safari alternative for free

How-To Geek

The best browser for mac users (and safari alternatives).

Is Safari really the best choice, and what are the best alternatives?

Key Takeaways

• Safari is highly optimized for Apple hardware, but it may have limited web app compatibility and fewer extensions compared to browsers like Chrome.
• Firefox is a privacy-conscious alternative to Safari, offering features like Do Not Track and blocking invisible trackers. Chrome is the most popular browser, known for its compatibility and wide range of extensions, but it may compromise privacy. Consider trying other browsers like Edge and Vivaldi, or unique options like Arc for a different browsing experience.

Your choice of web browser can have a big impact on your Mac experience. From integration with the services you use to power efficiency and reliability, here’s how to decide which is best for you.

Safari is (Arguably) the Best Mac Browser

There are a few good reasons to pick Safari as your browser of choice if you’re a Mac user, especially if you use other Apple devices like an iPhone or iPad . It might surprise you to find out that you’re not alone, with Safari being the second most popular browser on the web thanks to its inclusion on both mobile and desktop devices.

Apple tightly optimizes Safari for use exclusively on Apple hardware. This means that Safari is highly power efficient on a Mac. When Apple gives an estimate of battery life on its latest Mac models for performing activities like “wireless web” they’re specifically referring to the use of Safari. The company is in a position where both the hardware and the software are designed in unison, so Apple is not bound by thousands of different hardware possibilities.

That helps Safari remain performant on Apple hardware too, a fact you can see for yourself using browser benchmarks like Speedometer 2.0 . In use, Safari feels snappy. The UI is small and non-intrusive, and you can even customize the toolbar using the right-click menu as you can other native Apple apps.

Safari is also loaded with familiar features and technology. iCloud makes it possible to share tab groups, browsing sessions, bookmarks, a Reading List, and even extensions with your iPhone or iPad. The Share menu works just as it does on the iPhone. Continuity makes it possible to quickly jump between devices by placing a small icon in your Mac dock.

Apple’s services work especially well in Safari. You can log in with your Apple ID using your fingerprint, pay for items using Apple Pay right in your browser, and use a variety of Shortcuts actions to build workflows that work using Safari .

Apple also makes it easy to add extensions using the Mac App Store. This isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it adds an additional layer of protection against potentially harmful extensions. You can still choose to install unsigned extensions by enabling the Develop menu if you want.

In terms of privacy, Safari isn’t the best browser you can get your hands on but it’s far from the worst. The browser works with Apple’s iCloud Private Relay for iCloud+ subscribers, which anonymizes web requests using a two-step process . Do Not Track is enabled by default, and it provides partial protection against trackers.

You can’t get rid of Safari from your Mac, so it’s ready and waiting for you with every new Apple computer purchase (or every time you reset the operating system ). Apple is always updating and building upon Safari with enhancements, like macOS Sonoma’s ability to turn websites into app-like instances.

Want to Ditch Safari? Here's What to Use Instead

Though Safari is suitable for a wide range of users, it’s far from the last word when it comes to web browsers. It’s convenient and always there if you want it, but it’s not without its critics. One reason you might want to switch is web app compatibility, which can be limited on Safari due to its relatively narrow user base. A lot of Safari users are mobile users, and many services prefer to funnel these users into dedicated apps.

Safari lacks the compatibility of a browser like Chrome or Edge, which means some web apps will simply refuse to work in Safari and demand that you use something else instead. Perhaps worse still, some websites won’t warn you before they refuse to function as intended. You might get glitchy behavior that can be avoided by using another browser.

Safari also isn’t a “platform” quite in the same way that Chrome and similar browsers are. There is a huge range of extensions made with Chrome in mind (including browsers like Edge and Vivaldi), which might make such a platform more desirable if you live inside of browser extensions.

You may even find yourself with no choice but to use an alternative for work or education purposes. Some institutions refuse to support certain browsers, and since Safari is limited to Apple devices it’s easier to tailor an experience to a browser that has cross-platform compatibility.

If privacy is your main concern, Safari might not go far enough to protect you, and you may be tempted to move to something like Firefox instead.

Firefox is the Privacy-Conscious Safari Alternative

Mozilla’s browser is a solid alternative to Safari, with some excellent privacy considerations. Firefox enables Do Not Track by default and blocks both invisible trackers and tracking ads. Firefox even uses DuckDuckGo as its default search engine.

Firefox tests slower than Safari and Chrome in many benchmarks, but how much time this will save you during your daily surfing sessions is up for debate. The browser also enjoys a far wider range of extensions than Safari, though it still falls short of the Chromium family.

Like Safari, Firefox Sync allows you to share browsing sessions and bookmarks with other devices including Windows PCs and mobile platforms like iOS and Android. Firefox remains a browser of choice for those mostly concerned with web privacy and enjoys a loyal (if small) base of users.

Chrome is Number One for Compatibility and Extensions

Google Chrome is the behemoth of web browsers, with more than 60% of all web users choosing to use it. As such, it enjoys excellent compatibility with most websites and web apps, and some even insist on its use (or a similar Chromium-based browser).

Google Chrome fares poorly from a privacy standpoint , with Do Not Track disabled by default, and both invisible trackers and tracking ads able to track you unless you limit this behavior with extensions. On the plus side, there are a huge number of extensions and apps available for Chrome that can help remedy the problem.

Though Chrome has a bit of a reputation for being a resource hog, Google has attempted to address the problem with a feature called Chrome Memory Saver that is designed to purge websites from memory after a period of inactivity. The company also improved Chrome’s energy efficiency with Chrome Energy Saver Mode .

Chromium-Based Browsers Offer Unique Alternatives to Chrome

Chromium is the core open-source browser core on which Chrome and similar projects are built. This means you can have Chrome’s speed, compatibility, and even the full range of extensions without having to use the Google-branded variant.

There are plenty of other Chromium-based browser to choose from, such as Microsoft Edge which falls into the same privacy pitfalls as Chrome; Vivaldi with its customizable interface and email client; and Brave Browser which delivers a slightly confusing combination of cryptocurrency features, opt-in adverts, and privacy considerations.

For a no-frills experience, there’s also vanilla Chromium , the open-source version of Chrome to which Google contributes. Then there are projects like Ungoogled Chromium , which removes dependency on Google services and makes tweaks to enhance privacy.

Alternatively, Try Something Completely Unique

Arc is a browser that does things a little differently than most. Not only does it cull your tabs for you, but it also includes some unique features like side-by-side tab mode, note-taking and whiteboard functionality within the app, and a macOS Spotlight-esque command interface for getting around without touching your mouse.

We reviewed Arc in March 2023 and loved it, though the fledgling browser wasn’t without issues surrounding power consumption and general jitteriness. It’s now out of beta and things have settled down somewhat, so it might be worth a shot if you’re looking for a web browser that helps you stay neat and organized.

It’s far from the only weirdo browser out there though. Colibri is a browser that lacks tabs and emphasizes an uncluttered experience. It’s designed to force you into more mindful browser sessions. Tor is a browser designed for browsing the dark web , but there are other private browsers like Mulvad and Waterfox that you might want to use instead.

The Case for Multiple Browsers

There are so many compelling reasons to use Safari that we think it’s the best choice for most users. Failing that, Firefox offers a solid browsing experience that respects your privacy.

It’s a good idea to have more than one browser installed for those times when you encounter difficulties with your primary choice. On top of this, you can kit a second browser out with extensions that might make certain web operations easier to complete.

8 Great Safari Browser Alternatives for Mac Users

Not a fan of Safari on Mac? Here are best alternative web browsers to use on your iMac, MacBook, or other Mac device.

With every Mac since 2003, users have gotten a copy of Safari. It's basically Apple's vision of the ideal web browser, targeted at general users. But there are many Safari alternatives for Mac users—some common, some more obscure.

It's worth checking them out, because although Safari isn't a bad browser, other Mac browsers can often offer something different.

So with that in mind, here are some of the best Mac web browsers you'll find right now.

1. Google Chrome

There isn't much to say about Chrome. In a relatively short time, it's grown far beyond every other browser. It's one of the most extensible browsers you can use. You can get everything from password safes to full-on text editors that all live right in your browser.

Even with all the additions, Chrome is a strong contender for the fastest browser.

But this power all comes at a cost. If you're on a laptop, Chrome can chew up a ton of battery life with only a few browser tabs. If you're looking to extend your battery life, this is not the best choice. It is great for web apps, though, especially Google's.

One of the most unsung aspects of Chrome is its built-in web developer tools. If you're messing around with JavaScript, you have a full-on console to experiment in.

Download: Chrome (Free)

Firefox is the original alternative browser and one that many called "doomed" when Chrome came on the scene. Firefox is not dead, but it was touch and go for a few years as there was a persistent idea that it was slow.

Firefox has a renewed sense of relevance driven by quick updates. Performance can also be improved by clearing out old extensions that might hurt performance.

Related: Reasons to Switch From Google Chrome to Mozilla Firefox

Firefox is not the same as Chrome. You won't find an array of apps that turn your browser into an OS. But you will find an excellent array of extensions that make your browser more powerful.

If you're wary of the resources Chrome consumes on your system, Firefox is worth a new look.

Download: Firefox (Free)

Opera is the vinyl record of web browsers. Its fans are deep and devoted, but a little outside of the mainstream. Opera was never the dominant browser on the web. Yet it was usually first to market with features that are now standards in other web browsers.

After a decade of putting Opera on everything with a CPU, the browser has a renewed focus on the desktop. It certainly has some interesting features.

The first is that there is an Opera-branded free VPN you can add as an extension. There's also support for embedding social chat apps into the sidebar. Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger are standard, but you can add others as extensions. There's a built-in RSS reader included as well.

There's even a battery-saving feature included for laptops, which works by tweaking options on the page as it loads.

Opera is a great, lightweight Mac browser if you like features. Beyond its built-in ecosystem, there's an extension that allows you to Chrome Extensions. It's a solid browser, fixing many of the issues that plague Chrome.

Download: Opera (Free)

Vivaldi is meant to be a reboot of Opera, stripping everything down to a bare-bones browser. That bare-bones approach to the browser is not to say that Vivaldi is generic.

Vivaldi has a good balance of features without getting in the way. You can move the tab bar to any side of the window. There are many color themes you can use, which can change based on the time of day. You can even adjust the browser theme based on your Hue light bulb settings.

Vivaldi also has built-in compatibility with Chrome plugins. Web history has in-depth analysis, allowing you to do a deep dive into your browsing habits. The Vivaldi Sync feature lets you access your data elsewhere . There's a notebook included, and you can take notes that include screenshots and attachments.

There are just a few of the reasons to consider Vivaldi as your new web browser for Mac. Considering it only launched officially in 2016, it's come a long way in a short few years.

Download: Vivaldi (Free)

Having been the dominant player in the browser market for so long, it's kind of weird to see Microsoft so far behind now. Sure, it's the second-most used web browser in the world, but its userbase is nowhere near Chrome's.

The good news is it's a great web browser for Mac users. Having replaced Internet Explorer, Edge is fast and easy to use. But like many modern browsers, it owes a huge debt to Google, because it's based on the open-source Chromium browser.

Edge offers plenty of extensibility through the Microsoft Edge add-ons store, but it also supports Chrome extensions. Plus it has features like PDF support, themes, and online tracker blocking.

All things considered, it's an impressive alternative to Safari.

Download: Edge (Free)

6. Tor Browser

The Tor network is a unique way of disguising traffic by routing it through several nodes. For a long time, it was tricky to set up, but the project now offers a browser bundle as a standalone install.

The app is essentially Firefox but with the strictest privacy settings. Your history erases between sessions. Also included are the No Script and HTTPS Everywhere plugins. These add-ons increase security even further. It's not bulletproof, but it should provide some sense of security.

The Tor bundle is an excellent ancillary browser. Using it ensures that your sensitive traffic is not tracked during normal browsing. If you worry about privacy, the Tor browser bundle is for you.

Download: Tor Browser (Free)

Created with the mission of making web browsing safer and faster, Brave's team includes the inventor of JavaScript and the co-founder of Mozilla.

It promises to load pages three to six times quicker than Chrome and Firefox. But that's not the big selling point here, privacy is.

Brave doesn't see or store your browsing data, and it will never be sold to a third party. Brave also includes ad-blocking and private browsing via Tor.

If you need add-ons with your Mac browser, then you'll be pleased to know Brave can use most Chrome extensions. You also sync across different devices, as you would with browsers like Chrome and Firefox.

Download: Brave (Free)

If you remember the late 90s or early 00s, browser suites were all the rage. Even Opera took the form of a suite for a while there. Maxthon combines a notebook app, mail program, a screenshot app, a password manager, and a browser. It is one of the only alternative browsers on the Mac App Store.

Beyond the range of apps built in, there isn't anything that makes Maxthon stand out. The newest version for Mac doesn't even support extensions.

Yet, if you live in your web browser, having everything in one window might be helpful. You have a notebook that you can keep everything in, even your bookmarks. Rather than a sidebar app like Vivaldi, this is a full tab in the browser. Everything is passable here; it's just not distinctive beyond all being in one place.

Download: Maxthon (Free)

One of Your Most Important Apps

Browsers are probably the most-used apps on any modern Mac. Each of these options offers something unique to each user. Give each of them a spin and find out which works best for you. You'll likely find that one of these browsers fits your workflow better than others.

You might find that Safari does fine most of the time—it is designed with Mac users in mind, after all. In that case, you might use one of these Safari alternatives only for supplemental browsing. Plus it never hurts to have a few options installed and ready to go, especially if you experience any problems with Safari.

10 Best iPhone Browsers: Top Safari Alternatives For 2022

Do you think S afari is not the best browser for iPhone? We have just the list for you. There are many other Safari alternatives that are among the best browsers for your iPhone outside the Apple ecosystem . These browsers also come with their own unique set of features that improve your browsing experience.

To help you choose the best browser for iPhone, we have compiled a list, and we have also highlighted the pros and cons of each. After iOS 14, and now with iOS 15, you can change your iPhone’s default browser using the steps here .

Before having a peek at the features of the shortlisted iPhone browser apps, have a look at the  best photo editing apps for iPhone to enhance your pictures in 2022.

10 Best iPhone Web Browser Apps for 2022

1. google chrome – best browser app for cross-platform syncing, 2. firefox focus – browser app for iphone to browse anonymously, 3. microsoft edge – bring your ms account to iphone, 4. duckduckgo browser – couple of neat features, 5. brave browser – iphone browser with its own news app, 6. aloha browser – iphone browser app with in-built vpn, 7. opera – iphone browser with built-in crypto wallet, 8. ghostery dawn – most private browser for iphone, 9. puffin browser – a fast iphone web browser app, 10. maxthon cloud web browser – a cloud-based ios browser.

Google Chrome is one of the best browser apps available for Windows and Android devices. Google’s famous browser is also available for iOS. While Chrome isn’t the most private browsing experience, it is refined. It has a number of extensions, decent privacy controls, and a neat user interface.

Chrome is available across platforms, so everything can be synced between all your devices. It also comes with an Omnibox address bar, quick search, tab groups, and other neat features. It is among the best iPhone browser apps for those who like to work on multiple devices running on different operating systems.

However, if you’re looking for a privacy-focused browser for iPhone, you should consider the other options on the list. While Chrome has gotten rid of cookies, Google FLoC is still a questionable privacy feature from the company.

Pros And Cons of Google Chrome

Firefox is not a shocking name in the web browsers list. Firefox for desktop has received applauds from many tech enthusiasts for its set of advanced features. Firefox Focus is a privacy-focused browser .

You don’t need to turn or any incognito mode to escape trackers; the stealth mode is always turned on in the browser. It blocks ads and trackers by default, making your browsing experience clean and tracking-free.

Firefox Focus is a basic app with advanced privacy protection features that you can surely give a try when looking for the best web browser for iPhone. Lack of tabs can be annoying at times, but otherwise, it is a decent browser app for iPhone if you want to hide your identity from the online world.

Pros and Cons of Firefox Focus

If you like Microsoft Edge on desktop, you can also use it as a Safari alternative on iPhone. Edge offers a neat and easily customizable homepage experience with secure browsing.

