEpartial
FIREFOXpartial
CHROME✗ none
per-page report of what got blocked
NOCTRA✓ click the ✕
BRAVE✓ yes
FIREFOX✓ yes
CHROME—
telemetry sent to the vendor
NOCTRAzero
BRAVEsome
FIREFOXsome
CHROMEextensive
crypto / rewards / sponsored content
NOCTRAnone
BRAVEBAT + wallet
FIREFOXsponsored tiles
CHROMEnone
settings screen length
NOCTRAone popup
BRAVE34 sub-pages
FIREFOX12 sub-pages
CHROME20+ sub-pages
one news page, by the numbers
chrome
214 req
firefox
167 req
brave
111 req
noctra
92 req
# network requests made by a typical ad-funded news front page, default settings, cold cache. fewer requests = less data, less tracking, faster paint. measure your own: click the ✕ counter in noctra's toolbar.
what you get
network-level blocking
tracking domains are refused at the request layer. nothing downloads, nothing executes, nothing remembers you.
cookie walls removed
consent overlays, GDPR banners and adblock-detector nags are stripped from the DOM automatically.
isolated profiles
work / personal / burner — separate cookie jars, separate storage, colour-coded per tab. cross-contamination: impossible.
nothing phones home
no telemetry endpoint exists in the codebase. the only server noctra talks to is the one you typed.
why we built it
browsers stopped working for the person holding the mouse. they work for ad markets, sponsored feeds, token economies and "engagement". every year the settings page grows by another screen of toggles you're supposed to understand — and the default for each one is whatever pays the vendor.
noctra is the opposite bet: a browser has one job — fetch the page you asked for, show it, and shut up. blocking surveillance is not a feature to configure; it's part of fetching the page correctly. that's why the shield has no global off switch — only a per-site one, for pages that hold their content hostage — the settings fit in one popup, and the only counter on screen counts what we refused to load on your behalf.
it's built on chromium, so every site works. it's MIT-licensed at the core, so you can read exactly what it does. and it sends us nothing, so we honestly don't know how many of you there are. feels right.
faq
is it really free?
yes. no premium tier, no token, no "rewards program". a browser, not a business model.
will sites break?
rarely. blocking is surgical — content requests pass, surveillance requests don't. and if a site holds its content hostage, click the ✕ and lower the shield for that one site only.
chromium? so it's like chrome?
same engine, opposite philosophy. full web compatibility, none of the reporting back.
does it remember my tabs?
yes — by default noctra reopens exactly where you left off, profiles included. switchable to a clean homepage start in settings.
can it be my default browser?
yes. settings → "make noctra the default browser" registers it with windows; links from other apps open in noctra.
does it need admin rights?
no. the installer is per-user — one click, no UAC prompt, and it keeps itself up to date automatically.
windows says "unknown publisher"?
the build isn't code-signed yet (certificates cost money; the project is young). click "more info → run anyway", or read the source and build it yourself — it's all on github.