The kind of browser you use plays a significant role in your experience with the internet. Each browser has a different set of features and a different selling point. So, if you are looking for the best browser for macOS, you have come to the right place. It’s not easy to find the best browsers.
All Macs already come with a pretty powerful and efficient browser — Safari, which should be helpful enough for day-to-day use. However, you may need a different browser with a diverse feature set depending on what you do on a browser. In this guide, we will show you the Best Browser for macOS.
Best Browsers for Your M1 Apple Silicon Mac in 2022
1. Microsoft Edge Chromium (M1 Optimized)
As a newcomer, Microsoft Edge has the potential to become the best browser for macOS. For the past few years, Microsoft Edge has been under the shadow of browsers such as Google Chrome and Firefox. Well, that was until Microsoft started to run Edge on the Open-Source Chromium Engine. Since then, Edge has become a serious competitor to Google Chrome.
Today, users are switching to Microsoft Edge from Google Chrome due to Chrome’s power-hungry nature. Features like Reading Mode, Read Aloud, Collections are also pulling more users from Chrome. Since Microsoft Edge is now Chromium-based, it supports Chromecast and Chrome Extensions.
Like some other browsers on the list, Microsoft Edge is also very privacy-focused. You can set the tracking prevention to “basic,” “balanced,” and “strict.” Unlike Chrome, Microsoft Edge can perform flawlessly and buttery smooth on outdated hardware.
It’s not all roses, though, some extensions may not work, and the search engine defaults to Bing and not Google. However, Microsoft Edge is a great Chrome alternative and is the Best Browser for macOS. If you use power-hungry resources, Edge might be the best browser for Mac in this case.
Engine: Chromium
2. Safari (M1 Optimized)
Safari is the default and best browser for macOS. It comes pre-installed with Macs, is one of the best browsers for everyday use, and comes packed with all the necessary features to make your browsing experience great. Safari is also highly optimized for macOS.
Safari also got a massive design overhaul with macOS Monterey, making its UI simpler and easier to use. Safari has been a lot of people’s favorite browser choice for a long time now.
Safari is pretty smooth and is one of the minor power-hungry browsers for macOS. Safari has many features that aren’t available in other browsers, such as tracking protection against websites, a built-in reading mode, and a keychain password management system. One drawback with Safari is that the collection of extensions is not even close to Google Chrome or Firefox.
However, Safari is the Best Browser for macOS due to its efficiency and features like protection against tracking and an in-built reading mode. It is the best browser for macOS you can get.
Engine: Webkit, Nitro
3. Google Chrome (M1 Optimized)
Google Chrome is potentially the best browser for macOS. You may have heard of Google Chrome as it has been one of the most popular web browsers for a long time. It is a pretty solid alternative to Safari because it is available on various devices and because of data syncing on all devices via your Google Account.
Chrome also comes with a massive collection of Extensions that can improve your browsing experience. Chrome focuses on security and loads all websites as a separate process for better security. Chrome also has a native ad blocker, highlighting unsafe websites.
You can also download certain websites as Chrome Apps on your desktop, making it much easier to open them. Chrome also has extensive developer tools such as inspect that can get you a detailed look at any website you want.
For a long time now, Google Chrome has been criticized for its power-hungry nature. Although it has improved, it still consumes more power than other browsers like Microsoft Edge and Safari. Due to this, Google Chrome is not suitable if you spend a long time on your browser to watch movies or TV Shows.
Despite this, Google Chrome is one of the Best Browsers for macOS if you want a vast collection of extensions or already use Chrome on another device such as your phone or laptop. Moreover, this is one of the best browsers for macOS or any other operating system in that case.
Engine: Chromium
4. Firefox (M1 Optimized)
You may have also heard of Firefox. It was prevalent, but Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge overtook it. A couple of years ago, Mozilla released the Firefox Quantum with its main new feature being a multi-process approach, similar to what Google did with Chrome. Firefox Quantum is now just called Firefox, and despite employing a similar method to chrome, it isn’t much of a resource hog.