You can also choose to block all cookies, select your own default search engine, and use features like contextual search. One of the best features of Microsoft Edge is the homepage. You can customize it with a push of a button to show beautiful backgrounds, latest news, or enter focus mode.

Pros and Cons of Microsoft Edge

DuckDuckGo is also included in our list of the best Google Search alternatives . Now, the DuckDuckGo browser also makes for a capable Safari alternative. This is a privacy-focused browser and blocks many trackers by default.

You can also clear all your browsing data with the tap of a button, and still retain your sign-in information for sites you use. It also comes with DuckDuckGo Email protection , which removes trackers from your emails before you receive them in your inbox. You can also use your @Duck email address to sign up for other services without disclosing your real email address.

Pros and Cons of DuckDuckGo Browser

Brave browser has been making headlines lately. Recently, the company launched Brave Search beta , which is later used to replace Google Search as the default search engine in Brave browser.

Aside from its own search engine, Brave browser also comes with a baked-in VPN that you’ll have to subscribe to separately. You can also turn on Brave News and customize your feed with private RSS feeds. This is good if you want to get updates from set sources without being tracked online.

Pros and Cons of Brave Browser

If privacy is your concern, there is no better option than using a VPN for browsing on the internet. Aloha Browser for iPhone comes with an in-built VPN that allows you to browse anonymously on the internet. The iOS browser app focuses on privacy and hiding the internet footprints of the users.

The interface is straightforward and designed with inspiration from Google Chrome. Aloha Browser for iPhone says that it doesn’t log any of the activity, which is all the more reason to crown it as the best browser for iPhone in this data-hungry world.

There is also a paid version of the browser called Aloha Premium that comes with an even more advanced set of features. For hardcore privacy-focused individuals, Aloha Premium is a Safari alternative.

Pros and Cons of Aloha Browser

Opera Browser replaces Opera Touch and comes packed with a host of advanced features like a native ad blocker , built-in crypto wallet, and pop-ups and cookie dialogs blocker.

If you use the Opera Mini browser on your PC, you will be glad to know that Opera syncs seamlessly with other Opera browsers. You can connect to your PC’s Opera browser by simply scanning a QR code from inside the Opera iOS app. Once connected, you can share files on the go.

Pros and Cons of Opera iPhone browser

Ghostery started as a tracking blocker addon. Their browser offering is one of the best privacy browsers for iOS devices. Its remarkable privacy and tracking blocker features have made it popular amongst many users who want to surf the internet without trackers following them on every other website.

The browser app warns you if a tracker is trying to track you on a webpage. The basic functions of a browser app are performed effortlessly by the app. It also comes with Ghostery Glow as the default search engine, but you can change it in the settings.

Features of Ghostery Browser

Puffin Web Browser app is a fast web browsing app that is different from any other browser listed on this list. The compressing functionality of the app is pretty efficient, which keeps the page load time to a minimum.

Puffin iPhone browser app is intended for those who are working on resource-limited devices but want pages to load faster. It is unarguably one of the fastest iOS browsers you can download. With its virtual trackpad and dedicated video player, the app offers a unique web browsing experience to users.

Pros and Cons of Puffin Browser

Maxthon Cloud Web Browser app for iPhone is another lightweight browser that comes with good features such as a built-in ad-blocker, a note-taking tool, and a password manager. Being based on the cloud engine, Maxthon offers the facility to sync your data across Apple as well as non-Apple devices.

It is a great contender for the best iOS browser app with plenty of advanced features. What I liked most about the app is the feature to sync data between different platforms and the inbuilt password manager.

Pros and Cons of Maxthon Cloud Web Browser

How to choose the best browser for iphone.

With this list, we hope that you would be able to choose the best browser for iPhone in 2022. Picking out a browser app largely depends on your browsing interests and patterns. Different iPhone browsers offer a different set of features. Some users prefer apps that focus on privacy, while others like to use apps that minimize data consumption.

You may be looking for a Safari alternative to find a better browser for your iPhone. This list of Safari alternatives tells you the most popular browsers that we’ve tried and rated for a seamless browsing experience.

All the iPhone browser apps that we have mentioned above can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store. Do tell us your favorite iPhone browser app from the list, and if you think there are other noteworthy Safari alternatives, let us know in the comments.

Best iPhone Browsers FAQs:

Chrome and Safari offer at par smoothness and optimization. If you’re looking for a more privacy-focused browser, Safari is the better choice. However, Chrome offers better integration across platforms.

All the browsers in our Safari alternatives list are safe and secure. While some are more private than others, all of the browsers provide basic features like disabling cookies and trackers to give you a safe browsing experience.

Different browsers apply different ways to limit power consumption. Most of the browsers today are optimized to sip little battery and deliver more performance. However, if you’re looking for super lightweight browsers, the cloud browsers from our list are the least resource-intensive and work well with older phones.

Anmol is a tech journalist who handles reportage of cybersecurity and Apple and OnePlus devices at Fossbytes. He's an ambivert who is striving hard to appease existential crisis by eating, writing, and scrolling through memes.

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Safari alternatives: 11 smart iOS browser options

While all ios browsers use the same core rendering engine as safari, many of them offer additional functions useful in business. here are a handful of safari alternatives to test drive..

Chances are your corporate IT policy dictates which browser you use on your laptop or desktop. On your iPhone, though, you may be free to choose a more exotic browser. We’ve rounded up a dozen Safari alternatives for iOS that may suit you better.

Ever since the release of iOS 14 in 2020, Apple has allowed users to select a default browser (the one that opens when you tap on a link in an email or an app) other than Safari. Many alternate browsers will even ask if you want to set them as your default the first time you launch them, though you might want to test drive them for a bit before committing to one.

It’s worth noting, however, that Apple requires developers to use the same WebKit rendering engine as Safari to display web pages on screen, so iOS web browsers are really all just WebKit in a different wrapper. That said, some alternative browsers offer quite different interfaces and/or more expansive feature sets. For instance, one entrant on this list includes a VPN that can be used to secure connections and port your requests through a different location or country.

Check out these options to see if one or more might have a place in your business browsing. Unless otherwise noted, these browsers are free.

Aloha Browser

Aloha is a feature-laden mobile browser that packs a whole lot of Polynesian personality. Beyond the Hawaiian-themed start screen, Aloha offers privacy features including ad blocking; private tabs; a crypto wallet; an internal file manager for downloads, media, and documents; syncing across devices; and a VPN. A premium subscription ($6 per month or $50 per year) enables advanced VPN capabilities like automatic startup/reconnect and encrypting all traffic from your iPhone, instead of just the Aloha browser itself.

The Aloha browser pairs a laid-back Hawaiian look with serious privacy controls.

Google Chrome might be the most popular mobile browser overall, but that’s mostly due to Android’s dominance in the global smartphone market. On iPhones, it comes in as a distant second to Apple’s own Safari.

If you use the Chrome desktop browser, you can sync bookmarks and recently visited sites via your Google account, replicating Safari’s Handoff feature. There’s also one-touch access to Google Translate, voice search using Google Assistant rather than Siri, and a handy QR-code scanner above the virtual keyboard. Chrome’s Incognito mode doesn’t send cookies or store browser history.

Like many alternative iOS browsers, Chrome invites you to make it your default browser.

Dolphin Mobile Browser

The Dolphin browser has one of the longest feature lists of any of the mobile browsers. You can tell Dolphin where you want to go by tapping on one of its speed-dial buttons; selecting a destination from the bookmarks, history, or open tabs it has synchronized with your PC; or typing its address. You can also use touch gestures to select favorite destinations — perhaps tracing a C for Computerworld.com — and you can even control the browser by shaking your phone or speaking to it. On top of all that, you also get ad and tracking blocking and a useful drawer (tap the Dolphin icon) that makes it easy to access the bevy of features Dolphin Browser has to offer. 

The Dolphin browser offers a plethora of features.

DuckDuckGo Private Browser

It’s not just a search engine. In addition to giving the world a way to search the web free from tracking, monitoring, and monetizing your searches, DuckDuckGo offers its own browser . As you might guess, the big focus is on privacy, and it allows you surf the web without being tracked or leaving a trail from your phone.

A Fire button is prominently displayed in the toolbar below web pages; tapping it closes all tabs and clears all browsing data (and does it with your choice of four different animations). You can also “fireproof” sites, marking them as able to set cookies for things like logins, shopping carts, and so forth — but third-party trackers will still be blocked.

DuckDuckGo offers both privacy-focused search and privacy-focused browsing.

Microsoft Edge will sync favorites and passwords between all your devices logged into Microsoft’s cloud servers. Using its “Send to devices” command, you can send a tab from your phone to your other connected devices, and the Collections feature lets you gather and organize web content for later reference. Edge also offers voice search, tracking prevention, an ad blocker, InPrivate tabs that won’t store browsing data, and the ability use both personal and business Microsoft accounts.

If you sign into your Microsoft account, the Edge browser syncs favorites, passwords, Collections, and more between your devices.

Using Mozilla Firefox on the iPhone is a smart choice if you’re already using Firefox on other devices, since it will sync bookmarks, passwords and other information between them all to keep you up to speed. Its customizable home page includes shortcuts, recently visited sites, and more. Firefox on iOS also features the same anti-ad tracking technology found on the desktop and sports large visual tabs for fast retrieval.

Firefox offers a customizable home page and a rich set of features.

Firefox Focus

In addition to the mainstream Firefox web browser, Mozilla also offers a streamlined, distraction-free option called Firefox Focus . If you’re easily distracted, have ADHD, or just want a little help staying on task, it’s worth checking out as an alternative or addition to Apple’s Focus modes that are built into iOS. Firefox Focus blocks ads and trackers by default, and you can erase your browsing history, passwords, and cookies with a single tap on its ever-present trashcan icon.

The minimalist interface of Firefox Focus reduces distractions.

Onion Browser

Tor is a distributed system for anonymizing internet traffic. Developed by the Tor Project, the original (desktop) Tor Browser uses the Tor network to keep your identity and online activity secret — important protection for journalists, activists, whistleblowers, and people who live under repressive regimes that limit internet freedom. If you’re very serious about privacy, using a Tor browser provides far more protection than other options. Note, however, that routing traffic through Tor slows down your browsing, and many websites won’t work properly. For most users, a Tor browser isn’t necessary.

Several third-party developers have ported Tor to iOS. None are directly affiliated with the Tor Project, and the project notes that the WebKit engine underlying all iOS browsers prevents them from having privacy protections as extensive as its own Tor Browser. That said, the project recommends the Onion Browser , which uses Tor routing to ensure that your ISP can’t see what you’re browsing and websites can’t see your IP address.

If you’re an experienced Tor user, you’ll be able to configure the browser’s advanced settings. Otherwise, the Onion Browser makes configuration simple with three security-level presets (Gold, Silver, and Bronze).

The Onion Browser has an array of advanced security settings but also offers simple presets for varying levels of protection.

Orion Browser

At first glance, Orion seems like a very basic browser with the typical feature set. Look at the browser’s settings, however, and there’s a bit more to discover, including different modes to help you focus, streamline your data use, and even conserve battery life.

Orion also blocks ads and trackers. In addition to syncing content between multiple devices, you can protect private browsing tabs or the entire browser using Face/Touch ID or your phone’s passcode.

The Orion browser offers focus, data-saving, and low-power modes.

The name says it all. Search All is designed to search for almost anything, almost anywhere, all at once. You can select from more than 50 different sites to search across several categories including search engines, online stores, video sites, image repositories, wiki-based knowledge sites, some social networks, and even comics libraries and get results from each of them in separate tabs.

While it may not be a go-to browser for everyday use for most people, the ability to instantly search for anything across so many services is incredibly useful when you’re researching a fact, trying to find a specific video clip, comparing prices, or need a specific picture for a project.

Tap into the power of searching multiple sites simultaneously with Search All.

SPIN Safe Browser

The primary focus of the SPIN Safe Browser is safe browsing (hence the name). In addition to privacy controls, it includes content filtering that can hide questionable images and content as you browse. This makes it a good choice if you have kids or want to avoid looking at certain things on a device that you use for work.

What makes SPIN unique on this list is that the developer is focused on the education and enterprise market. It offers a $20 version of the browser that you can customize via an AppConfig-compatible mobile device management (MDM) platform, such as Jamf or Hexnode. This means that IT departments can deploy the browser and have a full set of controls for managing it throughout a school or company.

The SPIN Safe Browser offers standard features but also blocks NSFW content and can be managed via MDM software.

This article was originally published in October 2017 and most recently updated in May 2023.

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Ryan Faas is a technology journalist and author who had been writing about Apple, business and enterprise IT topics, and the mobile industry for over a decade. He is author and/or editor of ten technology books. He is a prolific freelance writer whose work has been featured on Computerworld, Enterprise Mobile Today, InformIT, Peachpit Press, Cult of Mac, Cult of Android, About.com, and Datamation. In 2008 he was awarded a Neal National Business Journalism award for his work featured in Computerworld's "Week of Leopard" series.

In addition to writing, Ryan has spent a large portion of the past fifteen years in the systems/network engineering and IT management fields as an IT director, systems administrator, trainer, and all round multi-platform and mobile device technology consultant. His client list ranges from human services agencies, small non-profits, and private schools to fortune 500 hundred companies and major media agencies. He also worked for mobile management provider MobileIron from November 2014 until October 2015.

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Best Safari Alternatives for Mac, Windows, Android, and iPhone in 2024

Check out this entire list of the best Safari alternatives for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices that are worth trying and reliable. 

Safari is one of the best internet or web browsers of all time. This browser comes integrated with every iOS and macOS-based device. All in all the browser is the first choice of users of macOS and iOS, but they may be missing out on something.

There are certain drawbacks of using the Safari browser that makes everyone question its relevance. For example, Safari is not available for Windows or Android Devices. Moreover, some experts also claim that the browser is not as private as it seems. Apart from these, the browser does not support some of the most popular plugins or extensions like other browsers. The closed-source base of the software is also a mood-killer for some users. Lastly, another drawback of the browser is that it lacks some basic features required to run some websites, forcing the websites to fail.

All these problems have only one solution, try one of the best Safari alternatives.

This is what the entire thread of this article is focused on.

Here you will find the best alternative to Safari for you. With the help of at least one of the provided alternatives, you can surf the internet as required and gain a much better surfing experience than you would have with Safari.

Top 8 Best Safari Alternatives for iPhone, Android, Windows, and Mac

The coming sections of this article will list and describe some of the best Safari alternatives for you. All the alternatives provided are compatible with Windows, iOS, macOS, and Android devices. Hence, you will not face any problems in downloading and using any alternative to Safari. First, go through the entire list of the tools including their descriptions, and then use any of these as suited.

1. Google Chrome

Compatibility: Windows, iOS, macOS, Android, Linux, and Chromebook.

Everyone knows about the Google Chrome browser. This is one of the best and fastest browsers for Windows , Mac, and various other operating systems and one of the most amazing Safari browsers. With the help of this browser, you can execute a lot of different tasks. For ease of the same, you will find a plethora of extensions of the Chrome Store helping with varied tasks.

Features of Google Chrome: The Best Safari Alternative

• The browser is available to you for free of any cost across all platforms or operating systems.
• The smart settings of the browser make it quite futuristic and reliable for all.
• Even beginners and professionals can easily get the most out of the browser with ease.
• The browser also offers ad-blocking features to you.

Download Google Chrome Now!

Also Read: Best Free Anonymous Browsers for Privacy

2. Opera Browser

The next name on this list of the best Safari alternatives for iPhone, Mac, and more is Opera Browser. Why can this browser be a viable alternative you ask? The answer is it’s lightweight. The browser is quite lightweight and does not take up much of your system’s resources to run. Moreover, it also comes in various editions like Opera Mini (even lighter), Opera GX (gaming browser), Opera Crypto Browser (Web3 browser), etc.

Features of Opera: The Best Safari Browser Alternative

• The app offers integrated messaging services for various social media platforms, making it easier to access.
• The app comes with an integrated ad-blocker for a better surfing experience.
• You will also get the advantage of an integrated and free VPN with the browser.
• The software allows you to run anything in the background by putting a floatable player on the side.

