Today we will Write About Top 10 Best Web Browsers in 2024.
Table of Contents
Best Overall Browser: Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Firefox, an open source browser, while not being the absolute best at any one thing, is great for privacy and security. It has really good performance and has customization features that won’t overwhelm the average user. Third-party cookies are blocked by default. It blocks those annoying videos that autoplay on websites, and social trackers from social media sites like Facebook are also blocked. In addition to the numerous features built in, it also supports most of the popular extensions to enhance the functionality of the browser. In fact, prior to Chrome, Firefox was the first browser to offer extension add-ons. Firefox is available on all the major platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS. For those of you with Android devices, some of your favorite extensions available in the desktop versions of Firefox are also available in their Android app.
Best for Performance: Microsoft Edge
In the category of best for performance, Microsoft Edge takes the lead. This wicked fast browser based on Google’s Chromium loads quickly and is better optimized for Windows computers than Chrome. It even runs better on M series Macs than Chrome. Some of the performance features include sleeping tabs, which puts tabs to sleep when they’re not in use, startup boost that helps Edge to start up quickly, Clarity Boost that makes game graphics and video streams look clearer and sharper, and a feature to improve gaming performance. As I’ve been trying to avoid the hype cycle with artificial intelligence and language learning models, there’s no denying that Microsoft’s AI tools built into Edge have Google running scared, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. An annoyance with Edge is that it nags a lot, even more so than a typical spouse. It really wants you to like it and begs to be the default browser. It’s available on all the major platforms and, in a shocking move, is now available for download on Linux computers.
Best for Privacy: Brave Browser
The Brave browser is the best for privacy. This open-source browser based on Chromium, when tested by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, had the best results in their Cover Your Tracks privacy test. Its three layers of privacy are turned on by default. Its Brave Shield blocks trackers and those creepy cross-site cookies that follow you from site to site. Its Advanced Protections limit network connections with its backend servers and include social media blocking. Its privacy policies and practices are quite strict; they don’t even collect your data. While Brave is available on all the major platforms, a couple of downsides are that it has limited support for extensions and because it blocks trackers so aggressively, some web pages may not load properly. Other than that, it’s a very good browser.
Best for Apple Devices: Safari
Safari, which is the default browser on Mac and iOS, is the best browser for Apple fanatics who are hesitant to use third-party software. Since it’s specifically designed for use with Apple devices, it’s optimized to run better than other browsers with longer-lasting battery life on Apple laptops, phones, and tablets. While Apple does have better than average privacy policies, evidence shows that their marketing does not exactly match reality, having been scrutinized and regulatory action being taken against them for not entirely being forthcoming with its users.
Best for Free Built-In VPN: Opera
Opera is the best for those of you looking for a free built-in VPN. To be technical, it’s not a true VPN; it’s actually an encrypted proxy server, which can be useful to hide who you are and what you’re doing online. Available for all the major platforms, Opera also includes a built-in ad blocker that also blocks crypto mining trackers and scripts.
Best for Gamers: Opera GX
Another browser from Opera, called Opera GX, wins in the category of best browser for gamers. It has built-in features for gamers to help limit RAM, CPU, and network usage to help get the most out of both gaming and browsing. It also features integrations with both Discord and Twitch. Opera GX is only available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android at this time. There’s no version for Linux.
Best for Accessing the Dark Web: Tor Browser
The Tor browser is the best to use to access the dark web, which is the encrypted portion of the internet that is not indexed by search engines. While the dark web gets attention for illegitimate activities, many companies and governments use it for legitimate purposes as well. Using a modified version of Firefox, it also works to keep you anonymous while online through a network of more than 7,000 relays. Because of this, speeds are slower than all the other browsers mentioned. The Tor browser is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android at this time. It’s not available for iOS.
Best for Customization: Vivaldi
In the category of best for customization, nothing tops Vivaldi. One of my favorites, created by one of the founders of Opera, is great for those of you focused on productivity with a ton of useful features. Some of those include an ad and tracker blocker built in. It also includes its own email client, calendar, and newsfeed reader that even supports YouTube. Having added a version for iOS this past year, Vivaldi is now available for all the major platforms to be able to sync your data with end-to-end encryption to all your devices.
Best for Security: Avast Secure Browser
The best browser for security is one most people have never heard of: the Avast Secure Browser from the well-known antivirus company Avast. It has tools built in to keep your data secure while online. There’s an anti-fingerprinting and phishing module, ad blocker, tracker prevention, a tool to control which websites can access your camera, and a bank mode to keep your personal details hidden and secure from prying eyes. The Avast Secure Browser is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. There’s currently no version available for Linux.