Firefox is overall a smooth browser despite the occasional jitters. Firefox grew in popularity due to its stability, themes, and massive collection of extensions. Like other browsers, Firefox is also privacy-focused: It is open source, doesn’t collect a lot of data, and blocks ad trackers by default. Just like other browsers, Firefox supports bookmarks, spell check, editing console, and more.
Firefox, however, isn’t too friendly with heavy websites and jitters occasionally while using them. Firefox is an overall great browser for macOS if you are privacy-focused. However, it isn’t ranked higher in this list as it is not quite as fast as Google Chrome and Safari. If you love Firefox’s capabilities, this could be the best browser for macOS.
Engine: Gecko, Quantum, SpiderMonkey
5. Opera (M1 Optimized)
Opera is the first browser on this list that isn’t as well known as the others. Opera has a snappy and fast performance which has helped it gain popularity. Opera runs on the same Blink rendering engine as Chrome. It means you will be able to use Google Chrome extensions on Opera. However, you will have to download an extension that enables that feature first.
Every browser has the same basic features; however, the add-on features help decide which browser is a fit for you. Some of Opera’s most popular add-on features are — sidebar, Opera Flow, an in-built VPN (Virtual Private Network), and an in-built battery saver that comes in handy.
All browsers have their shortcomings; with Opera, it is the fact that it noticeably slows down and sometimes even crashes under heavy workloads. That said, if you use VPNs frequently to make your browsing more private or if you would like quick access to your favorite websites, then Opera is the browser for you. A perfect or maybe, the best browser for macOS.
Engine: Chromium
6. Brave Browser (M1 Optimized)
Brave Browser is another name you may not have heard of before. It is a pretty new browser and has gained quickly due to its performance and privacy features. Brave is one of the fastest browsers like Chrome, Edge, and Opera are based on the Blink rendering engine. Like Opera and Edge, Brave Browser also supports Chrome Extensions which work reasonably well.
Coming to the privacy features, Brave offers a feature called “Brave Shield” that block all ad trackers to give you one of the most private browsing experience. Brave also provides a feature called “Brave Rewards” that lets you opt into privacy-respecting ads and uses the revenue from those ads to reward content creators anonymously. Brave also has Tor built into its browser, making for an even more private browsing experience.
One drawback you will have to face is that some websites don’t work well with Brave Shield, which may be a bit of a bummer. Despite that, Brave Browser is one of the best privacy-focused browsers on macOS, and you should give it a try. When it comes to privacy and Cryptocurrencies, the best browser for macOS is Brave.
Engine: Chromium
7. Vivaldi (M1 Optimized)
Vivaldi is a browser that focuses solely on the needs of power users who don’t mind a browser hogging up their resources. Vivaldi was founded by the co-founder of Opera and worked on the same Blink Rendering Engine as most browsers on this list. It helps it to be snappy and fast. Since it is based on Chromium, Vivaldi also supports Chrome Extensions, which you can download.
Vivaldi features a ton of customization options and lets you stack different tabs on top of each other. It is part of its powerful tab management tool. You can see the tab’s contents simply by hovering over them, which saves time if you are in a hurry. Just like Opera, you can use the sidebar to open your favorite websites without disturbing the contents of your primary tab. Vivaldi on macOS also allows you to change the color of your Phillips Hue Lights depending on the content in your tab, and it also has a built-in screenshot and cloud sync feature.
Like opera, Vivaldi also has the same weakness: it starts to struggle if you have many tabs or windows open. However, if you focus on a few heavy websites, Vivaldi is an excellent browser. If it just features that matter to you, Vivaldi will be the best browser for macOS in your case.
Engine: Chromium
The Best Browser for macOS to Surf Faster
That ends our list of the Best Browser for macOS. All browsers have the same basic functionality, and they differ in their add-on features. It would be best to choose a browser that has all the features you need. For Example: “Do you need a built-in VPN?”, “Do you need a fast browser?”, “Do you need a focussed privacy browser?” etc. We hope you liked our list of the best browser for macOS. If you have any recommendations, you can write about them in the comments below.
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