Download Opera Now!

3. Microsoft Edge

Compatibility: Windows, iOS, macOS, Android, Linux, and Chromebooks.

Microsoft Edge is a cutting-edge and advanced browser and one of the best Safari alternatives. The browser is quite well-known and really used by thousands online. The reason is the trust behind Microsoft and it comes integrated with the most widely used operating system, Windows.

Features of Microsoft Edge: Safari Alternative for Mac, iOS, and More

• The browser offers amazing browsing speed to you.
• If you want to play online games using the browser, then this is the best Safari alternative.
• The tool comes with integrated Defender features that protect you against online threats.
• The browser offers a vertical tab management system to you that makes it feasible for you to switch.
• You can download and use various extensions and plugins on the browser as well.

Download Microsoft Edge Now!

4. Brave Browser

Brave browser is indeed amongst the best Safari alternatives for Windows, Android, and other operating systems. This browser was created by a co-developer of Google Chrome but Brave offers even more and better features than Chrome. The ad-blocking features of the tool are quite strong and unbeatable.

Features of Brave Browser: Best Alternative to Safari

• The browser allows you to surf, earn, and use the credits on various sources.
• Compared to Chrome, Brave is over three times faster and smoother.
• The online privacy mode of the browser is quite amazing and strong.
• If you are using any other browser right now, Brave allows you to migrate the data from the device for better assistance.

Download Brave Browser Now!

Also Read: Best Browser for Android TV

The next name on this list of the best Safari alternatives is the Vivaldi browser. This is an amazing browser that’s relatively popular for its lightning-fast performance. The personalization features offered by Vivaldi are quite amazing and much more than any other browser.

Features of Vivaldi: The Best Safari Alternative

• The browser allows you to review your activity online and the total threats blocked by the software.
• You can block all third-party ads and pop-ups with the help of this browser.
• This is an amazing browser that allows you to customize the toolbar for effective usage.
• The browser offers you a plethora of themes to select from and also allows you to share the same with others.
• You can edit and map various shortcuts with the browser.

Download Vivaldi Now!

6. UR Browser

Compatibility: Windows and macOS

Another amazing addition to this list of the best Safari alternatives for Windows and macOS is the UR Browser. Apart from being ultra-fast, the browser is quite safe to use as well. The tool comes with an integrated virus scanner that protects your device from virus attacks originating from unreliable websites.

Features of UR Browser: Safari Alternative for Mac

• The app allows you to set privacy metrics and follows the same for your safety.
• You can surf a variety of themes and use them on your browser for amazing looks.
• The browser supports news and tabs on the homepage for easier and better navigation.
• The downloading speed offered by the software is quite amazing and unbreakable.

Download UR Browser Now!

7. Tor Browser

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Android, and Linux.

The last name on this list of the best and most reliable Safari alternatives is Tor Browser. If you already know about the Tor Project, then the Tor browser is a product of the same project. This is the most amazing browser that can block a series and variety of trackers and protects your device from threats.

Features of Tor Browser: Alternative to Safari

• The browser is multilingual and hence, supports a variety of languages. 30+ and still counting.
• No one can ever monitor your surfing history or patterns if you use this browser for security.
• The browser does not leave any digital fingerprints and hence retina your privacy to the best.
• The multi-layered encryption features of the browser can not be found in any other alternative or browser available online for you.

Download Tor Browser Now!

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android

Let us introduce you to Maxthon. It is among the best free Safari alternatives because it perfectly combines a notebook application, screenshot app, mail program, browser, and password manager. Moreover, it boasts the following features to justify its position on our list.

Features of Maxthon: A Feature-Rich Safari Alternative

• Syncs your browser settings across all your devices
• Lets you drag and drop images, text, and links from web pages to text, email messages, and chats
• Autofills the saved information when you fill out online forms
• Boasts parental controls
• Antifreeze technology prevents the browser from freezing when a webpage fails to load

Download Maxthon Now!

Also Read: Best Browser for Chromebook

Best Safari Alternatives/Alternative to Safari: Listed

So, now it’s time that we sum up this article. In the previous sections of this guide, we had a look at some of the most amazing browsers in 2024. All the alternatives shown above are quite well-versed and reliable. With the help of any of these browsers, you can easily replace Safari as your first choice of browser, overcome its drawbacks, and surf better and faster.

If you are facing a hard time deciding the best Safari alternatives for your device, we may be able to help you. Write your questions and present your requirements in the comments section below and we will get back to you with an accurate response(s). Do let us know which alternative to Safari tools you love the most.

If you loved this guide, subscribe to our newsletter right away. Provide your email address in the box below to get personalized updates related to new additions to this blog. Show your love and share this guide on Safari alternatives with your friends via social media platforms. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , Pinterest , and Tumblr .

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The best web browsers for 2023

All web browsers have the same basic function, and yet, the choice between them has always been one of the most contentious in tech history. You have more options these days than ever before, whether you’re looking for the best web browser for privacy , the best for speed, or perhaps something a bit more adventurous.

To help you decide on the best web browser, we grabbed the latest browsers and put them through their paces. Even if some could use a complete overhaul, these options are your best chance for a great online experience.

The best web browser: Google Chrome

Chrome is ubiquitous — and for good reason. With a robust feature set, full Google Account integration, a thriving extension ecosystem (available through the Chrome Web Store), and a reliable suite of mobile apps, it’s easy to see why Chrome is the most popular and the best web browser.

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Chrome boasts some of the most extensive mobile integration available. Served up on every major platform, keeping data in sync is easy, making browsing between multiple devices a breeze. Sign in to your Google account on one device, and all Chrome bookmarks, saved data, and preferences come right along. Even active extensions stay synchronized across devices.

Chrome’s Password Manager can automatically generate and recommend strong passwords when a user creates a new account on a webpage. Managing saved passwords and adding notes to passwords is even easier. The search bar, or Omnibox, provides “rich results” comprised of useful answers, and it now supports generative AI capabilities. Favorites are more accessible as well, and they’re manageable on the New Tab page. And it’s now easier to mute tabs to avoid unwanted sounds.

Other updates have included a Dark Mode for Windows and MacOS , better New Tab customization and tab group creation, tab hover cards, and an in-browser warning if your password was discovered in a data breach. There’s a price tracking feature that can help locate the best deals. Android users will appreciate the Phone Hub for linking and monitoring their phones. There’s also the ability to quiet notifications, so websites don’t bombard you with requests to enable in-browser notifications.

What’s the bottom line? The Google Chrome browser is fast, free, and even better looking than before. With a thriving extension ecosystem, it’s as fully featured or as pared-down as you want it to be. Everything is right where it belongs, privacy and security controls are laid out in plain English, and the browser just gets out of your way. While it can be a little RAM-hungry at times , Google is working to make it more efficient — like Microsoft’s Edge, Google can now hibernate tabs in the background to stop them from using too many resources.

Overall, Chrome remains the best web browser download for the average user.

And, things are looking to get even better. Google announced some significant upgrades to the browser that haven’t gone live yet, to celebrate Chrome’s 15th birthday . A Material You design language will allow users to customize Chrome’s look and feel and attach themes to profiles to make it easy to tell them apart. The menu system will be revamped to provide easier access to a variety of settings and features including Extensions, Password Manager, Translate, and others. The Chrome Web Store will be redesigned using Material You to be easier to use, and AI will help identify useful extensions. And finally, Safe Browsing will now work in real time to protect against threats.

The best Chrome alternative: Microsoft Edge

In response to the market’s rejection of its original home-grown Edge browser, Microsoft rewrote Edge using the open-source Chromium web browser engine. The new Edge launched on February 5, 2020 , as a separate, stand-alone browser that replaced the integrated version. It became part of Windows 10 with the May 2020 update, although you can still download it for Windows 10 builds prior to version 2004. Of course, it’s the default web browser for Windows 11.

At first glance, the new Edge browser looks and feels like Google Chrome. It prompts you to import Chrome’s bookmarks toolbar and other settings. This is great if you hated the old Edge browser and want to give Microsoft’s new browser another shot. It also supports Chrome extensions , though the browser leads you to the Microsoft Store for add-ons. You must manually load the Chrome Web Store to install anything not listed in Microsoft’s repository.

However, it’s not Chrome with a Windows 11 theme. Microsoft reportedly disabled many features, including Google’s Safe Browsing API, ad blocking, speech input, Google-centric services, and more. In return, the company worked to optimize Edge and reduce its footprint while continuing to add new, Microsoft-oriented features. As of January 2023, Edge is the most efficient browser in terms of memory usage. It also allows sleeping tabs, to let tabs release their resources when they haven’t been used for some time.

Features launched since its release have included the new Edge Sidebar that provides easy access to various tools, more flexibility in managing how Edge starts up, Citations to make it easier for students to cite sources, and various other updates to make the browser more productive. Edge Workspaces lets users organize tasks into dedicated windows, and Microsoft has continuously tweaked various features, like the Edge Sidebar, to make them more user-friendly.

Microsoft Edge also provides simpler privacy settings and security updates. Microsoft Edge uses a graphically friendly interface that displays three security levels: Basic, Balanced, and Strict. With Balanced set as the default, many sites request you to disable your pop-up blocker even though one isn’t manually installed. All in all, we’re very optimistic that Edge is on its way to challenging Chrome as the best web browser.

The best Chromium alternative: Mozilla Firefox

Firefox is the best browser that’s not based on the Chromium browser engine. Mozilla has taken real strides to make its browser a truly modern way to surf from site to site, thanks to efforts like its upgrade to Firefox Quantum , its VR alternative Firefox Reality , and password-free browsing .

It wasn’t too long ago that Mozilla rebuilt the browser’s interface, offering a cleaner, more modern take on what a web browser should be. The changes weren’t just skin-deep, however. There’s some impressive engineering going on behind the scenes.

For example, Firefox Quantum is designed to leverage multicore processors in ways that its competitors just aren’t doing. It was not designed to make a huge difference in your day-to-day browsing, but Mozilla hopes this design will give Firefox Quantum an edge moving forward. By engineering for the future now, Firefox Quantum is in a better position to take advantage of quicker processors as they emerge.

Some Firefox strengths include privacy protections with SmartBlock anti-tracker support, improved password syncing across devices, enhanced readability, integrated breach alerts, and a Protections Dashboard that provides a summary of how Firefox protects your privacy behind the scenes. WebRender improves the graphics performance on Windows PCs with Intel and AMD CPUs.

Recent updates include easier download management, captions, and subtitle support on YouTube, Prime Video, and Netflix videos watched in picture-in-picture mode, HDR support in MacOS, and the ability to edit PDFs with text, drawings, and signatures. Firefox can also recognize text from an image, which is copied to the clipboard when selected. Finally, Firefox Colorways provides new options for optimizing how Firefox looks on-screen.

Beneath those changes, Firefox remains a comfortable, familiar standby. It’s a capable browser with a deep catalog of extensions and user interface customization. While managing settings across platforms isn’t as seamless as Google Chrome , the mobile browser app lets you share bookmarks between devices when using a free Firefox account.

There’s a bit of a fringe benefit, too. Since it’s been around longer than Chrome, some older web apps — the likes of which you might encounter at your university or workplace — work better on Firefox than they do on Chrome. For that reason, it never hurts to keep it around.

Overall, Firefox is more privacy-centric than Chrome and comparably fast, but its feature set isn’t quite as expansive elsewhere. If you like the sound of this, download the Firefox browser today.

The most innovative web browser: Opera

Another venerable browser and popular alternative, the Opera browser shares much of Chrome’s DNA and deserves its place as one of the best web browsers. Like both Edge and Chrome, Opera is built on Google’s open-source Chromium engine and, as a result, they all have a very similar user experience. Both feature a hybrid URL/search bar, and both are relatively light and fast.

The differences appear when you look at Opera’s built-in features. Where Chrome relies on an extension ecosystem to provide functionality users might want, Opera has a few more features baked right into the browser itself. It introduced a predictive website preload ability, and an Instant Search feature isolates search results in their separate window while the current page fades into the background, letting users more easily focus on the research task at hand.

You can install extensions from the Opera Add-ons store , which are just like Chrome extensions. Similar to Google’s browser, you’ll find useful tools like Giphy, Amazon Assistant, Avast Online Security, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and more. If Chrome’s wide variety of extensions is important to you, then Opera becomes an intriguing alternative. It might just be one of the best browsers for quickly navigating web pages.

Opera also features a built-in “Stash” for saving pages to read later. There’s no need to sign up for a Pocket or Evernote account to save a page for later reading. Similarly, Opera features a speed-dial menu that puts all your most frequently visited pages in one place. Google Chrome also does this, but only on a blank new tab. Finally, Opera has a built-in unlimited VPN service, making it a more secure browser option.

The biggest changes came with Opera 60 and Reborn 3, a complete revamp that brought a new borderless design, Web 3 support, and a Crypto Wallet, allowing users to prepare for blockchain-based sites. With version 69, Opera became the first browser with a built-in Twitter tool, and the company has added others as well including Instagram and TikTok. Just click the icon on the toolbar, log in to your account, and tweet away right from within the slide-out menu.

Other recent advancements include Lucid Mode, which sharpens video playing on a variety of platforms, supports emojis instead of web links, and other enhancements. The Opera Sidebar adds new functionality much like Edge’s Sidebar, allowing quick access to various Opera features. And Opera Aria adds new generative AI capabilities built right into the browser.

You can see that we’re well into hair-splitting territory, which is why it’s important to remember that your choice of browser is, more than any other service or app you use each day, entirely dependent on your personal preferences — what feels most right for you. The Opera web browser has a unique look and feel, and it combines some of the best features of Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.

Alternative browsers

While the preceding browsers will meet most users’ needs, other alternatives exist for anyone looking for something different. This section is for those who have a more niche preference in web browsers  or want to try something new.

Apple Safari

If you use Apple devices exclusively, Safari is already your default browser. It’s also significantly faster than in the past, surpassing Chrome in its quickness. It’s integrated into iOS, iPadOS, and MacOS, and you’ll likely get better battery life thanks to Apple’s in-house optimizations and the underlying hardware.

Safari also focuses a great deal on privacy and security. If you want to minimize how you’re tracked and whether Big Brother is looking over your shoulder, then Safari is a good choice. If you also use an iPhone and/or an iPad, then using Safari on your Mac will make for the most seamless transition between platforms. Open websites on an iPad or iPhone are carried over to MacOS.

Safari is not offered outside the Apple ecosystem.

Vivaldi Browser

The Vivaldi browser is truly unique. No two Vivaldi users will have the same setup. When you run it for the first time, you’re guided through a setup process that lays out your browser in a way that makes sense for you. You choose where your tabs and address bar go and whether you want browser tabs displayed at the top of the page or in a separate side panel. This is a browser built from the ground up to deliver a unique user experience, and for the most part, it succeeds. Vivaldi 2.0 enhanced the customization features and made them easier to access.

This browser excels at customization, and you can choose from a variety of tasteful themes that don’t feel dated or out of place on a modern PC, in addition to the aforementioned UI choices. It also has some standout privacy-enhancing features, like its team-up with DuckDuckGo to make the non-tracking search tool the default option when in privacy mode.

Finally, recent updates added more powerful tab management, enhancements like Web Panels that make for smarter browsing, and (as mentioned) even more powerful customization options. Other new updates include a built-in ad blocker, a built-in tracker blocker, a clock in the Status Bar, a new Notes Manager, and a Break Mode for pausing the internet while keeping the browser open.

Brave Browser

One of the most unusual browsers around is Brave — or, perhaps, it’s Brave’s business model that’s the strangest. Brave blocks all ads on all web pages by default, which makes it arguably the fastest browser around. Ads are a huge portion of how many websites make money — block these ads, and suddenly the most important web financial tool is eliminated.

That’s where the Brave Rewards program comes in. Users receive Basic Attention Tokens (BATs) when they view alternative ads that Brave places in the browsing stream. Users can pass along a portion of their tokens to publishers. As of January 2021, there were over 70,000 websites that supported BAT-based transactions through the Brave browser, including Wikipedia, The Guardian, WikiHow, MacRumors, and more.

