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7 best browser for mac

Updated on: September 12, 2019

Web browsers have existed in some form or fashion since the late 1980’s, when the first ideas for what was to become the internet and the World Wide Web were first worked on by Tim Berners-Lee. Eventually those ideas led to what was known in the early 1990’s as the browser wars, which took off between Internet Explorer and Netscape. Today the question is which is the best browser for Mac. 

 Web browsers are some of the most important tools in our digital toolbox. Need to find a recipe, song lyric, or other information? There's a browser for that. Browsers are in use today on almost every electronic device available, such as computers, mobile phones, tablets, and a wide range of other devices. We have looked at many browsers available at our fingertips to find the best browser for Mac users. We want to see how they compare against one another in what they offer and how well they work with the OS X.

Quick Navigation
Product FAQ
How We Reviewed
Overall Price Range of This Product (and Similar Products)
What We Reviewed
Google Chrome
Safari
Torch
Opera
Vivaldi
Firefox
Maxthon
The Verdict

Product FAQ

laptop

Image via: Pixabay

1. What Is a Web Browser?

A web browser is a software program designed to allow access to the internet, and it allows the user to locate and display webpages.

2. What Does a Web Browser Do?

It allows a user to find websites, search for information, play games, stream movies or music, and many other tasks. It is the gateway between the user and the worldwide web.

 3. How Does a Web Browser Work?

Typically the web browser works by connecting to the internet, contacting servers, grabbing information which was created using HTML, CSS , and/or a wide range of other webpage languages, and then interpreting those pages for us and displaying them on the device you're using the browser on.

 4. Where Can You Purchase Them?

The ones we have reviewed are available for free, and you are able to download them from their respective websites.

5. What Is the Best Browser for Mac?

The ones we have reviewed are available for free, and you are able to download them from their respective websites.

6. Can I Use More Than One Browser on a Mac?

Yes, you can. Some people use one browser because it's required by work, while using another more private browser for personal use. You can run one or all of these browsers on your Mac as you prefer.

How We Reviewed

The following web browsers were reviewed based on what they offer the user in terms of ease, speed, add-ons, and anything else which a user might find useful. We looked at each one, noting how they worked with the Mac, how the OS X worked with or against the browser, and the pros and cons of each browser.

Also, we took a look at the ability to keep ads from popping up, how the browsing history can be deleted, the customization available on each browser and how hard the computer works while you're working away in the browser. To find the absolute best browser for Mac, we've scoured the internet and found seven which we feel might be the best.

Overall Price Range of This Product (and Similar Products)

All of the products reviews are available at no cost, and you will be able to download them from their respective websites or the app store on the Mac. Some have add-ons or extentions that you can purchase for anywhere from $1 to $10.

What We Reviewed

  • Google Chrome
  • Safari
  • Torch
  • Opera
  • Vivaldi
  • Firefox
  • Maxthon

Google Chrome

Features

Chrome was created by Google, and they have created a version which is compatible with the Mac operating system. This might be considered the best browser for Mac because of the ease of use, instant search capabilities, and a minimalistic interface. The browser utilizes the Blink engine, and most of its source code can be found in Chromium, an open-source project. 

 

Many users prefer this browser because it offers a wide range of extensions to customize the browser as you like. Chrome also has a Privacy Mode feature which will keep the browser from permanently storing cookies or the browsing history. The browser also offers advanced syncing among devices and apps, so if you're constantly multitasking during your web-browsing sessions, this one might be your best choice for a favorite browser. For those who like to use Gmail, Google docs, and other items created by Google, then Chrome might be the option for you.

Pros

  • Privacy Mode
  • Fusion of the search and address bar into only one field
  • Customizable with extensions
  • Supports the latest web standards

Cons

  • Tends to use a lot of RAM
  • Highly targeted by 3rd party scams
  • Closed sourced
  • Runs slower on lower-end hardware
  • Google will follow you around everywhere if you use it
Where to Donwload

Safari

Features

Safari has been the default browser for Macs and other Apple devices since it was developed and created by Apple in 2004. This is the best browser for Mac, not only because Apple developed it, but because it can perform up to four times faster than Firefox, and eight times faster than Internet Explorer. The increase in performance over other browsers is due in part to the Nitro Javascript engine utilized in the creation of Safari.

Also included in Safari is speculative loading, which can allow items such as documents, scripts and style information to be loaded from memory, which can decrease the times it takes to load. If you throw in a smart address field, which is a feature that will auto-complete what you are attempting to type in the box, browsing with Safari can be blazing fast because it makes websites and web applications feel snappier.

