Based on market share, Chrome leads the way in rival browsers, but as is true in so many areas of life, quantity isn’t necessarily directly proportional to quality.
The balance of power between browsers is constantly changing, so from time to time, we have to ask the question: Which is the best right now? Let’s clarify the question right away: which is the best browser for your desktop at the moment? Let’s dissect the question a little more! Because a browser can be good for a lot of things: it can be fast, you can protect your privacy with your fingers, you can expand it to the extreme, or it can be full of unique features.
This time we looked at the five big browsers. In addition to Chrome, we tested Edge and Opera, which build on the same engine, as well as Firefox and WebKit-based Safari, which attack the proprietary Quantum engine. Not only are these browsers fast, but they are also mostly compatible with current HTML and CSS standards – meaning you won’t have a problem with either the browsing speed or the display of pages if you choose between them.
While speed and compatibility are among the most important aspects of a browser’s judgment, the above isn’t worth attaching much importance to; rather, it is recommended that differences in scalability, core services, and custom features be considered when ranking. So your answer to the title’s question depends really much on the purpose you will use your notebook to. If you want to browse on the internet and you need 15+ tabs open constantly you need a browser that doesn’t consume much RAM. Or if most of your time you only play on an online slot machine, then it’s recommended that you use a browser with high security and lots of add-ons and extensions.
Chrome, for example, focuses on speed and Google integration, Firefox and Opera have perhaps the most privacy protection, and Edge finally shows that Microsoft can put together an (almost) perfect browser, but probably not yet. wanted. Safari, or Apple’s browser, is a cuckoo egg in the sense that it only works within an ecosystem but is used by many, so it would by no means have been fair to miss the test. Just as it wouldn’t have been fair to exclude the gateway between the desktop and mobile versions of browsers – this is one of the most important areas where developers dare and can create new ones.
Chrome (Google)
Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux (Android, iOS)
This is partly because Chrome is one of the best browsers because Google is constantly adding new features that are very useful for either convenience or security: for example, Chrome was the first to use a risky username + password pair or an insecure website we visited. Chrome was one of the first to feature dark mode, full cross-platform synchronization, AR and VR support, and integrated development tools. Of course, you can download screens for it, but even without them, your knowledge is extensive.
Not surprisingly, we also get tight Google Account integration – no sign-in required, but be aware that there are features that are only available after sign-in (like sending a POI from Maps to mobile).
We can’t complain about Chrome’s performance either, but the software is swallowing up RAM: even 16GB is smoothly “eaten” in no time. To fix this, Google has just introduced a freeze feature for background tabs.
The other problem with it is that Chrome is considered by many to be too curious about our privacy. Google obviously wants you to sign in, so you can get more personal information about us. Given that the search giant knows everything about Android phones anyway, this isn’t considered a serious concern by many, but anyone who has a problem should confidently use
Firefox or Opera.
SUM:
+ fast, no compatibility issues
– likes to consume all RAM
Edge (Microsoft)
Platform: Windows, macOS (Android, iOS)
Last year, Edge went through the crease that got the Chromium engine. With this, compatibility issues were resolved in one fell swoop, and the capacity to develop more interesting and useful features at Microsoft immediately became available. Developers have switched from Google to their own (we can sign in to online features with a Microsoft account instead of a Google one), and Ctrl + Shift + S makes it very easy to take screenshots. Web pages can be saved as an application, and tabs can be listed not only on the top but also on the left. Collections are also a great feature, allowing you to save parts of them instead of entire web pages. Modern Reader is Microsoft’s own reading mode (ad-free reading with a focus on content), complemented by an audio reader – which works almost perfectly in Hungarian.
It also ran out of energy from Microsoft for optimization, making the Edge a shade even faster than Chrome while “burning” far less RAM. Synchronization between devices works, of course, and it also has its own interface for extensions. There’s no problem with the offer here either, as we can use all the plugins that were written for Chrome. Most of the security features are basically the same as what Chrome provides, but specific settings may vary slightly. And it goes without saying that Edge comes with deeper Windows integration.
SUM:
+ quick screenshot, Collections feature, “easy”
– he starts at a disadvantage because of his predecessors, so he has a hard time
Safari (Apple)
Platform: macOS (iOS)
Apple’s browser is cuckoo in the sense that it comes pre-installed on the company’s devices and can’t even be downloaded to other OSs. This is not a problem as long as we only use Apple devices, but if we have Windows or Android in the picture, we have to give up some services – for example, we can’t sync anything between macOS and Android when we use Safari on a Mac. This is, of course, a conscious strategy, with Apple using every means possible to keep users within an ecosystem.
Safari is WebKit-based, so its speed and compatibility are only average, but it won’t be a problem during normal use. Not least because developers typically optimize the look and feel of websites specifically for Apple products. In return, Apple has adapted the browser to the OS and hardware; Safari is very resource-efficient, which is not a negligible aspect for laptops, for example, so you can get longer uptime.
Logically, Apple prefers its own services, so one of the browser’s integrated features is that we can also sign in to websites with an Apple ID. As usual, a strong emphasis was placed on convenience services and privacy protection from Apple; for example, there is a reading mode that displays web pages without ads and menus, but the browser can of course also prevent tracking by cookies.
SUM:
+ deep system integration, read mode, log in with Apple ID
– Available for macOS and iOS only
Verdict
Two out of three people use Google’s browser, even though there is better software than one. On Windows, Edge is faster, less resource-intensive, and has more extras and a highly customizable home screen. What’s more, thanks to the Chromium engine, Chrome extensions are also supported, so we have no reason to complain about flexibility. Overall, we clearly consider the Microsoft browser to be a better choice. Firefox came in second, mainly because it has a lot of features that protect our privacy and security. Chrome has climbed to the top of the podium – Google developers would have to run a few rounds of optimization before masses of users realize the new Edge has nothing to do with previous versions.
By implication, on macOS, Safari is the best choice, because it can best integrate with the operating system (integrated features, performance optimization, runtime, etc.). This is true even if it is a little slower and more closed in return.