What’s in it for users? Simply put, if you’re not waiting for ads to download along with website content, then your web experience will feel much faster. Brave performs no user tracking, making it ideal for private browsing as well.

Tor Browser

The Tor Browser is a version of Firefox that serves one very specific purpose: A simple entry point for The Onion Router, or Tor .

Tor is software combined with an open network aimed at making you invisible by routing your traffic through several anonymous servers. While it’s not foolproof, it’s very difficult for someone to identify you when you’re properly configured and using something like the Tor Browser to surf the web — especially if combined with a VPN .

There are many legitimate uses of the Tor Browser and the Tor network. It’s a good choice for people who live in countries with repressive governments, as well as journalists and activists. The dark web is also one of the destinations for people using Tor, which includes many nefarious and illegal sites.

In any event, if you want to remain completely anonymous while surfing the web, the Tor Browser and network are for you. If you want a more mainstream alternative, Opera includes a VPN component, but it’s far less private.

Avast Secure Browser

Avast Secure Browser first arrived as the Opera-based Avast Safezone Browser in 2016 as part of the Avast Antivirus paid bundle. It was revised and rebranded in 2018 as a free stand-alone product based on Chromium. Originally the “SafeZone” aspect kicked in when users visited websites to make purchases or manage money.

Avast Secure Browser provides several built-in tools to protect your data and privacy. These include an anti-phishing module, fingerprinting and online tracking prevention, an ad blocker, and a Webcam Guard tool to control which websites can access your camera. The Hack Check tool will determine if your info was leaked in a data breach.

Avast Secure Browser is a stand-alone download for Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS. The desktop version doesn’t include an integrated VPN but instead directs users to download the company’s separate SecureLine VPN software. The listed Bank Mode — part of the Avast Free Antivirus client — flips on when users load a banking website.

Best web browser features — what to look for

Benchmark tests.

Notice we don’t include Safari in our main comparison. Apple’s Safari web browser is unavailable on Windows, Android, or Chrome OS, so we removed it from our primary list.

Most browsers are compatible with web standards and handle performance with relative ease. A casual user probably won’t notice a difference in the rendering speed between today’s modern browsers, as all six are much faster and leaner than those of a few years ago.

We ran the following benchmarks on a desktop with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X processor, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe solid-state drive, and Windows 11. All browsers were clean installs of the most current production versions as of January 2023, and all were run at their default settings.

First, JetStream 2 is a JavaScript and WebAssembly benchmark. It tests how quickly a web browser can start and execute code, and how smoothly it runs. Higher numbers are better.

Notice how all three Chromium-based browsers outperform Firefox. In fact, there’s very little difference between them, while Firefox’s performance is quite poor by comparison.

The next test we ran was Speedometer 2.0 . It measures how responsive a browser is to web applications by repeatedly adding a large number of items to a to-do list. Higher numbers are better.

Here, Opera led the pack, with Chrome and Edge running nearly neck to neck. Firefox came in last here with a relatively low score.

Finally, we tested how much RAM each browser uses, both with no tabs open and then with 10 tabs open accessing the same popular sites. We made sure that each browser had no extensions running, and we let each browser settle in before looking at its memory use. For the test with 10 tabs open, we averaged memory use when all the tabs were opened and then five minutes later to account for any variability.

It’s not a scientific test, but it should be sound enough to give you an idea of which browsers are the most and least efficient in terms of taking up your RAM. We found Opera to use the least amount of RAM when first opened, barely ahead of Edge, while Chrome used the most. Edge used the least with all 10 tabs loaded by a significant margin, a third or less than the other browsers. Chrome used the most with all 10 tabs open, and Firefox and Opera weren’t far behind.

Security and privacy

The most valuable tool for secure and private browsing is user discretion, especially when you consider that every web browser has encountered security breaches in the past. In particular, Internet Explorer and Chrome’s reputations for protecting users’ security and privacy credentials are spotty at best.

Chrome, Safari, Vivaldi, Opera, and Firefox all rely on Google’s Safe Browsing API to detect potentially dangerous sites. Thanks to constant updates, Mozilla, Chrome, and Opera all make constant security improvements. Microsoft disabled this API in Edge.

All browsers offer a private session option, too. Private sessions prevent the storage of browsing history, temporary internet files, and cookies. Browser support for Do Not Track remains spotty.

Mozilla made some strides in differentiating itself from others with a real focus on privacy in recent years. It even debuted a Facebook Container  in 2018 to make it harder for the social network to harvest user information.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to use a VPN when browsing the web? 

You do not have to use a VPN when browsing the internet. However, a VPN can be a good tool to use as it protects your privacy and data by creating a secure and encrypted data tunnel between your browser and a VPN server. In turn, that server creates a secure and encrypted connection between it and the target website.

As a result, the website can’t identify you personally, nor can it see your true geological location or internet address. Not even your ISP knows where you’re surfing or the device you use with a VPN enabled. Some VPN services are free while others require a subscription. We have a list of the current best VPN services .

Which browser is most used in the world? 

Google Chrome leads the web browser market with a 64.68% share, according to Statcounter . Apple Safari follows with 18.29%, Edge at 4.23%, Mozilla Firefox at 3.01%%, and Opera at 2.25%. Internet Explorer is still in use with 0.81%, while Microsoft Edge “Legacy” is fading out at 0.32%.

What are the best ad blockers to use for your browser? 

We have a guide on the best ad blockers for Google Chrome , but here’s a short list:

• AdBlock and AdBlock Plus
• AdGuard (Chrome only)
• CyberSec by NordVPN
• Poper Blocker (Chrome only)
• Stands Fair AdBlocker (Chrome only)
• uBlock Origin (Chrome and Firefox only)

What is browser fingerprinting and how can you prevent it? 

Websites want to know everything about you: Your tastes, your habits, and where you like to surf. When you load a website, it quietly runs scripts in the background that collect information about you and your device. The operating system, the web browser, all installed extensions, your time zone — all of this information is strung together to create a “fingerprint,” which in turn can be used to trace you across the internet via cross-site tracking.

Avast provides a detailed explanation and outlines various forms of fingerprinting. For example, the “canvas” method forces the browser to draw an image or text in the background, without the user knowing, to determine the operating system, web browser, graphics card, installed drivers, and the current font style. Device fingerprinting determines all internal and external device components.

As your fingerprint is tracked across the internet, this “profile” can be sold to data brokers, who then resell the data to advertisers. It’s a more silent means of gathering information about you versus using cookies that require your consent. The problem is, browser fingerprinting is still perfectly legal.

The best way to prevent browser fingerprinting is by randomizing and generalizing data. Third-party software like Avast AntiTrack does this by inserting “fake” data when website scripts try to collect your information. However, this tool allows scripts to continue running in the background so the website doesn’t “break.”

Many browsers offer some type of anti-fingerprinting protection. These include Avast Secure Browser (see above), Brave Browser (randomization), Mozilla Firefox (blocks fingerprinting scripts), and Tor Browser (generalization).

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Mark has been a geek since MS-DOS gave way to Windows and the PalmPilot was a thing. He’s translated his love for technology into a marketing, consulting, and freelance writing career aimed at helping people use technology to enhance their lives. At Digital Trends, he reviews laptops and desktops, including the latest from HP, Dell, Lenovo, Apple, and more, and writes news and easy to understand how-to articles about the computing industry as a whole.

When he’s not writing, you’ll find him reading and watching science fiction, taking photos with his family, and obsessing over Indiana University basketball.

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The em dash is a supremely useful (and fashionable) piece of punctuation used in writing and editing, often in place of a comma, colon, or parenthesis. While you might want to utilize it to make your grammar look fancy, the symbol on a computer can be a little challenging to access if you don’t know how, especially on the Windows operating system.

Fortunately, there are several methods available to insert the em dash punctuation into your text. Check out the following tips to learn how to become more familiar with the em dash on your computer. Keyboard The em dash keyboard shortcut is one of the easier methods to access the punctuation. Though it might take a little bit of getting used to, once you master it ,you’ll be an em dash typing master. Turn on Number Lock by pressing the NumLock key on the upper number row of your keyboard. Then hold the Alt key and type the sequence 0151 on the numeric keypad of your keyboard. Release the Alt key and the em dash will appear.

The best place to watch 360-degree videos is in VR, and the Meta Quest 3 just got a big upgrade in quality that makes the experience even better after Google updated its YouTube VR app to support 8K resolution.

8K might sound excessive since even the best VR headsets, like the Apple Vision Pro and the recently announced Pimax Crystal Super, have resolutions closer to 4K-per-eye. However, you can only see a third or less of a 360-degree video at once.

Generative AI is just starting to break into the world of video, but some new features in Premiere Pro are taking things to the next level. Adobe has announced a host of generative AI video tools that it will be introducing to the Premiere Pro video editing suite throughout the year, and they look pretty incredible.

The brand is working to expand on its own AI model, Adobe Firefly, which started as a text-to-image generator last March and has quickly expanded its AI brand across several editing mediums.

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Best web browser for Mac

We spend a lot of our time on browsers. Whether it’s using communcations apps to talk with friends, family or colleagues, searching for things online, streaming entertainment, using services for work or doing a bit of shopping. So, it makes sense that you’d want to use a browser that can make this experience as good as it can be. Many people stick with Safari on their Mac, as it’s already there and works well. But, if you’re willing to look beyond Apple’s favoured child, then there are plenty of interesting alternatives available. With this in mind, we round up the best alternatives to Safari and see what they have to offer.

If you want to increase the privacy and security on your browser then you should also read Best VPN for Mac and How to use a VPN on your Mac .

• Built-in to every Mac
• Syncs very well with other Apple devices
• Good performance
• Less extensions that Chrome-based rivals
• Doesn't play well with non-Apple devices

Apple’s Safari browser has been around for a long time, and over the years it’s been improved to the point where it’s now a very solid choice for most people. As you’d expect, it boasts the standard features found on most modern browsers, including bookmarks, tabbed browsing, a password manager, private browsing options, a dark mode, read later list, plus a Shared with You section on the Home page that lists links you’ve been sent in Messages. 

The reading mode is still one of Safari’s hidden gems, as it turns any webpage into a clean, clear article devoid of ads, links, and other distractions. There’s also now the Quick Note feature which, as the name suggests, allows you to instantly grab text or images from a webpage and have them appear (complete with links) in the Notes app.

With macOS Monterey, Apple introduced Tab Groups, a feature that gained even more capabilities in Ventura. It is a handy feature that allows you to collect particular tabs together by a category of your choosing, so you don’t have to search for them among your other open tabs. This is useful if you’re planning a holiday, event or researching another interest. Best of all, the Group Tabs sync to Safari on your iPhone, iPad or other Macs. Apple built on this in macOS Ventura by making these Tab Group shareable, so you can send them to friends, colleagues or family who can instantly see all the pages and links – perfect if you’re all collaborating on a project. You can also pin tabs within these groups and give them customised start pages too.

Privacy is an important part of Apple’s offering, with Intelligent Tracking Protection there to stop advertisers from watching what you do. This is accompanied by anti-fingerprinting settings that prevent sites from looking at your hardware and software configuration to work out who you are online, plus security features that block sites that could contain malware.   

The newest weapon in this armoury is PassKeys. This is an encrypted login that seeks to eventually do away with passwords althogether. It’s a little fiddly to set up initially, but after that it’s very easy to use. You can check out more details in our how to use PassKeys guide.

There’s also full integration for Apple Pay, making it easy to buy items online either through the Touch ID sensor in Macs with Touch Bars or via your iPhone. See our How to use Apple Pay on a Mac for more details. 

In its current form Safari is better than ever, and that’s before you start exploring the available extensions that can increase its capabilities even further. The truth is, the best browser for your Mac is probably already installed.

Google Chrome

• Huge selection of extensions
• Cross-platform
• Loads of features
• Traditionally a memory-hog
• Requires Google account

Google’s Chrome remains the world’s most popular desktop browser by quite a margin, although that does encompass Windows users too. This success isn’t hard to fathom, as Chrome is an excellent tool which has an entire ecosystem of plug-ins and extensions, ranging from privacy monitors to ones that fix your grammar.

Multiple tabs are handled very well, although it can lead to RAM being hogged by Chrome if you like to leave a huge amount open at the same time, but this is often true of most browsers. Google has recently addressed this though, allowing users to now set memory and energy use filters that should improve performance.

In use, it’s fast. Pages are rendered quickly and there’s a global setting for the zoom, which can be handy if you find text a bit small on modern sites. 

As you’d expect, being a part of the same family, Chrome dovetails effortlessly with Google’s online apps – Drive, Docs, Calendar, Photos, Translate etc – allowing users to launch them from an app tray in the menu bar. You can also utilise the extensions available to create reminders directly from the browser thanks to the likes of Google Keep. A new feature we’ve found very helpful is a quick price comparison guide that’s built right into the browser. Great way to save money when shopping.

The extensions are the things that differentiate Chrome from other browsers, with a bewildering 150,000+ to choose from. You can use password managers like Dashlane , discount coupon checker Honey , Grammarly to improve your writing, and so much more. To see our pick of the crop read Best Chrome extensions . As with Safari, there’s also a group tabs feature in Chrome that can keep your window tidy and make it easy to quickly find related webpages among your open tabs.

Password storage is secure, and you can keep your payment details in Chrome so that it’s easy to make payments online, albeit not through Apple Pay. 

Google uses high-levels of security to ensure you don’t access sites that contain malware and also isolates each tab to prevent any kind of cross infection should you stumble into something nasty.

Of course, this is Google we’re talking about, so you’ll be giving your data directly to the company as you use Chrome, including your online habits, so just be sure you’re ok with that before you begin.

Edge Chromium

• Uses Chrome extensions
• Built-in PDF editor
• Quick access to Microsoft services
• Design can be cluttered
• Works best with Microsoft account

Microsoft initially launched Edge with its own engine, but after a while decided to adopt the Chromium one that drives Google’s Chrome browser. Since then, the app has grown into a very good option for the those who want the Chrome experience but with it’s own distinct flavour. 

The design on Edge is modern and tidy, albeit a little cluttered at times, with plenty of powerful features built into the main menu. Collections opens up a side bar where you can drag web pages or add notes. It’s a great way to use Edge to plan for a trip or research a major purchase. Alternatively you can use the Tab Groups that are similar to the ones on Safari and Chrome. These are displayed on the tab bar along the top, with ones you’ve assigned to group all colour coded so you can see them instantly. Then, if you want to focus on something else, click the group name and all the tabs are collapsed into that, ready to reopen when you want to see them again. Vertical tabs also lets you instantly switch the open tabs from along the top of the page to a list in a column on the left. It’s a nice little feature that can make it easier to find what your looking for quickly.

You’ll also find a reader mode that reduces a page down to just the words, plus Edge can read aloud the contents if you prefer that approach. A very useful addition is a built-in PDF editor that can make filling out online forms a doddle, and the Web Select feature allow you to copy and paste contents from a page while retaining all of the formatting.

As with most major browsers, Edge has a password manager that can store you details for web sites and online accounts, plus it offers a Password Health and Password Monitor feature so you know if your details could be compromised. 

If you use Outlook, then you’ll find the quick access to mail, calendar appointments and To Do items very handy. Those with a Microsoft 365 account can also launch free versions of MS Office apps from within the browser, much like with Google apps on Chrome. There’s also a grammar and spelling checker borrowed from Microsoft 365 that helps improve your writing when online in Edge. This new Editor works across social media sites or pretty much anywhere you can enter text. 

Microsoft also includes various privacy features, all of which can be tweaked in the settings, plus you have access to the thousands of extentions that come with Chrome. If you’ve dismissed Edge in the past as just Internet Explorer with a facelift, we think you should reconsider that opinion.  

• Focus on privacy
• New Firefox view feature
• Loads of themes and plug-ins available
• Not as many features as Safari or Chrome

Another stalwart that’s received some much-needed spit and polish recently is Firefox. There was a time when this was one of the major players in the browser field, but time hasn’t been kind to Mozilla’s creation and Google Chrome has been one in particular that tempted people away. That’s a shame, as today’s Firefox version is slick, smart, and provides a worthy alternative to its higher profile competitors. 