Pros

  • Low resource consumption
  • Built specifically for OS X
  • Doesn’t drain the battery

Cons

  • Poor support for new technologies
  • Auto-complete can be annoying
  • Not as many extensions available for customization
Where to Donwload

Torch

Features

This browser was created by Torch media and was based on the open source Chromium code. A great feature of Torch is its ability to allow the user to share websites via social media, and it also has a built in torrent client which allows the user to download torrents. Torch might be considered the best browser for Mac because it allows the user to download videos from Instagram and Vine, and it also offers Torch Music, which allows the user to organize YouTube videos.

Torch includes a media button, which is a fantastic option to have if you casually listen to music while on the internet. In addition to the media button, there is the media grabber feature, which allows you to save a song file instantly when you come across one on the net you love and want to save. Another reason Torch might be the best browser for Mac is because of how the browser downloads by splitting files into chunks and then downloading multiple chunks simultaneously, which can increase the utilization of the internet connection and offers effective download speeds to users.

Pros

  • Same features as Chrome
  • Great for torrent downloads
  • Great for the person who wants to be different in browser use

Cons

  • The UI is not very attractive
  • Tens to run on the slow side
  • May ask to install unwanted toolbars
  • May offer unwanted adware to install
Where to Donwload

Opera

Features

Opera offers users the ability to access faster speed with low-speed connection because of the server size compression technique. This browser might be the best browser for Mac because it’s fast and smooth due to the faster speed offered. Opera has a simple and clean interface; however, it’s laid out differently than most browsers you’ve used before. So it’ll be a small learning curve to get use to it.

Opera has pop-up blocking, private browsing, tabbed browsing, bookmarks bar, a download manager, and the ability to check any websites visited against a list of sites known for phishing and malware. In addition to these features, Opera also has what’s called and Off-Road mode, which will prompt the browser to check for a version of the website which is optimized before it will load the website.

Pros

  • Similar to Chrome
  • Built-in ad block
  • Fast video loading

Cons

  • Cannot select tabs to open in another window
  • Extensions can be hard to find
  • Multitasking with multiple windows consumes the computers resources
  • No parental controls
Where to Donwload

Vivaldi

Features

Vivaldi is an open source Chromium-like browser with some similarities to Opera, and it might be the best browser for Mac because of great tab management, and ability to customize the browser. And since it’s based on Chromium, it has access to the Chrome store.

Vivaldi also offers tiling tabs, allowing for better multitasking, which enables you to view multiple tabs side-by-side. Vivaldi also includes a note taking tool, which is integrated into the browser. This browser can synchronize your bookmarks, passwords, auto-fill data, typed URLs, notes, remote sessions, and some, though not all, of your settings between installs.

Pros

  • Ability to stack tabs
  • Tab bar position can be changes
  • Easily customizable

Cons

  • Tends to hog the RAM
  • Comes with ads, so it’s time consuming to go through and remove
  • No VPN
Where to Donwload

Firefox

Features

Firefox is a free and open source app which was developed by the Mozilla Foundation in 2002. Users might consider Firefox the best browser for Mac because of its capacity to add extra features developed by third parties. Security for Firefox is based on the Sandbox Security Model and also includes a strong encryption, and there’s always a constant search for bugs because of the bug bounty Firefox offers to those who find them.

As other browsers offers, there are tabbed browsing, a download manager, and private browsing available for users to utilize. In addition to those features, if you have an account with Firefox, you are able to access your history, bookmarks and open tabs from different devices, such as computers, smartphone, and tablet. Firefox allows developers and regular users to explore social media connections using the social API included in the browser.

Pros

  • Embedded memory
  • Security is great for users
  • Lots of add-ons

Cons

  • Slow performance in OS X
  • Some websites might not be compatible
  • Slow start-up time
Where to Donwload

Maxthon

Features

Maxthon is the best browser for Mac because it helps boost the internet speed, to a certain degree, in order to try to open the web page faster. This program has a feature doesn’t let you fill the information on websites you visited in the past when you visit it for the next time because it saves the information for you. Its cloud technology allows the user to sync and manager across different platforms.

Maxthon also offers some unique advantages, such as its Dual Display Modes, Ultra and Retro, and can switch back and forth between them automatically. It even has a mute button built into the lower frame to quickly silence noisy sites. You can manually delete all traces of your browsing history manually or set up Maxthon to automatically delete it when you close the browser.

Pros

  • Well managed, user-friendly interface
  • Doesn’t hog the RAM

Cons

  • Limited extensions
  • Lack of open-source development
Where to Donwload

The Verdict

using Google Chrome on Macbook

Image via: Pixabay

With all the choices available to you, these are 7 best browsers available for the Mac. So, which browser should you use? Each of these browsers has great features and some not so great. For those of you who need a browser which has the fastest graphics rendering, then Chrome or Opera might work for you because they are Blink based.

If your browsing habits are more general, or you make use of web-based apps, Safari may be a much better choice. Depending on your needs and speed requirements, the best browser for Mac will be the one that is the best one for you. In the end, the best browser for Mac will be the one which gets you where you want to go.

Filed Under: General, Mac

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