Alternative Web Browsers – What Are The Choices?
Browser choice is a frequently asked question on this site. One that doesn't get a straightforward answer with the information already available.
Instead, I've put together this guide to help you decide which browser is right for you, whether it's your first time on the web or you're switching over to one of these browsers because they don't require very much computing power.
If you're new to the internet, maybe take a look at what an alternative browser can offer before deciding which one will be right for you. On the other end of things, if your computer barely runs at all and browsing is practically painful, maybe these alternatives might be worth trying out even if they aren't quite as good as Safari or Chrome.
So let's get to it.
Every web browser available today is based on the same original foundation. HTML, CSS, Javascript and images are what websites are made out of and every browser must be able to interpret these files in order to display a website. A lot of people overlook this fact when they want to point out how much better one particular browser is than another but deep down in the technical details, they all do their job of interpreting those files very well.
So, while you might think that choosing a browser is a matter of personal preference, the truth is that it's really just a matter of which one best interprets HTML and CSS.
Also, take note that like your computer might draw speedily out of the blue without warning, your browser will also perform much better if you're not using anything else while on the internet at the time. So if you're having problems with this site right now and are looking for an alternative browser to try out, try closing all other applications before clicking here.
How To Pick Your Browser: Web Design Basics - Part 1 [ARTICLE END ]
An example of a website made with Bootstrap. The people responsible for sites like these are known as web developers.
The first thing you got to ask yourself is "how am I gonna use the internet?" Are you going to be doing a lot of web design, surfing the latest news and keeping up with friends on social media? Or are you just someone who likes to browse the web occasionally? Keep these answers in mind when deciding which alternative browser is right for you.
If your intent is mainly design oriented, what operating system do you use? Mac or PC? You can still change between browsers if needed but I'd strongly suggest using one that supports whichever operating system that's installed on your computer.
Alternative browsers that work on Windows:
Ninja – Runs on both XP and Vista. More details here.
It's not clear what operating system this one runs on. Browsing the internet with it is much like browsing with Chrome. More details here.
Windows 10 users have a new option to use a Microsoft alternative browser called Edge: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/microsoft-edge-browser
Linux and Mac OS X users also have the option of using Chromium: http://www.chromium.org/
Windows 10 users can download Google's alternative browser and use it:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/microsoft-edge-browser
Mac users can also use Safari, but if you're looking for something a little more like Firefox, try Chromium instead: https://www.chromium.org/downloads
Linux users can get Chromium from the same page as Windows users above: http://www.chromium.org/downloads
Mac users and Linux users can also install third party browsers like IceCat and Flock to replace Safari and Firefox respectively: http://www.icecat.net/#downloads http://flockportal.com/downloads.html
http://www.gnu.org/software/gnuzilla/
If you're a Firefox user, there are versions of your browser for Mac and Linux as well: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-older.html
OS X and Linux users can also use the Konqueror web browser for free: https://www.konqueror.org/#download
Alternative browsers that work on OS X:
If you're a PC user and want to try out the original Firefox that hasn't had any influence from Mozilla yet, check out Pale Moon below instead: http://www.palemoon.org/downloads.php
Operating System: Mac OS X
Ninja is a web browser for Apple computers with OS X 10.4 or later. Like Safari, it's based on the WebKit engine and supports many of the same features but it's developers are constantly working on ways to improve their product by doing things such as making it more compatible with the latest computer and operating system technology. (For example, like Google Chrome, Ninja has full support for video acceleration.) Also supported is a feature called "Smart Location Bar", which is similar to Google's Omnibar that attempts to provide search suggestions at the same time as you type your search term into the address bar. You can also check out our guide to the Ninja browser here.
The biggest difference between Safari and Firefox is that Firefox is open source, meaning that anyone who wants to tinker around with the code can do so. Mozilla – the corporation behind Firefox – doesn't control every aspect of development like they used to back in 2009 when they were known as "Firefox Developers".
With this freedom, we've seen new features introduced into Firefox over the years such as support for tabbed browsing (similar to what you see on most other browsers), spellcheck, acceleration and interface improvements.
Ninja is a Mac browser that has a lot of the same features as Firefox but is also a lot lighter on system resources.
Ninja isn't as feature rich as Firefox but for regular browsing, it's working quite well. For example, this blog post was written using Ninja and there haven't been any problems.
So if you're looking for a browser that can make your computer run faster, check out Ninja.
Another OS X based alternative browser: https://caniuse.com/#feat=osxbrowsers
Operating System: Linux
IceCat is an open source Web Browser with some added features over Firefox such as an Ad Blocker and support for themes.
Conclusion
You might be surprised to learn that your computer might be running some pretty outdated software and considering how Windows 10 is the latest operating system, it could definitely be due for an update. If you want a more secure operating system, stable one and one that is easier to use, installing Linux might be the answer.
Just make sure you know what you need it for before you make the switch.
This is especially true for Firefox users because like I mentioned earlier, Mozilla no longer controls the development of Firefox.