Mozilla takes privacy seriously and has a range of features to keep you safe online. Tracking Protection stops websites from following you around the web and collecting data that can be used to serve ads. There’s also ad and script blocking that speed up webpage loading times. There’s even an extension that sandboxes Facebook so it can’t follow your activities around the web. Whatever the tweaks under the hood, our experience with the app proved it to be rapid and reliable. 

Firefox has always been a browser that lets you personalise things, so be sure to take a look at the various themes and extensions available that can decorate the menu section of the browser or add additional features. The menu bar itself has a number of functions that you can easily access by dragging icons onto it, providing quick links to things such as emailing links, saving the page to Firefox’s Pocket app to read later, or sending pages directly to your phone.

Some new features worthy of note include a built-in PDF editor, plus Firefox View which allows you to pick up on your Mac from whether you may have been on a webpage on another device. A bit like Handoff on Safari.

The extensions might not be as plentiful as they are on Chrome, but there’s lots of useful add-ons that can tailor your Firefox experience to just the way you like it. Mozilla also offers various tools such as Relay (similar to iCloud Private Relay) that creates email alisases you can use for signing up to online services or giving to people that you don’t want to know your real address. A VPN that can hide your location, plus Monitor that watches out for password breaches that may have included any of your accounts and passwords.

It may not be the force it once was, but there’s plenty of life left in Firefox yet. 

• Quick access to messaging apps
• Group Tabs and Pinboards
• Interface can look busy

Opera is built on the same foundations as Chrome, giving it a familiar feel in terms of features and performance. That doesn’t mean it’s a clone with a different badge though, as the app comes with some interesting design choices and handy tools that make it a solidly modern browser.

The first is a column on the left side of the screen that contains shortcuts to various options. Top of the list are Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram and Instagram, all of which can be logged into and used while browsing the web. There’s also an option to add a Twitter account too, all of which is very useful if you don’t want to keep picking up your phone.

Another icon is for My Flow, an Opera specific feature that allows users to send webpages directly to their iPhone. At the bottom of the column are three dots that open the options menu. In here you can add or remove lots of other icons that take you to your bookmarks, a news section that collates the latest stories from your favourite outlets, a speed dial for commonly used sites, and plenty of other goodies. 

Opera also has some privacy tools that make life easier when browsing, including a built-in ad blocker and a free VPN. The latter is great for keeping yourself safe when using public WiFi, even if the choice of server locations is limited.

Extensions are available in aplenty, thanks to the Chrome heritage, as are themes to personalise the aesthetic. You can also use Workspaces now, which is essentially the same as Group Tabs in Safari. Here you add new Workspaces (giving them names and choosing a relevant icon), then open various tabs in each one. This means you can quickly switch between themed webpages, simplifying things and stopping you having a million ones open at the same time. There’s also Pinboards, which is essentially a built-on version of Pinterest that lets you collect images from around the web and build them into mood boards.

If you’re looking for a browser that not only protects your privacy online, but also reduces the need for other apps on your system, Opera has much to offer.

• Great privacy features
• Ad-free browsing
• Limited features compared to Safari and Chrome
• It can be a bit obsessed with Crypto currencies

Brave is a relative newcomer when compared to all of those listed above, making its debut as recently as 2016. Since then it’s gone from strength to strength, powered by its focus on removing all ads from the pages you visit. From a creator’s point of view this can be problematic, as most sites (including this one) rely on advertising in order to pay the writers and technicians who produce the content you’re reading. But for consumers, the freedom from intrusive ads can make the web a place where you can breath once more. 

Brave takes things one step further by giving users the option to view ‘privacy-respecting ads’ that will pay them for the honour. This is all done via the Brave Rewards scheme, which is an innovative idea and has the added bonus of allowing users to essentially pay tips to sites they enjoy.

All that aside, Brave is a slimline app that speeds its way around the web. You’ll find plenty of settings to hone its performance to your whims, plus there’s the normal collection of password managers, bookmark menus, and accompanying mobile apps that can sync your profile. You can also avail yourself of a built-in Crypto wallet, plus there’s a Brave VPN, although that will cost you $9.99 per month or $99 for a year.

Brave offers its own Independent Search function that won’t track your enquires, there’s a private video-conferencing feature, the new Playlists capability with which you can compile videos and tracks from the web and have the playlist automatically available to enjoy on your iPhone, plus a customisable news feed that again won’t track your reading activities online. Have you gotten the idea yet? Brave is all about privacy, but not at the expense of functionality.

As it’s built on the Chromium engine, you’ll find all the normal Chrome features, but without some of the ads and tracking behaviour. Whether you support the idea of a total ad-blocking browser or not, there’s little argument that Brave gets the job done in style.

• Fast performance
• Swiss army knife approach to app integration
• New features added regularly
• Almost too many features

There’s a good chance you haven’t have heard of Vivaldi, or at least the browser rather than the 17th century Venetian composer. It’s a name you should familiarise yourself with though, as the company was started by Jón von Tetzchner, who co-founded Opera back in 1994. 

Vivaldi has some two main focusses: privacy and customisation. So, if you want to take control of your browsing experience in a granular fashion then it may well be the grail at the end of your quest. 

At its heart, Vivaldi is similar to Opera as it uses the Chromium engine. This gives it the advantage that you can use Chrome’s plugins. Where it differs is in its attitude to your data. Once you set up a password on your Mac you can sync your devices (only macOS, Windows, Linux or Android at present) knowing that everything in protected by end-to-end encryption that not even Vivaldi can see. Abusive ads that track you are blocked by default and there are various other settings to minimise any intrusions to your privacy. 

Like Opera, Vivaldi has a side bar containing various options such as downloads, bookmarks, history, plus a few innovative options. One is Notes, which allows you to quickly jot down information without having to leave the browser and you can even include screenshots. This is great if you’re researching something or just want to remember a quote. You can also create tab groups and stack them on two levels in the menu bar. That’s not all though! Vivaldi lets you set whether the tab bar appears in the traditional vertical position at the top of the page or move it to the the flanks or along the bottom. You can also open multiple tabs at once in a split screen view, so you can work on them at the same time. 

Web panels is another clever feature, in that it enables users to setup mini versions of webpages that can be accessed by clicking on its panel name. This is best suited to messaging services but also for Twitter and mobile optimised sites, as they will fit into the single column view. 

You’ll also find further options in the bar across the bottom of the page, including the ability to capture a screenshot, adjust the zoom level via a slider, turning off images and videos on a page, as well as a comprehensive list of page actions you can instantly enable or disable by clicking a tickbox. 

Vivaldi is now offering integrated Mail and Calendar apps that can help you stay organised without ever needing to leave the browser, plus the Vivaldi Translate feature means you can look up words and phrases not in your native tongue, but without Google getting to see what you’re translating. 

Keeping the open source spirit alive is the recent integration of Mastodon, the federated alternative to the hate-filled Twitter bonfire of Elon Musk’s vanity.

There’s so much to explore in Vivaldi and it keeps growing at a steady pace. It might be one of the newest browsers around, but we think it could well be the way they all go in the future. 

Avast Secure Browser

• Slim-line and secure
• Built-in VPN
• A bit basic

Although this browser remains in a beta stage at the moment, it’s another interesting option to those looking for a Chrome-style browser but with beefed up security and privacy. Avast is a name that will be familiar for anyone who has looked at antivirus software in the past, and its putting those years of data security to good use in its Secure Browser. 

Using the built-in tools you can have your browsing protected by the included VPN, manage and monitor your passwords, stop trackers from using digital fingerprinting techniques to identify your device, plus a variety of other security features. 

Of course, as the Chromium engine is underneath, you can use all the standard Chrome features such as bookmarks, private modes, dark modes, not to mention the wide wealth of extensions available. Syncing all of your data and settings across devices is also available, with the Avast Secure Browser also available on iOS. 

It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of Opera, Vivaldi or Brave, but if you want a fast, simple, secure browser for your Mac, it’s well worth a look. 

Duck Duck Go for Mac

• Safe and secure
• Blocks most trackers
• Very stripped back
• Doesn't work with some plug-ins

Another new entry that still remains in beta is the browser from Duck Duck Go. You may recognise the name from the aponymous privacy-focussed search engine, but now you can use a dedicated browser whose mission it is to stop you being tracked while online. Based on the WebKit engine that powers Safari, DDG is a stripped back experience that gets out of the way and lets you swiftly find the content you want, while stopping anyone else watching. Although it shares the Apple build, DDG is equipped with purpose built password management, bookmarks and tab coding, which does have the knock-on effect of making it incompatible with a lot of plug-ins, most frustratingly password managers.

That being said, if you want a second browser for quickly and securely navigating the web, then the Duck Duck Go beta is well worth consideration. If you want to know more, you can check out our Duck Duck Go for Mac review .

Author: Martyn Casserly , Contributor

Martyn has been involved with tech ever since the arrival of his ZX Spectrum back in the early 80s. He covers iOS, Android, Windows and macOS, writing tutorials, buying guides and reviews for Macworld and its sister site Tech Advisor.

Recent stories by Martyn Casserly:

• How to get InDesign on a Mac
• How to edit a PDF on Mac
• How to recover unsaved Word documents on a Mac

Best Safari alternatives for iPhone and iPad in 2024

Safari is a pretty good browser, but it falls shorts in several aspects. For instance, not all sites perform optimally, and it doesn’t feature the best tab management options. Thankfully, there are plenty of Safari alternatives for iPhone and iPad that are fast, secure, and feature-rich.

Moreover, with the ability to change the default browser in iOS 14, you can use your favorite one conveniently. Want to know what my choice is? Keep reading as I review some of the most popular iPhone browsers.

1. Google Chrome

I love Google Chrome so much that I did a detailed comparison with Safari to explain my reasons. Primarily, the stand-out feature is the seamless sync across devices, thanks to signing in with your Google account.

You can access recently opened pages, bookmarks, and favorites on any device that you’re signed into. For instance, I use Google Chrome across my iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android device, and Windows PC, and my data syncs across all to ease my workflow. This cross-platform support makes it the best for those who work on multiple devices.

Of course, there are loads of other attractive options such as efficient tab management and incognito mode for privacy.

• Impeccable cross-platform sync
• Great tab management features
• Built-in Google Voice Search to avoid manual typing
• Mighty Google Translate to convert web pages from one language to another.
• Data saver mode automatically compresses the web pages for faster loading
• Incognito mode which does not record history, cache, and cookies
• Tracks user data
• Hogs resources

2. Firefox and Firefox Focus

This one’s a close second to Chrome and boasts a similar clean UI. One of the most notable features is that it automatically blocks image(s) to reduce sites’ loading time. Of course, it’s pretty good at blocking ads and popups, too, for your safety.

For more privacy, you can go for the Firefox Focus browser, in which stealth mode is always on. It seamlessly blocks many common web trackers without needing to meddle with the settings.

• Private Browsing Mode makes sure that none of your online activities are being recorded.
• Enhanced Tracking Protection is known to block all harmful trackers, including crypto miners and fingerprints.
• Syncs passwords, bookmarks, and history across devices
• You need to create a Firefox account to allow data to sync
• No tracking protection in Private Browsing mode.

Firefox Focus

3. Microsoft Edge

Long gone are the days of Internet Explorer. Microsoft has created one of the best browsers in the form of Edge. It has a straightforward UI with many helpful features such as private tabs, swipe gestures, translate webpages, etc.

I especially appreciate the picture-in-picture functionality for video on most sites, including YouTube. I also love using the “Read aloud” feature that reads the text to you at the tap of a button.

Further, it comes with Adblock Plus built-in to block unwanted ads. The downside is that the default search engine is Bing, but you can easily change this to Google, Yahoo, etc.

• Minimal resource consumption
• Tracking Prevention to stop third-party trackers from accessing your browsing activity.
• Built-in Ad-Block Plus to stop intrusive ads
• InPrivate browsing Mode
• Immersive Reader Mode allows for a distraction-free experience.
• Password Manager to handle all your saved passwords
• You must have a Microsoft Account to make the most of the features.
• Sync is a bit slow
• Interface and navigation could be more responsive

4. Brave Browser

Here’s the best Safari alternative that puts privacy first. It blocks all ads by default that considerably decreases the page load time. Brave claims to be three times faster than Chrome while putting less strain on your device battery.

But, if ads are blocked, how do websites make revenue? Well, Brave supports publishers by compensating them at the end of each month, depending on your interaction with websites. Further, with HTTPS Everywhere, you can rest assured that you’re only visiting safe sites.

Moreover, you can also use TouchID/FaceID to unlock this browser. And there’s also an in-built Private VPN that allows you to hide your actual IP address and browse anonymously.

• Best security and privacy features
• Speedy browser
• In-built VPN
• Less resource consumption
• Data sync is a bit complicated to setup
• Payment methodology needs to be simplified for more developers and publishers to be on board.

Here’s another top browser for those concerned about privacy. It doesn’t log any of your activity, so you can freely browse without worrying about how your data will be used.

The interface takes inspiration from Google Chrome and is a breeze to navigate. Like Microsoft Edge, this browser’s highlight is how it lets you play YouTube and other videos in picture-in-picture mode. This is incredibly handy when you want to watch something while also carrying on with other tasks on your phone.

Moreover, Aloha claims to load webpages two times faster using hardware acceleration. Simultaneously, there is also a paid version of the browser called Aloha Premium that boasts even more advanced features such as an in-built VPN to browse anonymously and safeguard your privacy.

• Ad-free browsing experience
• In-built VR player allows you to enjoy VR videos
• Picture-in-picture / background play for videos
• Fast and secures
• Need to pay for full features

Price : Premium subscription starts at $2.99

6. Opera Browser

This iOS browser app has undergone a complete overhaul in recent times. One of the highlights of this is the Fast Action Button. This is inspired by Apple’s Control Center, and a single tap is enough to invoke quite a few functionalities such as refreshing the tab, closing it, or opening a new one.

Further, the ‘Flow’ feature allows you to link the device’s browser with its desktop version. You could then easily exchange the desired data from either end. It also comes with a built-in QR Code scanner, which blends well with its Flow feature.

Lastly, its ad and popup blocker ensures an immersive browsing experience.

• Ad-blocker and cryptocurrency mining protection
• Easy to use
• Fast Action Button for easy one-hand usage
• Lack of bookmark management
• No online data sync

7. DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser

This is the leading name among the most secure web browsers for iPhone and iPad. It gives equal attention to both privacy and customizations. Moreover, what makes it stand out is that it has a built-in search engine that doesn’t hog or track your data the way Google does. It is consistently scaling up to offer a better browsing experience.

Further, a badge beside the address bar shows the privacy grade of each website you visit which helps you stay safe and instantly gauge the site’s reliability.

• Blocks all third-party trackers by default
• Private search engine compared to Google
• Enforce Encryption makes sure that you always land upon the HTTPS version of a site rather than the HTTP (if available).
• Privacy scores from A to F for each site
• TouchID/ FaceID lock
• Detailed customization settings are time-consuming
• The default search engine is DuckDuckGo and cannot be changed

8. Yandex Browser

Yandex browser is all about safe and secure browsing. It reduces data usage and speeds up page load time with its special Turbo mode.

Its uniqueness lies in its ability to change the look of tabs using preset background designs or photos from your device. Pretty neat when you’re bored of the plain look of other browsers.

The browser also offers you recommended content, including news, articles, and videos based on your interests. You can also access all your favorite websites and bookmarks on any of your devices with a Yandex account.

• Voice search in multiple languages, including Russian, Turkish, and Ukrainian.
• Customized look and content to
• In-built ad blocker
• Fast and secure
• Some websites don’t display correctly
• Need to create a Yandex account for sync

This one’s more of a search engine than a full-fledged browser, but it’s the best choice if you care about the earth and sustainability.

For approximately every 45 searches you do, Ecosia plants a tree. Given how we are all constantly searching for things, this is an easy way to do something small for the planet.

For more information about their work and transparency, you can check out the Projects tab at the browser’s bottom. However, since Ecosia is primarily a search engine, it lacks many essential features such as tabs and privacy controls.

