Web Browsers: An Outline and Comparison
There are many web browsers currently available, with some great features. Some browsers share a similar features set; some have unique features. But which offers the best features, highest speed, and the best security? In this post, we’ve put together a list of some of the most popular ones.
List of Web Browsers
Please note that this list is based on popularity, performance, usability, and speed reviews and is only meant to give an outline of each browsers’ basic capabilities.
Google Chrome
Developed by Google, Chrome is fast, use-friendly, and geared towards running web applications that demand high-efficiency. It’s available on all major OS’s, and Chrome has a plethora of varied and useful extensions, apps, and add-ons that can be downloaded from the Chrome Store, most of which are free for personal use, and can enhance the browsing experience for personal and business users.
- Best browser for GMail users.
- Fast Startup
- Easy to navigate the features and settings
- Contains Phishing and other Malware Filters
Mozilla Firefox
https://www.mozilla.org/en-CA/firefox/products/
Firefox was designed from the ground up for simplicity, security, flexibility and speed. It is updated regularly, and is customizable, yet high-performance for advanced users and developers, It is available for all major platforms, and there are many plugins, extensions, and developer tools available.
Firefox has an open architecture that allows for the installation of third-party themes and extensions, giving developers the ability to fully-customize the browser and functionality to their own needs.
- Best privacy on the market
- Highly customizable
- Lots of Extensions
- High-efficiency
- Spam & Malware Filters
Microsoft Edge
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge
The worthy successor to Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge is the default browser for the Windows operating system, and is popular with many Windows and more casual users. Edge lacks it’s own distinct feel, since Microsoft clearly based it on Chrome, but it does have a low CPU overhead, making it very efficient, and does have a familiar feature set when compared to Chrome. It also has great security and privacy controls and settings, and switching between Chrome and Edge is easy, since they both have a familiar look-and-feel.
- Lots of add-ons
- Some customization options
- Familiar and user-friendly
Opera
Opera is a constantly evolving browser, and very popular on mobile devices. It’s free, fast with excellent update support. Advanced features such as page zoom and developer shortcuts give users a unique experience. The constant updates and refinements have brought Opera from merely a browser to a fully-fledged internet suite.
- Email suite
- Phishing Filters
- Bit Torrent
- Some website compatibility issues
Safari
https://support.apple.com/downloads/safari
Apple’s own web browser, Safari is the most popular browser with Mac users. It’s clean, very fast, and comes with a range of features, such as tabs, popup blocking, and built-in search functions. It has an awesome RSS-reading feature, is very intuitive, but is only available on Apple products.
- Most Popular Macintosh Browser
- Import Bookmarks from any browser
- Private Browsing
Vivaldi
Vivaldi is a powerful, quick, and versatile browser. It doesn’t offer anything that other browsers can do, but it does take a whole range of features and make them available in a flexible and highly-customizable way.
Slimjet is as good as Chrome, has powerful and customizable interface like Firefox, reliability features and in built apps which load a power packed browser everytime you use it.
- Very fast
- Complex but highly customizable
Maxthon
Powered by the Maxthon Cloud Engine and available on all platforms, Maxthon is a fast browser with a reliable user interface, and lots of features, such as seamless browsing, downloads manager, video-ad fast-forwarding, high-performance, and Two page-rendering engines (Webkit & Trident) for better compatibility.
- Security features, such as Anti Spyware
- Pop-up Blocker
- Cloud Browsing
Avast Secure
A very secure browser, Avast Secure is only available on Windows computers, but does offer state-of-the-art security, speed, and anti-virus software.
- Free security software
- Doesn’t work on mobile devices
Avanti
A very familiar browser as it looks like Internet Explorer used to. It can be used by itself, or as an add-on to add additional functionality to internet Explorer.
- Automatic updates
- Session restore always loads the same tabs after you close the browser
- Can be slow
SeaMonkey
https://www.seamonkey-project.org/
SeaMonkey is an open source browser and available on all desktop platforms, which makes it very customizable, but there’s no overall code management, so it can be clunky, inefficient, and insecure. It does have password management, session restores, and customizable tools, but it is slow.
- Slow browsing and clunky interface
- Customizable
A final thought on web browsers
All these web browsers are unique, feature-rich, and offer full functionality to internet users, and at-the-end-of-the-day, there is no top browser among them as every user will have their own preference. Our best advice would be to go with the browser that suites your browsing style, work level, and professional requirements.
If you need advice on any desktop software, hardware, or operating system, Call us today and consult with our experienced professionals.
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