It’s impossible to browse the internet without a web browser (No Shit Sherlock!). Web Browsers are the most important software on your PC unless you’re a person who doesn’t know what the web is and have no access to the internet. If you are using a web browser only then you will be reading this article.
We spend a lot of time browsing the internet, an average person spends 6 hours on the net. That’s a lot of time, people spend about 30-35 hours every week on the net, these are rookie numbers though. Our team members are online 12-14 hours a day, many people spend more time than this. (No life, sad…)
Back in the day, we used to have the legendary Internet Explorer which was used just for downloading other web browsers. Since the last few years, it has discontinued and now Microsoft Windows comes with built-in Microsoft Edge which is a decent browser but it’s going to be replaced with the Chromium version. That’s a good move by Microsoft.
No matter what happens to Microsoft Edge there are still lots of web browsers on PC that you can work or waste your time with. Today, we are going to cover the best PC Web browsers which you should use. We will make a separate list for mobile and tablet browsers.
Here are the best web browsers which you shouldn’t ignore…
Best Web Browsers You Should Use On Your PC
Mozzila Firefox
The Open-Source web browser Mozilla Firefox is the best when it comes to speed (maybe), extension features, and safety. Everything you expect from a web browser is offered by Firefox, there’s hardly a department where it lags behind from its competitors. It’s also very secure, more than any other browser in this list.
Mozilla Firefox is available for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS platforms. There was a time when Firefox was losing to its competitor but it bounced back hard, now there’s hardly any other browser which can come close to it. With elegant design, focus on privacy and safety it’s our favorite internet browser.
While many browsers make money by selling or using your data for earning more money. Mozilla is totally free to use and secure browser, it makes most of its money from royalties and sponsorship deals. It’s one of the reasons you can totally trust this web browser. It’s the #1 web browser for us.
Google Chrome
No matter what you do, you just can’t ignore the Chrome browser as it has the largest market share of the PC web browsers. On Android smartphones, it comes as the default web browser. While it outperforms every other mobile browser especially on Android, it isn’t any slouch on PC.
Chrome as a browser is pretty solid, what we like the most about it is that it’s fast, has very useful extensions, great design and much more. Like most of the internet users, we also work on Google Chrome as it has some very useful extensions which aren’t available on other browsers. But it’s not the best.
There are some flaws with Chrome that you have to accept like – it is owned by Google so no matter what you browse it will get tracked as Google’s whole business is built around storing people’s data, they can even sell the data to the government. Also, it consumes a lot of RAM and will shut down if you don’t have a decent computer.
Microsoft Edge
Microsft Edge is the current browser that comes pre-installed with Windows 10 OS. They have surely redeemed themselves as it’s a pretty good browser and a great upgrade from the good old Internet Explorer. While we still use Edge to download other browsers at first, it’s also used on a regular basis by many.
Edge is compatible with only new versions of Windows, you can use it on older ones like Windows 7, XP, etc. if you still use those OS. It is also available for iOS and Android platforms but is an average browser there. It’s a solid web browser on Windows though, you will like its modern look and features.
Speaking of features it has many, while it doesn’t support many extensions it does have something that many browsers on this list lack i.e, phone support. Yes, if you face any difficulty with the Microsoft Edge browser you can just call the developers and fix your problem. It’s also very secure.
Opera Mini
There was a time very long ago when Opera Mini was one of the most popular internet browsers. Before the web browser market share was taken by large by Google Chrome there were not many great ones. The fewer ones that were available were – Mozzila & Opera Mini. Now, Opera is one of the underrated web browsers.
If you have used Google Chrome you will find Opera Mini to be very similar it’s because both the browsers run on the same base program. While it’s not as secure as Firefox & Edge or not have many extension features as Chrome it definitely matches them in the speed department.
Opera Mini is available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. You can use it on whatever platform you want. However, you should note that there will be some sites which you won’t be able to access from Opera Mini that’s because some sites have blocked it. Overall, it’s a good browser.
