The web browser you use is like your window to the Internet. Some have advantages others don’t, and the browser you use can affect your internet experience. Some internet browsers have better security than others, while some have more features and add-ons, but what are the best browsers for you to use, and should your office be using one browser over another?
The Most Common Internet Browsers Available
There are three internet browsers that make up the majority of internet browsing traffic in the US with a few lesser known browsers that may offer a specific feature or experience that a niche group may like.
Microsoft Edge (Internet Explorer) – Microsoft was one of the earliest companies to offer an internet browser. Internet Explorer came before many of the popular internet browsers popular today. After years of developing Internet Explorer, they updated the browser to a new version called Edge. Microsoft Edge has a variety of security rich features like integrating Windows Hello authentication and introducing Microsoft SmartScreen to help prevent phishing attempts.
Microsoft has made some interesting design choices with their Edge browser, which has helped it perform better overall on Windows computers during benchmarking. Although it’s design features larger, more square-like tabs and tiles for easier navigating, there are other features that many may find more distracting than helpful. With Microsoft being at the forefront of add-on development, there tends to be fewer third-party add-ons to go with this browser as well; however, if your office is taking advantage of Microsoft tools, such as Azure, or you’re an avid user of the Bing search engine, Edge has a lot of tools that seamlessly integrate those tools together.
Edge is the last of the major internet browsers to move to the mobile space for devices like phones and tablets. Its mobile offerings are slightly lackluster, but still delivers on a solid experience, letting you do things, like carrying over your browsing history and syncing your Microsoft account across devices.
Mozilla Firefox – The Mozilla team was another early internet browser developer bringing the first open-source internet browser to users known as Firefox. Firefox offers a diverse library of applications and embraces many developers on their platform to continue to deliver a rich browsing experience.
Mozilla doesn’t offer any specific software add-ons that deal with security threats on its own; they only offer a bug bounty program and rely on their community members to find and report exploits. Mozilla, however, makes it clear that they take the security of their browser very seriously.
Firefox works well with most internet tools and plug-ins such as Javascript, so you should have no problem using Firefox when interacting with tools and web applications. Firefox offers a very straight-forward browsing experience, with angular windows and tabs. Additionally, it is also very customizable offering users the ability to change the aesthetics and design elements to suit their needs.
On mobile platforms, Firefox performs very well with smooth browsing and compatibility on devices ranging from iPhones to Android tablets. Firefox is one of the most common browsers for mobile devices today.
Google Chrome - The search engine giant, Google, released their Chrome browser in 2008 and has been developing and improving it so successfully that Chrome is currently the leader in browser downloads and usage today. This browser offers a rich add-on store and integrates many of Google’s services within the Chrome browser.
Between Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, Chrome was rated the most secure browser out of the three. At a 2017 hacker convention pitting hacking teams against each other to exploit Firefox, Edge, and Chrome, Google Chrome was compromised 0 times, while other browsers like Apple Safari or Edge were compromised between 3 and 5 times.
Chrome also performed well in benchmarking tests and was able to load Javascript tools in 114.67ms on average, while other browsers lagged slightly behind. Chrome has a no-nonsense approach to its design aesthetic, offering a very classic “vanilla feel” to its users. Chrome also is one of the most popular mobile-based internet browsers available, coming pre-installed on most Android-based devices, and is also compatible for iOS devices as well.
When it comes to finding the right browser for you or your office, it’s really best to try all three of these major browsers out first and make a determination for yourself. They each offer their own unique features while, at the same time, being reliable internet browsing methods. If you have questions or want to get a better perspective on our thoughts for all things tech, check out more from our blog.