So, it would be preferable to use this within another browser at the URL ecosia.org.

• Uses search revenue to plant trees
• Save your favorite webpages
• Clean, beautiful look
• Search results not as accurate as Google
• Not a full-fledged browser

With so many options, you can find a Safari alternative that perfectly fits your unique needs. Which browser do you love using on your iPhone or iPad? Share your preference with me in the comments below.

• Best Safari Extensions for iPhone and iPad
• How to disable Safari on iPhone? Easy ways to do it!
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• Delete frequently visited sites from Safari on iPhone

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10 Best Safari Browser Alternatives For Mac Users

Whether you are a fan of safari or not, here are some feature-rich alternatives that you can try on your macbook or imac..

Amongst several browsers that Mac users use, Apple’s very own Safari is the most adored and preferred browser. It even gets a head start because you already have it pre-installed on Mac. But, there are times when you might just want to switch things up a little bit, you might want to change your browser and for several reasons. Maybe you’ve tried your level best to make Safari work on Mac but to no avail or it could be that you are just looking for top Safari alternatives, just for fun sake. Whatsoever your end goal, we are going to present you with some of the top Safari alternatives.

Best Safari Alternatives For Mac 2024

Here you are going to have a look at the pros and the cons of all the browsers so that eventually you can make an informed decision about whether to stick with Safari or move on with its alternative, so, let’s dive straight into it, shall we?

Looking for a Safari alternative for Mac, Brave can be your best bet. If you have purchased the recent M1-powered Mac, you’ll be happy to know that you’ll now have native support for all M1-powered Macs.

Great for M-1 powered Macs

Faster and more private than several of its counterparts

Supports Chrome extensions as well

Blocks intrusive ads

Inbuilt firewall + VPN powered by Guardian (paid feature)

Earn rewards while browsing

Private window with Tor

Brave may block some parts of websites that you want to load

Some extensions might not be compatible

Download Brave

2. Google Chrome

If you ever had a notion that Chrome is restricted to other platforms but Apple, you are wrong because Chrome is one of the best Safari alternatives out there and if you haven’t, you should give it a try.

Fast and free of cost

Tabs are easy to manage, multitasking is a child’s play

Easy cache and browser history management

Streamlines interface and easy to use

Comes with a variety of extensions for entertainment and productivity

Cross-platform functionality

Can at times be resource and battery hogging

Chrome may react slowly to some of the macOS features

Download Chrome for Mac

3. Mozilla Firefox

Just as Firefox respects your privacy on other platforms, it does the same on Mac. And, if you thought, that’s the only good it has, wait till you delve into its other features or better, you can get your hands and try the goodness yourself –

Blocks social trackers, third-party cookies, and crypto mining scripts

Dedicated private browsing mode

Facebook container extension that makes it difficult for Facebook to track you

In-built password manager

Spell check, autoplay blocking, reader mode

In-browser screenshot application

Save web pages in “Pocket” for viewing them offline

Less number of extensions

A little resource hogging

Download Mozilla Firefox

4. Microsoft Edge Chromium

Don’t be surprised and say that hey! Isn’t Chromium-based Edge only for Windows? Not until we tell you how good (or how not so good) it is for Mac. Weigh the pros and cons and then decide.

Simple to import settings from other major browsers

Websites load fast

It’s easy to manage your privacy, thanks to three levels of tracking

Supports a large number of extensions

Customizable tab page

Changing to a search engine other than Bing can be a little pesky

The interface could be more organized

Download Edge for Mac

Also Read: Need a hand with installing Edge on Mac, read this post

With a user base of over 300 million and an array of magnificent features, Opera is one of the best alternatives for Safari for Mac. It is touted as one of the most compatible Mac browsers. The best part is that it even combats malware and phishing –

Compatible with most Chrome extensions

VPN for additional privacy

In-built ad-blocker

Ingrained chat messenger

More privacy-oriented browser

High RAM usage

The interface could have been more streamlined

Tab management could have been better

Another alternative for Safari on Mac that would cater well to all M1-powered Macs is Vivaldi. It has several features like mouse gestures, tab stacks, and many others that are missing in Safari.

Download manager

Inbuilt tab tiling

Supports Chrome extensions

Energy consumption functionality

Data protection

For some, the interface could be a little overwhelming

Lesser number of themes

Password and bookmark sync can be tough

Download Vivaldi for Mac

7. Waterfox

Though a lesser-known alternative to Safari, it is still an option to take heed of, considering the number of features it offers. You will find a resemblance to Mozilla Firefox since it is based on it.

A speedy alternative to Safari for Mac

Highly customizable

Less bloated

Works well with major streaming services

Adware can be an issue

Sometimes lags

Download Waterfox for Mac

8. SeaMonkey

SeaMonkey or SeaMonkey project is one of the options you can consider when searching for an alternative for Safari.

IRC chat, email, and newsfeed

Lightweight

Data manager that helps you deal with data gathered by websites

HTML editor and web development tools

Dated interface

Users may find it complex

Slow loading speed

Download SeaMonkey

For Mac users who are adventurous yet like to keep their privacy intact, Tor is a Safari alternative for Mac to give a try. It does as it says to keep you protected from surveillance, tracking, and censorship.

Free of cost and open source

Comes with DuckDuckGo search engine

Hides your IP when you are browsing websites

You can access Deep web and blocked websites

Tor comes with NoScript, HTTPS Everywhere, and other patches to protect your privacy

Speed can be an issue

It takes some time to start

The interface is a bit dated

Security can still be an issue

10. Maxthon

Maxthon might not be as popular as other browsers in its class, but it certainly has features that can give many browsers a run for the money. It does offer some great features which make it one of the best Safari alternatives for Mac.

Cloud backup saves data on a secure server

Best in class synchronization

Download videos right from YouTube and Facebook

In-built night mode, smart reader, and screen capture

Great encryption functionalities

No ad blocker

Does not have a large number of extensions

Contains some unnecessary features

Wrapping Up:

We hope that you enjoyed reading this blog and were able to pick an alternative for the Safari browser. Do let us know in the comments why or why did you not change your mind to switch from Safari to a different browser. And, which of the above Safari alternatives for Mac is your favorite. For more such content, keep reading the Tweak library. Love watching tech videos, do subscribe to our YouTube channel. You can also get connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flipboard, Pinterest, and Tumblr.

Related Topics

• 10 Best Mozilla Firefox Extension – 2024 >
• How To Change Search Engines On Different Mac Browsers? >
• Become A Pro Mac User With These 10 Tricks >

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16 Best Web Browsers for iPhone (Safari Alternatives)

Aside from Safari, prepare to explore some of the best web browsers for iPhone!

In this digital era, finding the best browser can significantly impact your surfing experience. Choosing one that provides smooth performance, strong security, and user-friendly features is critical with so many alternatives. In this article, we will look for the best web browser for iPhone.

Table of Contents

Best Web Browsers for iPhone (Safari Alternatives)

Even though Safari is the default web browser for all Apple devices. Sometimes, you may want some other alternatives for the best user experience. If You are one such person who is looking for a switch from your default browser, we have compiled a list of the top Safari alternatives for Apple users.

1. Google Chrome

If you were an Android user and switched to an iPhone, Google Chrome would be a better option as you are already familiar with this platform. It also provides excellent features like syncing the browsing history and all your bookmarks , across all devices, on your iPhone and iPad by signing in with your Gmail account . So this will be the best Safari alternative for iPhone and iPad.

2. Firefox Focus

Firefox Focus is considered as best Safari alternative for iPhone free as it offers excellent privacy features, including Enhanced Tracking Protection, and supports add-ons for customization . The private browsing mode prevents remembering your browsing history. It will also allow the deletion of any saved information and account with one tap, putting you in complete control of your internet history.

3. Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge is a full-featured browser with tabs, a password manager , a reading list, a language translator , and many other useful features like built-in tracking prevention . It’s the best Safari alternative for iPhone and iPad use. However, the disadvantage is that you must have a Microsoft account.

Also Read: 21 Best Web Browsers for Your Roku Device

Brave is known for its privacy-focused approach with built-in ad blocking and tracking protection. This browser is approximately six times faster than Chrome, Firefox, or Safari for iPhone and iOS. Hence it is considered as best iOS web browser for iPhone. It has no private mode like many other browsers but allows you to hide your browsing history from prying eyes when using the internet.

5. DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo Browser may be the best iOS web browser for iPhone if you value privacy and wish to browse the web without being monitored . It’s ideal for people worried about their online privacy and who wish to limit the amount of information gathered about their browsing history.

Opera was designed for people who are always on the move and is considered one of the fastest browsers for iPhone users. Its user interface and unique features cater to users who appreciate innovative design , seamless cross-device synchronization , and intuitive navigation. It’s worth trying Opera Touch to see if its features align with your preferences and browsing habits.

Also Read: 14 Best Fastest Browsers for Android

The Puffin browser is a fast iPhone Web Browser on the net, which cannot go unnoticed. It is not free to download , but you can do so after making a nominal payment for its services . Puffin browser’s cloud-based architecture and its support for Flash content set it apart from many other mobile browsers. Users looking for quick browsing speeds and users who need to access Flash-based material will find it especially helpful.

Dolphin Browser is yet another best web browsers for iPhone users. It’s well-known for its gesture-based navigation , customizability, and user-friendly interference. The browser also features the Sonar voice search and control option. This can be activated by simply shaking the device through a clever shake and speak option , but downloading this feature involves a nominal cost. The Dolphin browser also allows you to choose from plenty of themes.

Maxthon is a lightweight cloud-based iOS web browser that is free to download and use with iPhones. It has numerous features, and because it is cloud-based, you can sync your data with both iOS and non-iOS devices , allowing you to use your data at all times. It includes an ad blocker to help you avoid unwanted pop-ups and advertising while you work. This will enable you to keep your work pace without interruptions. The night mode feature lets you browse the internet without straining your eyes.

10. Ghostery

Ghostery is one of the best web browsers for iPhone and is ideal for individuals adamant about maintaining anonymity and privacy while avoiding annoying adverts, etc., on their iOS devices. For increased anonymity, it uses DuckDuckGo as its default search engine rather than the standard search engines such as Bing , Yahoo, or Google. This browser also has tracker blocking and can turn off cookies and caches with a single click. Unless you allow Ghostery to construct its database , no signups or data are collected by the app.

Also Read: Top 11 Best Private Browsers For Android

The Aloha web browser is a versatile and privacy-focused internet browser known for its user-friendly interface and advanced security features. With built-in ad-blocker , VPN, and enhanced tracking protection, Aloha aims to provide a seamless and secure browsing experience for users, ensuring their online activities remain private and protected.

12. Ad-block web browser

An Ad-block web browser is intended to provide consumers with a smooth and ad-free browsing experience . These browsers prioritize user privacy , faster page loading speeds, and decreased distractions by automatically eliminating annoying adverts , pop-ups, and trackers, boosting the overall online experience.

13. Yandex Browser

Yandex browser is known for its speed and security features, the browser integrates with Yandex’s search engine and offers built-in protection against malicious websites and phishing scams. Its user-friendly interface and customizable options make it a favored choice for users seeking a reliable browsing experience.

14. Onion Browser

Onion browser is free and open-source software for iOS, which enables browsing the internet over the Tor VPN browser. It helps access the internet with complete privacy and safety at no extra cost. It disables trackers and also keeps you safe from insecure wireless networks and ISPs when browsing the World Wide Web over the Internet. Those .onion sites that are only accessible over Tor can also be connected using this browser.

Also Read: 25 Best Android Browsers for Surfing the Internet

15. Private Browser

A private browser, commonly referred to as incognito or private mode , is a function provided by web browsers that enables users to access the internet without saving their browsing, cookie, or search histories . The purpose of this option is to increase privacy by prohibiting the browser from saving any data about the user’s online activities while they are using it.

16. Tor VPN Browser

The Tor VPN Browser is a virtual private network (VPN)-based web browsing solution with a privacy-focused approach that combines the anonymity of the Tor network with security. Users’ identities and online activities are hidden by the system by routing traffic across several encrypted nodes . This effective solution is a popular option for anyone looking to preserve their digital footprint because it provides improved online privacy and security against spying. 

These are the best web browsers for iPhone users, but the final call is left to the user to pick up, as it all boils down to personal preference and meeting your needs and wants. Those interested in downloading may go to the Apple Play Store, as most are free.

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3 Safari Alternatives for iPhone

While Safari is the default browser in iOS, it is also a very complete browser that is as capable as Chrome and Firefox and is able to handle most Web tasks well. However, not every iPhone user likes Safari. If you are looking for browsers that have different functionalities than Safari, here are our top picks of Safari alternatives for iPhone.

Also read: 4 of the Best Safari Alternatives for Your Mac

1. Ghostery

If you prefer privacy over design and speed in your Safari alternatives, Ghostery is perfect for your iPhone. It offers a fast, private, ad- and tracker-free browsing experience for your iPhone, packed with features that enhance your anonymity and privacy.

Like Chrome, this browser also provides curated news and your most visited websites from reputed media publishers like The Washington Post, BB, AP, USA Today and more. It also comes with its own search engine powered by DuckDuckgo and a built-in password manager.

You can see who is tracking your data on sites you visit, and choose to enable or disable the trackers. The native ad-blocker removes clutter and intrusive ads so you can experience cleaner and faster browsing.

Other features include Ghost mode for further privacy protection so that the sites you visit don’t show in your history, plus phishing protection to protect you from malicious sites that want to steal your information and passwords.

• Powerful privacy and anonymity features
• Allows you to protect your Wi-Fi connection from advertisers
• Blocks trackers
• Has a native password manager
• Comes with its own search engine
• Design may not be particularly pleasing
• Not as fast as other browsers
• Large in size

2. DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo gained popularity for being the anti-Google search engine. Today, though, it also has a mobile browser for Android and iOS devices, so you can stay protected while browsing and still get information about what the browser is blocking.

Each page you visit on the browser is graded based on how aggressively it tries to mine your personal or sensitive data. This makes it a great Safari alternative, as you get maximum protection online with little effort.

DuckDuckGo blocks tracking cookies that can identify who you are and the devices you’re using. It enforces encrypted HTTPS connections, forces HTTPS encryption where it’s available, and scans sites while ranking their privacy policies.

What’s more, you don’t have to click pages to find more search results because DuckDuckGo offers one-page results with infinite scrolling. This loads more search results so you won’t lose the initial results.

Once you’re done with a browsing session, DuckDuckGo lets you clear your tabs and data automatically or manually in one click. Plus, if you’ve been inactive on your browser, you can set timers to clear out your browsing history automatically.

• Simple to use
• Very protective of user privacy
• Grades web pages for mining activity
• Scans and ranks sites’ privacy policies
• Blocks tracking cookies
• One-page results with infinite scrolling loading
• Doesn’t remember search history
• Search results may sometimes be unrelated, not tailored to interests

Also read: How Does Brave Browser Compare to Chrome

3. Brave Browser

This is another secure Safari alternative for iOS that offers extreme privacy and lightning-fast browsing speed, areas were other browsers fall short. It blocks all popups and trackers, including ads from your browser, which makes browsing a lot faster, especially on sites that have trackers.

Brave Browser is easy and quick to navigate and features a new tab button, pop-up blocker, third-party ad-block, script blocking, private and recent tabs, cookie blocking, and a scrollable bar at the top.

It also allows you to sync your bookmarks securely and will force HTTPS encryption where it’s available.

Brave helps improve performance and optimize and reduce battery and data consumption. This is thanks to the speed increase on iOS, which it achieves by reducing page load time.

• Balances simplicity and power
• Tries to block phishing attempts
• Respects Your Privacy
• No site ranking
• Ad-blocking occasionally prevents a page from rendering correctly
• Lack of extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins

If you are looking for Safari alternatives because Safari is not working on your phone , we can help you wish some fixes. Other than that, the above Safari alternatives will add additional functionalities that are not found in Safari.

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Why choosing an alternative web browser, 7 best alternative web browsers, conclusion: the best web browser for you, related articles, 7 best alternative web browsers [to chrome, safari & firefox].

