INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Authors: JordanMost of us tend to choose a web browser and stick with it for years
It can be hard to break away from your comfort zone – especially when you've become used to its quirks – but trying a different browser
can greatly improve your experience on the web.Whether you’re looking for enhanced security, improved speed, or greater flexibility
through customizable options and plugins, the best web browser can have a huge effect on your online life
Here, we’ve put the biggest browsers through their paces (plus some that you may not be familiar with) to identify the browser that best
And, if you have a particular concern, then read on to see if there’s an alternative that might be better suited to your needs.After
several years dropping behind the competition in terms of speed, Firefox is back in the game with a fully updated code base1
Mozilla FirefoxFirefox is back after a total overhaul, and has retaken its crownVery fastLight on system resourcesStrong privacy
toolsFirefox recently received its biggest update in 13 years, and it's so impressive, it's propelled the browser to the top of our
list. Firefox has always been known for its flexibility and support for extensions, but in recent years it had started to lag behind the
competition in terms of speed
Firefox Quantum, first released last year, represented a total overhaul of the browser's code base, with speeds now comparable with Google
That's not just on top-end computers, either – the new Firefox makes frugal use of RAM, even with masses of tabs open.Firefox also scores
serious points when it comes to privacy
Mozilla is non-profit, which means it doesn't have the same impetus to sell your data as some other browser developers
The organization also makes regular updates to help protect its users' privacy as internet companies come under increasing scrutiny over the
way they treat people's data.Quantum also introduced a new system for extensions that prevents rogue developers making malicious changes to
the browser's internal code. It's not always the absolute fastest – for some pages Chrome still has the edge, as Mozilla's own video
demonstrates – but the new Firefox has come out swinging and is our pick for the best web browser of 2018 so far.Chrome is a superb
browser - fast and adaptable - if you aren't bothered by letting Google handle all your online activity2
Google ChromeIf your system has the resources, Chrome is 2018's best browserFast performanceInfinitely expandableResource-hungryWith Chrome,
Google has built an extendable, efficient browser that deserves its place at the top of the browser rankings
According to w3schools' browser trend analysis its user base is only rising, even as Microsoft Edge's install numbers are presumably growing
Why Well, it's cross-platform, incredibly stable, brilliantly presented to take up the minimum of screen space, and just about the nicest
browser there is to use.Its wide range of easily-obtained and installed extensions mean you can really make it your own, and there's support
for parental controls and a huge range of tweaks and settings to ensure maximum efficiency.However, Chrome isn’t without its downsides
It’s one of the heaviest browsers in terms of resource use, so it’s not brilliant on machines with limited RAM, and its performance
doesn’t quite match up to others as far as benchmarking is concerned
And, with Google’s tentacles running through it, you may be uncomfortable with how your browsing data is used.Opera is a superb browser
with a clean interface and built-in ad-blocker, plus a Turbo mode that makes slow connections more useable3
OperaAn underrated browser that's a great choice for slow connectionsExcellent Turbo modeIntegrated ad-blockerFewer plugins than rivalsIt's
sad that Opera makes up only around 1% of the browser market, because it really is a quality browser
It launches fast, the UI is brilliantly clean, and it does everything its rivals can do with a couple of extras thrown in for good
measure.The key reason we'd at least recommend having Opera installed alongside your main browser is its Opera Turbo feature
This compresses your web traffic, routing it through Opera's servers, which makes a huge difference to browsing speed if you're stuck on
rural dial-up or your broadband connection is having a moment.It reduces the amount of data transferred too, handy if you're using a mobile
connection, and this re-routing also dodges any content restrictions your ISP might place on your browsing, which can be mighty handy
Opera automatically ducks out of the way if you're using secure sites like banks so your traffic is free and clear of any potential privacy
violation.There's also an integrated ad-blocker – which can be switched off if you're morally inclined in that direction – and a
battery-saving mode which promises to keep your laptop going for longer.Edge works on all your Windows 10 devices, with sandboxing for
security and a special reading mode to isolate the important content on pages4
Microsoft EdgeMicrosoft's new browser offers full integration with Windows 10Very fastBuilt-in reading modeNot backwards compatibleThe
