Most of us choose to pick one web browser and use it for several years in a row. It can be quite difficult to get out of your comfort zone, especially when you get used to all the functionality, but trying something new is simply necessary for every user.
Better security, increased speed, or great flexibility through customizable options and plugins all have a huge impact on your online experience. In this article, we have compiled a list of seven of the most popular browsers on the web, and at the end of the article you will find a special browser that you might not even have heard of.
1. Google Chrome
If your system has enough resources – Google Chrome is the best browser
Thanks to Chrome, Google has been able to create an extensible and powerful browser that rightfully deserves its place on this list of the best browsers. According to browser trend analyst w3schools, the Google Chrome user base has only grown over time, even as the number of Microsoft Edge installations continues to grow. Why is this happening? Well, that’s because this browser is multi-platform, incredibly stable, takes up surprisingly little screen space, and is generally quite enjoyable to use.
A wide range of easily available and installable extensions allows you to truly personalize this browser as you see fit. Also, don’t forget about parental control support and a wide range of different settings that will help you maximize the effectiveness of Google Chrome.
However, do not forget about the cons. The biggest disadvantage of Google Chrome is the huge resource consumption when it is running. So if your computer has extremely little RAM, for example, 2 or 4 gigabytes, then it will not work on it, to put it mildly, in the most efficient way. It is also worth pointing out a not very pleasant fact – your data on surfing the web can be used by Google, for example, to provide you with ads.
2. Opera
An underrated browser, with a dedicated turbo for slow internet connections
It’s sad that Opera accounts for only 1 percent of the total browser market (think 1 percent!), Although it is a pretty good option for surfing the net. It launches very quickly, its interface is quite simple to understand and clean, and its functionality includes everything that its competitors can do and even more.
The main advantage of this browser is its special Turbo mode. Thanks to this mode, Opera will compress network traffic, passing it through its special servers, which will significantly speed up your movement on the Internet if you are not the owner of the fastest connection. It will also help to reduce the amount of received traffic, which is very convenient when using mobile Internet.
In addition to these advantages, I would like to note the built-in VPN and Ad-Blocker, which will help you move around the Internet much more freely. It is rare in which browser you can see a built-in VPN, let alone Ad-Blocker. If you haven’t tried using Opera on your Internet travels, we highly recommend giving it a try.
3. Microsoft Edge
Edge is a new browser from Microsoft that provides full integration with Windows 10
Microsoft did a pretty weird thing with their Edge browser – it’s the default browser on Windows 10, but it’s not available on older operating systems for some reason. Another oddity is that for some reason Microsoft installed two whole browsers in Windows 10 – Edge and Internet Explorer. However, let’s not deal with their motives for this, but let’s look at the object of our interest – the Edge browser.
The strongest point of Microsoft Edge is its full integration with the Windows 10 operating system. It performs its tasks quite well even in the Tablet Tens mode, and can also work in conjunction with Cortana. Edge is trying to keep up with the times and is ditching insecure protocols like ActiveX and forcing you to switch to Internet Explorer if you want to use one anyway. It’s quite unusual to see a browser refusing to open old corners of the web and literally sending you to another browser.
However, despite all of the above, using Microsoft Edge to surf the Internet is a pleasure. It’s incredibly fast, it breaks through any benchmarks, and its built-in reading mode makes complex sites a lot more pleasing to the eye. It’s also worth mentioning that Microsoft Edge is more secure than its big brother.
4. Mozilla Firefox
Quite a controversial choice today – Firefox is very flexible, but can be slow
Once the leader among other competitors in the “browser war”, Firefox, to our deepest regret, is currently in third place. And sometimes you ask yourself a question: “Why?”. Yes, the browser is undoubtedly inferior to its competitors in terms of external design: its Search and URL strings are still separated, many buttons in the interface, which have long been removed in other browsers as unnecessary, have remained in their places. However, Firefox comes out with regular updates, scheduled on a six-week schedule, plus a wide variety of extensions.
Firefox can be considered quite performance, but not that very nimble compared to the browsers already listed. However, you shouldn’t think of it as a braking piece of code – it is not. Recent updates such as native support for Pocket and Hello may not be to everyone’s taste, but some will love the new addition. So, to summarize about Firefox today, it is a rather controversial choice, although it has a powerful graphics engine.
If you’re looking for a Firefox-based alternative, then Waterfox might be your go-to. It is built on top of Firefox code and also removes many of the limitations from the main release. That is why it claims to be one of the fastest browsers on the web.
5. Vivaldi
Build Your Perfect Browser With Vivaldi
We come to a browser that is slightly different from what we have already looked at. We spend a huge amount of time in our browsers, and Vivaldi promises its users to make this experience as enjoyable and convenient as possible. Vivaldi is built on web technologies like Javascript and node.js. This unusual browser can adapt to the color scheme of the sites you are on, and its interface design is entirely up to you.
Once you start using Vivaldi, you will find a fairly convenient note system, a function for transferring open sites to third-party panels, as well as an innovative stack system that allows you to create groups of tabs and move them wherever you want.
This is not the fastest browser and, frankly, I would like to see more functionality in it, and also do not forget about the lack of official support for extensions. However, it should be borne in mind that Vivaldi is a relatively new browser on the market and support for extensions will undoubtedly appear for it over time. Vivaldi is a refreshing and creative take on surfing the internet and is bound to only get better over the years.
6. Microsoft Internet Explorer
Legendary browser from Microsoft, which has gone through a long rehabilitation.
Microsoft Internet Explorer has experienced many ups and downs during its difficult life: at one point it was the leader in the browser market, and at another, it was incredibly far behind its two competitors. You are undoubtedly aware of all the funny jokes aimed at Microsoft Internet Explorer, for example, you can find the information you need in the public library faster than waiting for Explorer to open.
However, all of this applied to the older version of this browser. Internet Explorer 11 is a browser with a clean design, high compatibility and less RAM requirements when comparing RAM requests per tab to Google Chrome and Firefox.
But Internet Explorer 11 still hasn’t turned into a perfect browser. Many experts carried out benchmarks on it and their results were not that very high. For example, Internet Explorer 11 does not perform as well with extensions as its other competitors. It is also worth mentioning this – if you were looking for a browser that could be customized to the maximum for your needs, then Internet Explorer 11 is clearly not your choice.
7. Tor
Tor is not a simple browser, but a suite of tools that aim to improve security.
The Tor browser is perhaps the most commonly associated with a dark web surfing tool among users. While this is true, Tor can also be used to access resources without indexing. Another plus of this browser is its privacy aspects. The point is that it routes your traffic through random network nodes around the world, making tracking it nearly impossible.
The Tor browser is, in fact, a collection of special tools. The browser itself is a heavily modified version of Firefox, combined with a host of privacy technologies, making Tor one of the safest options for surfing the Internet. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and you can forget about bookmarks and cookies.
To stay invisible online and not reveal yourself, you need to change your browsing habits. After all, Tor is just a tool and as a secondary browser for confidential outings, it will be indispensable.