Hermit

Hermit turns heavy sites into fast privacy focused lite apps

Hermit is a clever hybrid between a browser and an app launcher, designed for people who live on the web but hate bloat. Instead of installing full apps for every service, you create “Lite Apps” – streamlined versions of websites that behave like standalone apps while consuming a fraction of the storage and battery.

Each Lite App gets its own dedicated window, icon, theme, and notification settings, so your favorite services feel distinct rather than buried in a sea of tabs. Links from other apps can be routed directly into specific Lite Apps, which makes it easy to keep work, entertainment, and social spaces neatly separated.

Where Hermit really stands out is in its Sandboxes feature. You can maintain multiple isolated containers, each with its own cookies, logins, and permissions. This is invaluable if you juggle several accounts on the same site, or if you want to wall off privacy-invasive platforms from the rest of your browsing. Permanent incognito-style setups for “read-limited” sites are another smart touch.

Power users will appreciate the built-in content blocker and support for custom user scripts. You can fine-tune what gets blocked and even tweak site behavior, bringing extension-like flexibility normally reserved for desktop browsers.

The interface is clean but dense with options, and there is a learning curve if you just want a simple way to surf. Some advanced features and the ad-free experience sit behind a paid tier, which may deter casual users.

For anyone fighting low storage, battery drain, or privacy concerns, however, Hermit offers a uniquely efficient and highly customizable way to turn the web into a collection of fast, focused Lite Apps.