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Updated on: February 23, 2024

When people talk about “ alternative internet browsers ” they commonly refer to any web browser that isn’t one of the “Major Browsers”, like Google Chrome, Firefox or Safari.

There are plenty of other web browsers available that offer functionalities and features that may appeal to you. Things such as enhanced privacy, multi-layer protection, greater customization, and browsing tools.

If you’re one of the majority of internet users relying only on Google Chrome, you may miss out on several valuable features. For instance, Chrome has no reading mode, which is available in many of the best alternative open-source web browsers to Chrome we’ve mentioned here.

So, if you’re unhappy with your current browser or just want to explore the options, here is a list of the best alternative web browsers for you.

Alternative web browsers can provide you with more robust privacy protection, emphasize performance for your particular usage, or just provide you with the features that adjust better to your daily usage.

Numerous modified versions of the mainstream browsers are deployed as alternative browsers for Ubuntu, Windows, and Mac.

Are you using Ubuntu? Then you should be reading about the best web browsers for Ubuntu .

Several of these alternatives can be behind in terms of modifications and the implementation of web standards as they are often fully accessible projects or passion projects.

While switching from a popular browser may not sound alluring, alternative browsers offer their own perks.

1. Opera Web Browser

Price : Free OS : Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, macOS Best For : Eliminating unwanted ads and protecting your online privacy

The Opera web browser is one of the oldest and best alternative internet web browsers that perform efficiently on Linux, Windows, and macOS operating systems.

It also works well on Android and iOS. This evergreen browser has a good reputation for being fast and reliable and has many features.

Thanks to its 100% free VPN, you will enjoy reduced tracking and enhanced privacy while browsing the internet. Also, the built-in messengers enable you to stay connected with your family, friends, and coworkers right from the browser.

Opera can be a great alternative to Chrome as it’s quite similar in many ways too, such as Tabbed browsing, private tabs, password management, sync between devices, and many more.

Basic Features :

• Built-in Ad Blocker to reduce/eliminate unwanted ads
• Built-in 100% Free VPN for enhanced privacy
• Built-in Turbo feature for fast internet speed
• Opera has light hardware and is quick and easy to operate.
• Thanks to its browser tools, this web browser keeps your personal info safe and secure.
• Enjoy effective and optimal data synchronization potentials with this web browser platform.
• Locating the extensions in Opera is a bit challenging.
• Compatibility with older websites may not always be possible.

2. Brave – One of The Best Alternative Web Browsers

Price : Free OS : Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, macOS Best For : Enhanced protection and privacy

When it comes to alternative web browsers to Google Chrome (and others), Brave stands out as one of the most prominent candidates. This browser claims itself to be three times faster than Chrome, which is true to some extent.

Furthermore, it offers enhanced energy efficiency and better privacy and protection. You can download it on your iOS and Android mobiles or simply use it on a device with Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems.

• Refines Page Function to get rid of irrelevant information.
• Free video calls, independent search, offline playlists, and more
• “Private Tabs with Tor” for enhanced private browsing experience
• Brave is one of the most reliable alternative web browsers that protects users from malicious content, trackers, and online ads.
• It is the one-stop destination for incognito windows, ad-blocking, private independent search, and VPNs.
• This web browser is well-optimized to consume less power, hence saving your battery life and ensuring faster-loading speed.
• Although Brave is one of the fastest web browsers, it doesn’t feature some plug-ins, extensions, and add-ons.
• Brave tends to take up a lot of storage space on your device, which can result in slowing down the device altogether.

3. Microsoft Edge

Price : Free OS : Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, macOS Best For : Windows users who need a faster and safer browsing experience

Microsoft Edge is one of the most competitive alternative web browsers for Windows and other operating systems.

This web browser is integrated with enhanced protection and high-end security functions.

Like Chrome browser, Edge is also based on the same open-source Chromium project.

Discover what are the best Chromium-based web browsers .

Although it is Windows 10’s default system browser, it is not available in most older versions of Windows OS. This fast web browser showcases only a few obligatory components on its interface.

• Seamlessly import data from Safari, Firefox, and Chrome
• Enhanced control over the privacy
• Immersive Reader to only see the text content
• Like Chrome, edge also offers sleek minimalism and faster speed while ensuring a future full of apps, add-ons, and plugins.
• Thanks to its low memory consumption, you can enjoy quicker page loading, faster surfing, and a seamless user experience.
• It features a “distraction-free reading mode” to let you cut or eliminate irrelevant content, download pages, and read them at your convenience.
• Like Chrome, Microsoft Edge also needs relatively better system resources as it has minimal published hardware requirements.
• Unlike Chrome, Edge has a shortfall of many plug-ins and extensions. It is disappointing to those who think of using it as their daily driver.

4. Tor Project

Price : Free OS : Windows, macOS, Linux, Android Best For : Anonymity on the interwebs

Tor is abbreviated for The Onion Router and is one of the best open-source alternative web browsers. It holds a strong reputation for allowing users to browse the internet anonymously. Also, it’s well-known for being the only web browser that allows access to the dark web.

If you use a Mac, check out the best web browsers for Mac and, if you care about performance, discover what are the fastest web browsers for Mac .

No matter if you lack interest in the dark web, this network still ensures great anonymity with its multiple layers of encryption.

This anonymity offered by the browser is ideal for people who want safety while using an alternative browser to surf the internet.

• Cross-platform availability
• Advanced and top-notch data encryption
• The anonymity of websites and servers
• This browser hides your IP address and other private data while browsing the internet.
• This network lets you open websites that are all encrypted and secured.
• You are free to post anything while hiding your identity and enjoy doing democratic activities efficiently.
• This network lets you access blocked and deep web websites.
• It involves redirecting via at least three nodes, making the web browsing slower than usual.
• The startup time is much higher than other web browsers like Firefox or Chrome.
• This network doesn’t allow you to upload or download large files.

5. Avast – Web Browser

Price : Free OS : Windows, iOS, and Android Best For : Home users seeking enhanced cybersecurity

Avast is a prevalent web browser when it comes to cybersecurity.

This network features anti-malware and anti-virus solutions to protect your device from any malicious activity. Plus, the availability of the Avast secure browser on Windows and other OS makes it more popular than ever.

This web browser, that can be great alternative to Chrome , provides its users a private, safe, and secure browsing experience to afford privacy with ease. The browser can enhance your browsing experience by completely eliminating or reducing spammy, creepy ads.

• Automatic blocking of malicious downloads.
• Download manager for downloading high-quality YouTube videos
• The Avast browser has a password manager that ensures generating strong passwords and saves you from having to type a password every time you log in to some password-protected tab or profile.
• You can access geo-blocked websites while hiding your ID address with its integrated VPN technology.
• Due to its dedicated modes, it is beneficial for easy access to banking and shopping portals.
• This web browser is not available on the Mac app store.
• You may have to subscribe to a premium membership to access some of its security features.

If you want to save some storage space, here are some of the best browsers that uses the least RAM .

6. Polarity Browser

Price : Free OS : Windows, Android Best For : blocking ads and getting tracking protection.

Polarity is an amazing alternative dual-engine web browser powered by Trident and Chromium. It ensures low CPU and low RAM usage to focus on system efficiency. It is designed to be optimized for Windows and Android operating systems devices.

It lets you explore the web with a simple, intuitive UI, which is highly customizable with apps, themes, and extensions from the UserStyles, OpenUserJS, GreasyFork, and Polarity Store. Also, it features built-in privacy and adblocker tools like header masking and VPN support.

• Strong web filter that alerts and protects users
• Built-in ad blocker to filter out 90% of ads
• Built-in theming system for customization
• Compared to Chrome, Polarity takes 10x less memory to ensure fast and lightweight performance.
• You can browse the internet with multiple profiles and separate cookies, cache, and history thanks to parallel sessions.
• The customizable UI of the browser lets you customize window color, text color, tab color, and more.
• Although the browser is incredibly fast and lightweight, it crashes sometimes.
• One impractical thing about Polarity is you’ll need to use the built-in deinstallation tool to uninstall this browser.

Did you know you can collaborate while browsing the web? Check out all about shared browsing and co-browsing

7. Mozilla Firefox

Price : Free OS : Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS Best For : Power users and privacy protection

Mozilla Firefox is an open-source, free web browser launched six years before Google Chrome. This web browser is being translated into over 90 languages, and it works effectively with Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Recently, Firefox has added plenty of other features to make its network more secure and protected for its users. For instance, Firefox now automatically blocks and prevents third-party cookies and tracking to safeguard your data from social trackers.

• Less RAM consumption and lightweight design
• Intuitive navigation for easy access
• Alleviates autoplay on embedded videos
• Retrieves web pages with embedded memory
• This web browser ensures enhanced protection for all your Internet browsing activities.
• Thanks to its tracking protection, websites won’t follow you around the internet.
• It provides enhanced network security, multiple add-ons for personalized browsing, and a more straightforward user interface.
• This browser comes with a slow startup time, which can be annoying.
• Unlike Chrome, its add-ons aren’t easy to access and navigate.

No matter why you want to switch from Chrome to a better alternative web browser, you can rest assured that there are plenty of better alternatives out there for free.

When considering an alternative web browser for your needs, contemplate all the features offered by each one of them.

The fact that these browsers are free to download and use makes it ideal and smart to test each one before committing to any particular.

Different browsers ensure different user experiences, so know what’s best for your needs and choose accordingly.

• Top Web3 Browsers 2023
• 22 Top Web Browsers for Linux
• 5+ Best Web Browsers for Windows 11
• Top 5 Chromebook Web Browsers 2022

Alvaro Trigo

I’m Alvaro, a full-stack web developer and a full-time entrepreneur. Creator of fullpage.js . You can follow me at Twitter .

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7 Best Safari Alternatives for iPhone

If you own an iPhone, you might be using the Safari browser to surf the internet. The Safari browser is a competent browser with all the basic tools one would need out of a browser. However, there are more advanced and more feature-rich browsers available, which are not only available for Android but are also available for iPhone users via the App Store.

And using these browsers will not only increase your productivity but will also provide you with a slew of features that you will appreciate when browsing the internet. So, in this guide, we bring to you a list of some of the best Safari alternatives for the iPhone that you can opt for. Without any further ado, let us get right into it.

Page Contents

1. Google Chrome

Without a doubt, one of the most used browsers across platforms and devices is Google Chrome. Not only does it have the familiar look and feel of the browser we all love, but it also gives you access to multiple features that you were not able to use in Safari.

One of the best features of Google Chrome is the seamless sync across all your connected devices. This means you get your bookmarks, history, saved pages, saved passwords, etc. accessible across all devices connected to the same Google account. Moreover, other features that make it a better alternative to Safari are better tab management, built-in Google Voice support, data saver mode, experimental flags to enjoy some unreleased features, and much more.

2. Opera Browser

Opera is another good alternative for iOS users if they want to switch over from Safari. Recent updates for Opera have brought multiple new features to the table. The browser is fast, gives you access to an in-built VPN, has a native ad-blocker, and offers a fast action button, allowing for one-handed usage.

The browser interface is great and easy to maneuver. There is a dark mode also for giving your eyes a breather during the night time. It also comes with a built-in QR code scanner. Overall, a decent alternative to the Safari browser.

3. DuckDuckGo

One of the simplest and most focused on giving you a secure internet environment is DuckDuckGo. Along with safety, this browser also gives equal attention to customization as well. You can change the icon and change the mode from light to dark.

There is a built-in search engine that does not track your input data, like Google does. It has a robust third-party tracker and it enforces encryption on unsecured sites (opens the HTTPS version of the website with HTTP) and shows you the privacy scores from A to F for each site.

Cake is a new browser on the block but has higher ratings compared to other browsers. It comes with all the basic features that you would want from a browser, and it also offers advanced features as well. It comes with a built-in VPN app, which negates the need to install a third-party VPN app to access restricted content.

There are other security features such as Anonymous Browsing, Private Tab Time Bomb, Passcode Protection, Https Everywhere, Do Not Track, and Ad & Tracker Blocking. It also comes with a dark mode, voice search, and ad-blocker.

Another browser that focuses on privacy and safeguarding user data is Aloha. It does not store any of your activity, meaning you can browse the internet without any hassle. The interface is similar to Google Chrome and also gets a hint of the Microsoft Edge browser, You can play videos in the picture-in-picture mode and it comes with a VR player to play all of your VR content. There is a paid version of the Aloha browser that also features some advanced features such as VPN, and other security features.

6. Brave Browser

Brave Browser claims to be one of the faster browsers out there, as it reduces the page loading time. It comes with an ad-blocker out of the box, and is also known to be a browser that doesn’t strain your battery. Brave Browser supports publishers by compensating the website owners whose ads it blocks at the end of each month.

It opens the secured website of every unsecured website, i.e. adds HTTPS to HTTP. You can also make use of TouchID or FaceID to lock or unlock this browser. It features an in-built firewall and VPN, and gets you going through the day via its Brave News section.

7. Microsoft Edge

Last but not least, we have the Microsoft Edge browser. Microsoft Edge is totally redesigned and there is no trace of Internet Explorer. It has a clean user interface, with features that will help you, such as private tabs, swipe gestures, translating webpages, and picture-in-picture functionality for videos that supports almost all websites.

There is a “read aloud” feature as well that reads the content or text on the page. It blocks ads using the adblocker, offers an immersive reader mode, and has a tracking prevention feature.

If you've any thoughts on 7 Best Safari Alternatives for iPhone , then feel free to drop in below comment box . Also, please subscribe to our DigitBin YouTube channel for videos tutorials. Cheers!

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Safari alternatives: 12 smart iOS [and iPadOS] browser options

• ios & ipados

By Karlston , Published Date: November 18, 2023

• November 18, 2023

While all iOS browsers use the same core rendering engine as Safari, many of them offer additional functions useful in business. Here are a dozen Safari alternatives to test drive.

Chances are your corporate IT policy dictates which browser you use on your laptop or desktop. On your iPhone, though, you may be free to choose a more exotic browser. We’ve rounded up a dozen Safari alternatives for iOS that may suit you better.

Ever since the release of iOS 14 in 2020, Apple has allowed users to select a default browser (the one that opens when you tap on a link in an email or an app) other than Safari. Many alternate browsers will even ask if you want to set them as your default the first time you launch them, though you might want to test drive them for a bit before committing to one.

It’s worth noting, however, that Apple requires developers to use the same WebKit rendering engine as Safari to display web pages on screen, so iOS web browsers are really all just WebKit in a different wrapper. That said, some alternative browsers offer quite different interfaces and/or more expansive feature sets. For instance, some entrants on this list include a VPN that can be used to secure connections and port your requests through a different location or country.

Check out these options to see if one or more might have a place in your business browsing. Unless otherwise noted, these browsers are free.

Aloha Browser

Aloha is a feature-laden mobile browser that packs a whole lot of Polynesian personality. Beyond the Hawaiian-themed start screen, Aloha offers privacy features including ad blocking; private tabs; a crypto wallet; an internal file manager for downloads, media, and documents; syncing across devices; and a VPN. A premium subscription ($6 per month or $50 per year) enables advanced VPN capabilities like automatic startup/reconnect and encrypting all traffic from your iPhone, instead of just the Aloha browser itself.

The Aloha browser pairs a laid-back Hawaiian look with serious privacy controls.

Google Chrome might be the most popular mobile browser overall, but that’s mostly due to Android’s dominance in the global smartphone market. On iPhones, it comes in as a distant second to Apple’s own Safari.

If you use the Chrome desktop browser, you can sync bookmarks and recently visited sites via your Google account, replicating Safari’s Handoff feature. There’s also one-touch access to Google Translate, voice search using Google Assistant rather than Siri, and a handy QR-code scanner above the virtual keyboard. Chrome’s Incognito mode doesn’t send cookies or store browser history.

Like many alternative iOS browsers, Chrome invites you to make it your default

Dolphin Mobile Browser

The Dolphin browser has one of the longest feature lists of any of the mobile browsers. You can tell Dolphin where you want to go by tapping on one of its speed-dial buttons; selecting a destination from the bookmarks, history, or open tabs it has synchronized with your PC; or typing its address. You can also use touch gestures to select favorite destinations — perhaps tracing a C for Computerworld.com — and you can even control the browser by shaking your phone or speaking to it. On top of all that, you also get ad and tracking blocking and a useful drawer (tap the Dolphin icon) that makes it easy to access the bevy of features Dolphin Browser has to offer. 

