The best web browsers

Summary

• > What is the most popular web browser?
• > What is the best web browser?
• > The best alternative web browsers

What is the most popular web browser?

• Google Chrome
• Apple Safari
• Firefox
• Microsoft Edge

After the launch of Windows 10 in 2015, Microsoft offered a choice between its new Edge browser and the old Internet Explorer. However, since the new Chromium-based version of Edge arrived in January 2020, the Internet Explorer phase-out has kicked into high gear. Microsoft no longer supporting it from August 17, 2021, we invite you to switch to one of the browsers in this selection.

Apple and Google also encourage users to use Safari and Chrome on their respective platforms, although, as with Windows, there are plenty of alternatives.

There's no limit to the number of browsers you want to use at the same time, although it's probably important to set one as the default. It will thus be the browser that will open your links automatically.  

Having trouble choosing? According to statistics from W3Counter in January 2021, here are the most popular at the moment:

Google Chrome is therefore by far the most used browser, accounting for more than half of web traffic, followed by Safari, which occupies a distant second place. W3Counter combines Edge and Internet Explorer usage into a single figure, although we strongly recommend that you stop using the latter. Firefox is just behind in fourth place, while Opera's 1,5% market share continues to decline.

As expected, Google has strengthened its lead, this may be related to changes made in February 2018. Google blocked and removed ads that violated the Coalition for Better Ads standards. The overall user experience has improved and the loading time has accelerated.

Thanks to features like dark mode, direct integration with popular Google services, and a rich library of extensions, Chrome isn't likely to be usurped any time soon.

Microsoft has redesigned Edge using Chromium (the open source version of Chrome), making it twice as fast as the old Edge and allowing you to use Chrome extensions. However, users are unlikely to switch to this browser.

In fact, the only real benefit is that the new Edge can load older websites in "IE mode," meaning they don't have to use older versions of Internet Explorer.

According to the latest numbers from StatCounter, here are the six most popular browser versions currently in use. Internet Explorer is not found, but neither is any version of Edge:

Browser market share January 2021
Info Gram

What is the best internet browser?

We cannot always rely on statistics. Especially since polls and studies can present contradictory results. NetMarketShare, for example, reports that Chrome has an overall share of 69% and puts Edge in second place. And, just because the most people use a certain browser doesn't mean it's the "best", it's just one measure among others.

Previously, we reviewed web browsers, comparing speed and rating them based on their features. However, the problem with this approach is that they are constantly being updated, which means that these results quickly become outdated. That's why we don't offer benchmarking results here.

Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, Apple and others also add, change and remove features in their updates, so that occasionally a feature that was one of the reasons you were using a particular browser would disappear from the day to day.

Moreover, even if a browser is more efficient than its competitors (security, functionalities, etc.), they all remain free and you can install and use an unlimited number of them simultaneously. 

They are all effective and they allow you to save your passwords and, apart from Internet Explorer (and to some extent Microsoft Edge), they sync your data, bookmarks and tabs between multiple computers and devices.

They are all compatible with extensions, so you can add specific features, shortcuts and widgets.

If a specific extension is not available on your favorite browser, then just check to see if it is on another. Likewise, if a website is not displaying correctly. These are the main reasons why we use more than one browser.

The best is undoubtedly the one who works on all your devices and who shares bookmarks, connections, tabs, etc. so you can pick up where you left off on any device. Chrome does this, as does Safari (but this is only useful if you have Apple products).

Comparison of web browsers

The following table summarizes the main characteristics of the most popular internet browsers.

The best alternative web browsers

Internet browsing is not limited to Chrome, Safari or Firefox. There are many alternatives to the most popular search engines, here are some of them.

Avast Secure Browser

Avast is well known for its antivirus software, it now has a new web browser which is based on the open-source Chromium project. You'll appreciate it for security and privacy features, enabled by default.

If you already have Chrome installed, Avast's browser will automatically show your bookmarks and sites you visit frequently. Avast Secure Browser has built-in VPN, Banking Mode, Password Manager, Malware Protection, and more.

Yandex

It is the Russian equivalent of Google Chrome. It is available for Windows, Android, iOS and macOS. By default, Bing search is used, but you can change it to Google, Yandex, or others. It is based on Chromium and supports extensions, but less than Chrome or Firefox.

Comodo icedragon

Like Yandex, Comodo claims to be a secure web browser, protecting you from dubious sites, securing your connections, and more. It is also fully compatible with Firefox plugins.

Maxthon

Developed for the Chinese market, Maxthon has relied on its additional features: many bookmarking tools, image capture, personalization...
There are so many functions that it takes a bit of getting used to.

If your most important criterion is privacy, then we suggest Firefox Focus (Android/iOS). It will not keep track of your searches and pages visited.
To ensure even more anonymity and security while browsing, feel free to use a VPN such as NordVPN.

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