The best internet browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Edge & more

Looking for the best internet browsers? We’ve tried and tested almost all of them, in order to definitively tell you which one you should use.

A web browser is the backbone of the internet. It is one of the first pieces of software we use on a brand-new computer or any connected device.

While most new computers come with a pre-installed web browser, you usually end up downloading the one you’re most comfortable with. It’s likely that the browser you’re using to read this article is among the best internet browsers.

Some things you want to look out for when choosing a browser are speed, performance, security, functions, user experience, and customizability. Though, additional factors like security, privacy, and power efficiency have also become equally as important, too.

So, we’ve gone through a list of some of the best internet browsers out there, to help you make a choice. While most of them have their own pros and cons, the decision is ultimately up to you. Just remember, if privacy is one of your main priorities, then picking up a VPN is also a good idea.

Content

• The best all-around internet browser: Google Chrome
• The best Google Chrome alternative: Edge
• The best internet browser for privacy and security: Brave
• The most unique Internet browser: Vivaldi
• Best internet browser with a built-in VPN: Opera

The best all-around internet browser: Google Chrome

• Most widely used
• Easy to use
• Regular updates
• Multiple profiles

The sheer dominance of Google Chrome in its segment has made people replace the term “browser” with “Chrome.” For those who love numbers, Statcounter and Similarweb agree that Chrome is used by almost 65% of users while the closest rival, Apple’s Safari, is used by close to 20% of 4.3 billion people who use the internet.

The most significant benefit of Chrome is that it uses the open-source Chromium engine and offers a similar browsing experience regardless of your operating system.

Additionally, Chrome is Google’s product and is available by default on almost all Android phones. This allows people to sync data quickly between the two devices you use the most.

It is also one of the most feature-packed browsers, with regular updates every six weeks. Its clean and easy-to-use interface means that you don’t have to worry about the complicated stuff.

Chrome has the most extensive customization of any web browser out there. There are over 188,000 extensions to help you personalize your browsing experience. You also have a native dark mode on Chrome, making for a pleasant browsing experience.

It also offers a multi-profile feature if multiple people log into the same PC to access the internet. This ensures that different people’s browsing history and data remain separate, and they get their own browser settings, history, and favorites.

However, you do not get any built-in VPN or ad-blockers. Chrome is also considered highly resource hungry, and browsing the internet on low-powered devices could be a struggle.

The best Google Chrome alternative: Microsoft Edge

• Widely used on Windows-powered computers
• Simple interface
• Fast
• Deep integration with Windows

Edge was born when Microsoft adopted open-source and started using the Chromium engine as the core of a new browser which eventually superseded Internet Explorer.

Like Chrome, Edge is built-in to Windows 10 and 11 by default. This has made Edge one of the fastest-growing web browsers.

Besides a desktop version, Edge is available for almost all popular operating systems, including mobile devices. You can easily sync your browsing history and favorite websites between the devices of your choosing. Since it has Chromium at its heart, Edge is fast, responsive, and has access to a vast extensions library, making it highly customizable.

Memory management, speedy performance, and low disk usage are other highlights of this browser. Microsoft has kept privacy and performance as the primary highlights of Edge, and the hard work shows off. Edge offers you control over the extremely basic to highly technical aspects.

It comes with valuable add-ons like, a screen reader, the ability to download pages as stand-alone apps, deeper integration with Microsoft Office tools, a password manager, and even access to Bing AI.

Edge is not only one of the best alternatives to Chrome but is also the best internet browser for Windows.

The best internet browser for privacy and security: Brave

• One of the most secure browsers
• Fastest browser
• TOR Incognito mode
• Effective Ad and script blocker

The Brave browser comes in as a breath of fresh air when the big-tech companies use you and your data as a product. Since it strips all the advertisements and trackers from the webpage, it offers exceptional page loading speeds.

This makes it one of the most favored browsers for people sick of third-party ad trackers and websites showing unnecessary ads or pop-ups. With the Brave browser, you get a fast page load time and a decluttered view of the websites, making content consumption fun again.

If you eliminate ads from the websites, you take away revenue from content creators and publishers. This is why Brave has developed a revenue-sharing mode that shows some privacy-protecting ads to users and, in return, offers crypto tokens to users.

Brave has an inbuilt VPN (though it costs $9.99 per month) and a couple of incognito modes – one of which is powered by TOR.

Brave has its weaknesses, however. For a layman, Brave and its security settings can be overwhelming. That said, since it is also built with a Chromium engine at its core, Brave has access to the massive extension library. However, Brave has stripped Google code to enhance user privacy.

The most unique Internet browser: Vivaldi

Vivaldi Browser tab

• Unique experience for everyone
• Unlimited customization options
• Chromium-based
• Fast and snappy performance

Vivaldi has a totally different take on internet browsing. It is a browser that offers endless customization and personalization settings. You can personalize almost everything on this browser – right from how and where the tabs will show, add themes to the way you navigate, and much more.

This ability to tweak everything means that every system with the Vivaldi browser installed offers a different experience to the user.

It is a reasonably new browser built by the same folks who created Opera. Like all the browsers mentioned above, Vivaldi also uses the open-source Chromium engine.

Apart from being able to choose your color scheme, theme, and the way you stack tabs, one of the most exciting features of Vivaldi is its digital well-being feature that graphically displays how much time you’ve spent on any website.

It also allows you to pin webpages which is ideal for people who like to watch YouTube videos while working simultaneously. Students can also find this feature extremely useful as they can attend online classes and complete their tests or projects.

Vivaldi is available on most common platforms like Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android, but there’s no iOS app quite yet.

Best internet browser with a built-in VPN: Opera

• Unique experience for everyone
• Unlimited customization options
• Chromium build
• Fast and snappy performance

Opera is one of the old workhorse browsers, known for innovating new features that became industry standard over time – yet it only enjoys a small fraction of the market share.

It is one of the few mainstream browsers with a built-in free VPN. Even the Opera app for mobiles has a free VPN that can help you hide your browsing details from your ISP.

Opera also runs on the Chromium engine, which is standard with most browsers and will ensure that you’d rarely face any compatibility issues with any website. An ad-blocker is also thrown in to add an extra level of security and privacy.

If you use Opera on both mobile and computer, you can easily share content from your mobile to PC or vice versa using an Opera Flow feature. This is extremely helpful for people who love reading content or researching data online. Opera Turbo is another exciting feature that compresses images to ensure faster page load speeds. Unfortunately, this feature is now only available on mobile and has been removed from the desktop app.

There is a battery-saving mode, too, which is ideal for people who want to continue browsing or downloading data even if they cannot find a charging socket for their devices nearby.

Other great internet browsers

Apart from the above, a few more browsers have specific use cases or are great to use for particular devices. We’ve listed all the ones that we think you should consider.

• Best browser for Apple users: Safari
• Best browser to access the TOR network: TOR Browser
• Best Browser for Geeks and developers: Mozilla Firefox

How to choose the best web browser for you

Selecting a browser depends on your browsing habits and the features you need the most. Using the same browser between your devices is also recommended, since you can easily sync browsing data, passwords and more.

Keeping the above things in mind, you can shortlist the best internet browser for yourselves and download it from an official source. 

How safe is browsing in incognito mode?

Incognito mode is a private mode that ideally ensures your privacy. It is designed to stop websites from tracking you and help you browse the internet anonymously. 

In an ideal world, browsers are not supposed to track users when they go incognito – that is what it is meant for. However, Chrome was found guilty of collecting user data from users even when they use the private browsing feature. 

So, if you’re worried about being tracked, using a VPN and a secure browser confirming anonymity is the best way to go.

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