The Dolphin browser offers a plethora of features.

DuckDuckGo Private Browser

It’s not just a search engine. In addition to giving the world a way to search the web free from tracking, monitoring, and monetizing your searches, DuckDuckGo offers its own browser . As you might guess, the big focus is on privacy, and it allows you surf the web without being tracked or leaving a trail from your phone.

A Fire button is prominently displayed in the toolbar below web pages; tapping it closes all tabs and clears all browsing data (and does it with your choice of four different animations). You can also “fireproof” sites, marking them as able to set cookies for things like logins, shopping carts, and so forth — but third-party trackers will still be blocked.

DuckDuckGo offers both privacy-focused search and privacy-focused browsing.

Microsoft Edge will sync favorites and passwords between all your devices logged into Microsoft’s cloud servers. Using its “Send to devices” command, you can send a tab from your phone to your other connected devices, and the Collections feature lets you gather and organize web content for later reference. Edge also offers voice search, tracking prevention, an ad blocker, InPrivate tabs that won’t store browsing data, and the ability use both personal and business Microsoft accounts.

If you sign into your Microsoft account, the Edge browser syncs favorites, passwords,

Collections, and more between your devices.

Using Mozilla Firefox on the iPhone is a smart choice if you’re already using Firefox on other devices, since it will sync bookmarks, passwords and other information between them all to keep you up to speed. Its customizable home page includes shortcuts, recently visited sites, and more. Firefox on iOS also features the same anti-ad tracking technology found on the desktop and sports large visual tabs for fast retrieval.

Firefox offers a customizable home page and a rich set of features.

Firefox Focus

In addition to the mainstream Firefox web browser, Mozilla also offers a streamlined, distraction-free option called Firefox Focus . If you’re easily distracted, have ADHD, or just want a little help staying on task, it’s worth checking out as an alternative or addition to Apple’s Focus modes that are built into iOS. Firefox Focus blocks ads and trackers by default, and you can erase your browsing history, passwords, and cookies with a single tap on its ever-present trashcan icon.

The minimalist interface of Firefox Focus reduces distractions.

Onion Browser

Tor is a distributed system for anonymizing internet traffic. Developed by the Tor Project, the original (desktop) Tor Browser uses the Tor network to keep your identity and online activity secret — important protection for journalists, activists, whistleblowers, and people who live under repressive regimes that limit internet freedom. If you’re very serious about privacy, using a Tor browser provides far more protection than other options. Note, however, that routing traffic through Tor slows down your browsing, and many websites won’t work properly. For most users, a Tor browser isn’t necessary.

Several third-party developers have ported Tor to iOS. None are directly affiliated with the Tor Project, and the project notes that the WebKit engine underlying all iOS browsers prevents them from having privacy protections as extensive as its own Tor Browser. That said, the project recommends the Onion Browser , which uses Tor routing to ensure that your ISP can’t see what you’re browsing and websites can’t see your IP address.

If you’re an experienced Tor user, you’ll be able to configure the browser’s advanced settings. Otherwise, the Onion Browser makes configuration simple with three security-level presets (Gold, Silver, and Bronze).

The Onion Browser has an array of advanced security settings but also offers

simple presets for varying levels of protection.

The Opera mobile browser was originally developed to cut data usage and speed up page loading on feature phones and low-end smartphones, but iPhone owners can appreciate its speed and efficiency, too. In addition to its compression function, which uses a web proxy run by Opera, the browser also includes an ad blocker, a crypto wallet, and a VPN. The VPN is pretty rudimentary; it encrypts only traffic from Opera and limits you to general regions (Europe, the Americas, and Asia) when connecting through another locale, rather than letting you choose specific countries.

Opera is fast and includes a basic VPN.

Orion Browser

At first glance, Orion seems like a very basic browser with the typical feature set. Look at the browser’s settings, however, and there’s a bit more to discover, including different modes to help you focus, streamline your data use, and even conserve battery life.

Orion also blocks ads and trackers. In addition to syncing content between multiple devices, you can protect private browsing tabs or the entire browser using Face/Touch ID or your phone’s passcode.

The Orion browser offers focus, data-saving, and low-power modes.

The name says it all. Search All is designed to search for almost anything, almost anywhere, all at once. You can select from more than 50 different sites to search across several categories including search engines, online stores, video sites, image repositories, wiki-based knowledge sites, some social networks, and even comics libraries and get results from each of them in separate tabs.

While it may not be a go-to browser for everyday use for most people, the ability to instantly search for anything across so many services is incredibly useful when you’re researching a fact, trying to find a specific video clip, comparing prices, or need a specific picture for a project.

Tap into the power of searching multiple sites simultaneously with Search All.

SPIN Safe Browser

The primary focus of the SPIN Safe Browser is safe browsing (hence the name). In addition to privacy controls, it includes content filtering that can hide questionable images and content as you browse. This makes it a good choice if you have kids or want to avoid looking at certain things on a device that you use for work.

What makes SPIN unique on this list is that the developer is focused on the education and enterprise market. It offers a $20 version of the browser that you can customize via an AppConfig-compatible mobile device management (MDM) platform, such as Jamf or Hexnode. This means that IT departments can deploy the browser and have a full set of controls for managing it throughout a school or company.

The SPIN Safe Browser offers standard features but also blocks NSFW content

and can be managed via MDM software.

This article was originally published in October 2017 and most recently updated in May 2023.

User Feedback

Recommended comments, karlston 41,363.

Posted November 19, 2023

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One downside of not using Safari is that content blockers, like AdGuard, only work on Apple's Safari browser, For ad-blocking with other browsers, the browser has to have its own, either native or an extension.

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AAPL Company

More people choose alternative iphone web browsers when prompted.

One of the changes Apple had to make to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) was to present customers with a list of iPhone web browsers during setup, and to choose the one they want. Browsers must be listed in random order, so that Safari isn’t highlighted.

We’d previously seen some indication that the new antitrust law was proving effective, and a new report today says this is true for six leading browser companies …

iPhone web browsers must be a free choice

The most popular desktop web browser in the world was once Netscape, with around a 90% market share in the 1990s. That all changed when Microsoft began bundling its own web browser, Internet Explorer, with Windows. Internet Explorer also failed to stick to industry standards, meaning that some website features would only work with its own browser. By 2000, Netscape’s share was just 1%.

In 2001, the US government brought an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft for this and other issues.

Europe decided there’s a similar problem today in mobile browsers. When you first setup an iPhone, it comes with Safari preinstalled, and this will be used by default unless you download an alternative browser and manually set that as your default.

Even if you do this, all competing browsers were required to use Apple’s WebKit, meaning they couldn’t offer faster engines or features not supported by Apple’s API.

DMA requirements for EU iPhone owners

iPhone owners in Europe must now be asked to choose their web browser when they first setup the device. A list of the 11 most popular browsers must be shown, and the order must be randomised. Apple’s own Safari browser cannot be highlighted in any way.

The same is true with Android phones, with Google’s Chrome browser given no special treatment.

The Brave browser saw a sharp increase in take-up when the change was introduced in iOS 17.4, and Reuters reports the same has been true for other browsers.

Top comment by Chazak

The simple truth is just about all users who aren't tech enthusiasts or people who make their living from tech and related businesses, could not care less about this.

It is driven by EU regulators and the developer community, neither of which has much awareness of the average user's needs and wants.

All six companies approached by Reuters reported growth in the EU since the change – including one company which actually charges a subscription.

Founded in 2016, Aloha, which markets itself as a privacy focused alternative to browsers owned by big tech, has 10 million monthly average users and earns money through paid subscriptions, rather than selling ads by tracking users. “Before, EU was our number four market, right now it’s number two,” Aloha CEO Andrew Frost Moroz said in an interview.

But Apple may not be fully compliant

Other browser companies claim that the process is convoluted, and provides no information on any of the browsers listed. They say this means iPhone users are more likely to simply pick the name they know, which is most likely to be Safari.

The EU is currently investigating this complaint .

Photo by  Amanz  on  Unsplash

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

Breaking news from Cupertino. We’ll give you t…

There are growing concerns that Apple could be f…

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!

Ben Lovejoy's favorite gear

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7 Best Safari Alternatives for Your Mac

Safari is a minimalist browser with built-in privacy features to enable users to surf the Internet at blazing fast speeds without worrying about how their data is used. It is designed for Apple devices so its look and feel are uniforms across the platforms. That notwithstanding, some Mac users prefer to work with other browsers and there are a handful of excellent alternatives.

Although some will argue that Safari is the best browser for macOS because it was built for it, others prefer to use a different option. In today’s article, I present you with a collection of web browsers that can replace Safari’s functionality in your workflow. Criteria include but aren’t restricted to its UI/UX, built-in/extra features, and performance with regards to battery and memory consumption.

Mozilla Firefox is a free and open-source web browser designed with simplicity, beauty, speed, security, and customizability in mind. Combined with its Internet surfing and data protection features, it offers users a family of products to facilitate their workflow. These apps include Monitor, Send, Lockwise, and Pocket.

Brave is a fast and secure browser developed based on Google Chrome. Its main outstanding features include a beautiful clutter-free UI, a built-in ad blocker, optimized data and battery experience, and tracking and security protection.

Brave exists to give users back their power by taking control of how their data is collected. Users can also opt into its privacy-respecting ads to earn rewards and it is completely free.

Opera is a beautiful, security-conscious, privacy-respectful, and always-evolving web browser. It has the most unique features built into any web browser and even forks of Google chrome cannot say that inspiration is not drawn from Opera.

It boasts some of the nicest animations and shortcuts for activities and apps. Examples include a pop-out for streaming online content undisturbed even when switching between tabs, Instagram in the sidebar, an automatic currency and time-zone converter, a VPN, etc.

Microsoft Edge is a new recently revamped web browser designed for efficient browsing, world-class performance, privacy & data protection, and better productivity. The Redmond Giants have learnt a lot over the years from Google Chrome and Firefox and have commendably figured out how to make Edge a “best of both worlds” for some.

5. Google Chrome

The most popular browser is the blazing fast Google Chrome browser designed to be customizable, fast and reliable. It has had an excellent performance and feature record for so long that it has virtually become the standard for web browsers.

All the forks of Chrome e.g. Brave and Vivaldi enjoy the features that it has and just go a step further to include features you’ll typically need extensions for by default. If you want the original, user-friendly browser then Chrome is inescapable.

Vivaldi is a modern browser intended for all users but targeted at technically-inclined users, given that it was started to please web surfers dissatisfied with Opera’s switch from the Presto layout engine to a Chromium-based one.

Among its many features includes a built-in ad-blocker, download manager, tracking and data collection protection, enhanced performance to minimize energy consumption, etc.

7. Waterfox

Waterfox is a high-performance Mozilla-based indie web browser built to provide 64-bit users with speed. Its flag features include limited data collection, no telemetry, NPAPI plugins, bootstrapped add-ons, and themes.

All these browsers feature a beautiful user interface, sufficient customizability, synchronization across devices, relative performance speed, and memory friendliness. I can already hear someone scoffing at Google Chrome being battery and memory friendly. That’s a topic for another day. The fact is that Google Chrome is amazingly efficient and no list of reliable web browsers will be complete without it.

Which browsers do you use on your Mac setup?  What do you like about your favourite browser? Share your thoughts with us in the discussion section below. And remember that you can format your comments in HTML.

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'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?

ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.

When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form .

This free Microsoft Office alternative has just as many productivity tools (including ChatGPT)

ZDNET's key takeaways

• The OnlyOffice Desktop Editors app can be installed and used for free on Linux, MacOS, and Windows.
• OnlyOffice Desktop Editors lets you work with files either locally or from a remote server, has a user-friendly interface, and includes all the features you need.
• OnlyOffice Desktop Editors isn't quite as flexible as LibreOffice and there's no way to save between local and remote destinations.

About a year ago, I chose to depart from the cloud for my fiction writing. Why? Two letters: AI . I didn't want third parties using my work to train their neural networks and Large Language Models (LLMs). I thus returned to the old-school method of using a traditionally installed application for novel writing.

I needed to pick a new office suite. My first choice is always LibreOffice, because it not only does an outstanding job with my manuscripts, but it's also open-source and can be installed on Linux, MacOS, and Windows. I've been using LibreOffice since version 1 (and was using StarOffice and OpenOffice before that).

This doesn't mean, however, that I'm not open to trying something else.

Also: What is Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365)? Everything you need to know

A few years ago, I was introduced to OnlyOffice . I installed the server portion on Linux and used OnlyOffice via a web browser. The suite always worked very well, but the deployment of the server portion could be a bit tricky (especially if you don't know your way around Linux). I used that setup for some time, but eventually gave it up when my server that hosted OnlyOffice died a slow and painful death.

When OnlyOffice released its Desktop Editors tool, I assumed it was nothing more than a client for the server. Color me surprised when I discovered that the OnlyOffice Desktop Editors app could also work locally. Not only that, but you could connect it to a cloud instance (such as an OnlyOffice server running on your home network). That's a special kind of flexibility I could certainly use.

So, I re-deployed an OnlyOffice server instance, and installed the OnlyOffice Desktop Editors app on both Linux and MacOS, to see how well this app could serve as a local office suite with the option of using a server-based instance that didn't involve a third-party cloud host.

I was pleasantly surprised with the results.

Also:  5 ways LibreOffice meets my writing needs better than Google Docs can

OnlyOffice performed far better than I was expecting. I would go as far as to say that OnlyOffice was LibreOffice's equal on most accounts. For me, LibreOffice's main advantage over OnlyOffice is the ability to use custom styles (which is extremely important when you're writing a full-length novel every two months). For most users, that's not really a requirement, so it's fairly easy to say OnlyOffice could easily rival any traditional office suite.

What OnlyOffice offers

OnlyOffice has tools for documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDF forms. The suite includes all the standard features, such as collaboration tools (comments, track changes, markup, compare and combine, and more), spell check, document protection (encryption and digital signatures), and templates. Formatting options are fairly standard and you can insert images, charts, shapes, smart art, links, headers & footers, date & time, text boxes, equations, symbols, and more.

OnlyOffice Desktop Editors also includes plugin support. Out of the box, you'll find plugins for macros, a photo editor, a translator, Zotero, a thesaurus, YouTube, OCR, and code highlighting. In the plugin manager, you'll find several options that even include ChatGPT, Autocomplete, and LanguageTool.

Also:  How to create a database with LibreOffice

The main way that I test office suites is to open one of my manuscripts sent to me from my publisher, which includes all the editor's comments. Previous releases of LibreOffice struggled with these documents (coming to a crawl when hundreds of comments were added to a document). Since version 7.0, LibreOffice no longer has issues with those manuscripts. Still, I've become wary of opening my books in different office suites. Thankfully, opening an older novel (with first-round edit comments) in OnlyOffice Desktop Editors assuaged that concern: the app handled the 60,000-word to 70,000-word documents with ease.

I've thus decided to give OnlyOffice a go with my current novel and have been quite pleased with the results. I've even done a bit of copying/pasting between the locally saved document to a document saved on my OnlyOffice server. (My main suggestion to the OnlyOffice Desktop Editors developers is to enable automatically saving a local file to a remote server, for a more reliable backup option).

ZDNET's advice

If you're like me, and you've grown leery of depending on cloud-based solutions that could be using your work to train AI, a locally installed office suite is a must. If you don't want to pay for Microsoft Office, don't have a Mac (for Apple Pages), and aren't a fan of the LibreOffice UI, this app is an ideal option. You can work with files locally or on your network (if you have the server component installed), enjoy a UI that's similar to Microsoft Office, and trust that your documents are safe and the application is reliable. 

If that sounds appealing, download OnlyOffice Desktop Editors for your operating system.

I plan to keep using the free office suite for novel writing until the siren song of LibreOffice overpowers me and I have to return to the open-source office suite.

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