default 'browsing experience' on Windows 10, and unavailable for older operating systems, Edge is an odd one
Quite why Microsoft needs to be running a pair of browser products in tandem rather than making Edge backwards compatible is beyond us
The company's reason, it seems, is that Edge represents the more user-friendly end of Redmond's offering while Internet Explorer scales a
little better for enterprise.Integration with Windows 10's core gimmicks seems to be Edge's main strong point
It happily runs as a modern-skinned app on Windows 10's tablet mode, and works with Cortana
It's also highly streamlined for the current web age, doing away with insecure protocols like ActiveX and forcing you into Internet Explorer
We're more used to browsers failing to render newer pages than we are to being told off for visiting older corners of the web.Curmudgeonly
grumbles aside, actually using Edge is a perfectly pleasant experience
It's super-quick, hammers through benchmarks, its integrated reading mode makes complex sites more palatable, and by sandboxing it away from
the rest of the operating system Microsoft has ensured that Edge won't suffer the security breaches of its older brother.It's just a shame
that Microsoft is quite so insistent on forcing Edge upon Windows 10 users, making it the default browser for links opened in the Mail app,
adding shortcuts to your desktop after major OS updates, and presenting it as a potential result if you start typing 'Firefox' in the
Cortana search box.Microsoft Internet Explorer is a fast and powerful browser, and makes modest use of your system resources, though it
lacks the flexibility of Firefox and Chrome5
Microsoft Internet ExplorerFast and efficient, but less expandable than Firefox and ChromeMake frugal use of resourcesClean designPoor
plugin supportMicrosoft Internet Explorer has seen some ups and downs in its long tenure, from dominating the browser charts to languishing
behind its main two competitors
This is partly an issue of choice – particularly the browser choice that Microsoft was forced to give customers after a court ruling –
and partially because older versions fell behind the rendering and compatibility curve.There are no such issues with Internet Explorer 11
It's clean, powerful, highly compatible, and it demands less of your RAM and CPU than equivalent pages would on Chrome or Firefox
Plus it one-ups both of them on WebKit's Sunspider benchmark.That's not to say this browser is perfect
Google's V8 benchmark sees it struggling, and IE isn't quite as able to handle add-ons and extensions as many of its competitors
So while there's no reason to avoid IE like there might once have been, if you're looking for a more customised browsing experience you're
out of luck.Vivaldi is a relatively new browser that's bound to see more development soon
Its interface is fully customizable, though it doesn't officially support extensions yet6
VivaldiBuild your own browser with unique docking and tab-stackingIncredibly customizableCreative interface featuresNot the fastestHere's
something a bit different
We all spend probably far too much time sitting in front of our web browsers, and up-and-comer Vivaldi wants to make that as pleasant and
personal an experience as possible.The whole style and structure of its interface is entirely up to you
There's a built-in note-taking system, you can dock websites as side panels while using the main window to do your main browsing, and we
love its innovative tab stacking tech, which allows you to group up tabs and move them around to avoid the crowding that so often plagues
other browsers.Vivaldi is built on Chromium, which means you can expand it even further with extensions from the Chrome Web Store
Just pick your preferred plugin and click 'Add to Chrome'
Some extensions might behave slightly differently in Vivaldi, but most work perfectly.Vivaldi is a refreshing and creative take on web
browsing, and one to watch in the next couple of years as more features are added.Tor Browser is a heavily modified version of Firefox that
re-routed web traffic via random nodes worldwide7
Tor BrowserMore than just a browser – a whole suite of online security toolsKeeps browsing privateBlocks tracking cookiesPerformance is
slowTor Browser is, perhaps unjustly, most regularly associated with the seedy underworld of the dark web
While it's true that you can use this web browser to access otherwise unlisted sites, Tor's privacy aspects – where your traffic is routed
through random nodes the world over, making it very hard to track - are its real asset.Tor Browser is really a package of tools; Tor itself,
a heavily modified version of the Firefox Extended Support release, and a number of other privacy packages that combine to make it the most
secure browsing experience you're likely to find
Nothing is tracked, nothing is stored, and you can forget about bookmarks and cookies.You'll need to alter your browsing habits to ensure
that you don't perform actions online that reveal your identity – Tor Browser is just a tool, after all – but for a secondary browser
useful for those private moments it's a great choice
Run it from a USB stick and nobody need even know you have it at all.u9cQHPv5LdMdoNd8wuP28E.jpg#