Chromium (Microsoft Edge)
Back in December 2018, Microsoft announced that they are going to use open-source Chromium project for the development of their Edge browser. Now, they have rolled out the preview versions which are available for public use. The full version will take quite some time to be released.
These preview versions – Microsoft Edge Dev and Canary, allows understanding of how to the final product will look like. And we can while looking at the preview version that it’s going to be one of the best browser, if not the best one. It uses the same core as Google Chrome so it’s just like it, almost 80%.
Microsoft Edge will make more changes in the final product cause if they don’t hey will just end up making a browser similar to Chrome and they aren’t idiots. It will be better in many ways like speed, will support extension from both Chrome & Microsoft store, security, etc. For now, we have to wait for the final product.
Safari
If you’re a Mac user then there’s nothing that can beat Safari, it’s the official browser from Apple which is fully optimized for Mac OS. It doesn’t take any time to connect to the internet and also opens the websites very fast. It is only available for Apple PC and Laptops, you can’t use it on other platforms.
When you use Safari for the first time it will take some time to adapt to if you’re new to the MacOS environment. You should take a note that you can’t customize this browser as you can do with other browsers like Chrome, Mozzila Firefox, etc. Apart from this, it is the same as other browsers.
You can sync Safari with your iCloud account. Every bookmark you save on Safari will also be available on your Mobile browser. Another thing we like about Safari a lot is that it pushes the ads away from the page so that you can read articles without any distractions. It’s one of the best internet browsers.
Vivaldi
Vivaldi browser is created by the co-founder of the Opera Mini web browser, there’s lots of experience behind it. If you’re someone who loves to have full control of every aspect of your web browser then Vivaldi is a good choice. While it’s a fairly new web browser for pc it certainly is good.
This web browser is also built on the open-source project – Chromium. You can download any of the Google Chrome extension from the web store and make it just as you wish. Vivaldi is a powerful and fast web browser which you should try once, customizing this browser is very easy.
While it lets you have full control, it is a bit slow but you won’t find the difference between speed as it’s very less. Again, it’s for creative people who love to put their imagination to life. You will spend hours on these browsers as it has lots of options. Vivaldi is better than many browsers.
Tor Browser
Tor Browser is for those who want to keep their privacy on the internet. There are both good and bad aspects of this browser. For people who use it for good will be safe from trackers on the internet i.e, your data will remain safe. But it is said to have been used for illegal work on the dark web.
It’s impossible to track visitors from this browser as it uses random nodes around the world. Tor Browser is packed with lots of features. See almost 95% of the web browsers make money by selling your data. If you think your data is worthless you’re wrong. Companies make millions with them.
Therefore, to protect your data you must use a browser which is private. And when it comes to privacy there’s nothing which can beat the Tor Browser. While it’s secure you must on do something stupid which will leave your identity open. Here a trick – use it from your USB stick no one in the world will know you use it.
Brave Browser
From the co-founder of Mozzila here comes a new web browser many people still don’t know about. Brave is another open-source web project which lives by the motto “save the web”. It’s a fast, secure private web browser which already has an adblocker installed (R.I.P. advertising revenue).
Brave Browser claims to be 8x faster than both Chrome & Safari. While it’s super fast, the main thing about this browser is that it saves your data like the Tor browser. It’s the worst enemy of advertisers as you won’t be able to see many ads while you use this web browser on PC.
What it gives in speed and privacy, lacks in the number of extensions you can install and work with. Also, you can’t customize the browser much. It also needs to provide more security. Brave Browser is far from the best browser but it’s a good one. You can use Brave Browser and if you like it you can keep it.
Final Thoughts…
That’s it, folks, these were the best web browsers for PC. If you ask us, according to us the best PC browser is Mozilla Firefox due to its features. After that, the browsers you should use are – Chromium, Google Chrome, and Opera Mini. If you own a Mac then Safari’s also a good choice.
Also Read: 12 Best Manga Sites & Apps : Read Manga Online For Free
So, which web browser do you use on your PC? Did we miss out on any of the great web browsers? Which was the first PC web browser you used? Let us know in the comments below…