It doesn’t matter if you have a Windows or macOS, the choice of a browser for an operating system is very crucial and should always be a wise decision. After all, you spend quite a significant part of your day surfing the web, isn’t it? Here we are going to talk about some of the best web browsers for Mac that helps in speeding up the delivery of browsed information.
If you ever had a notion that you probably don’t have as many options as you would have if you were a Windows user, the following options for browsers for macOS will make you think twice.
On your Mac, choose Apple menu System Preferences, then click Users & Groups. Open Users & Groups preferences for me. If the lock at the bottom left is locked, click it to unlock the preference pane. Click the Add button below the list of users. Click the New Account pop-up menu, then choose a type of user. The SK622 sports a bold new frontier for mechanical keyboards with version 2.0 of our SK600 series keyboards.Reduced travel distance and actuation point result in a keyboard with a slimmer profile for a more modern, sleek aesthetic. Combine that with a bare-minimum 60% format, and you have a high-performance mechanical keyboard in a body you can almost fit in your pocket. Ask many mac users, and they won’t shy away from saying that Edge is one of the best internet browsers for Mac. Edge uses the same engine that power’s Google Chrome. This implies that you will find the same features as that of Chrome; for instance, you will be able to use the same number of extensions.
When choosing the best internet browser for MacBook Pro, there are several aspects that you should consider. Apart from an easy to use interface, you should find its security aspects, features pertaining to readability, the speed at which it loads pages, especially when you are multitasking and several other inbuilt features.
We shall try and cover several such features and here are some of the best Mac internet browsers –
Best Web Browser for Mac: |
1. Brave |
2. Safari |
3. Chrome |
4. Firefox |
5. Maxthon |
6. Microsoft Edge |
7. SeaMonkey |
8. Yandex |
9. Vivaldi |
10. Camino |
Talking of the powerful browsers for Mac and not mentioning Brave browser would be unjustified. It rises like a champion on several aspects like privacy, security and performance. Plus, it doesn’t hold back when it comes to delivering impeccable features.
Having mentioned the prominent features, some of the minor features include a distil page which removes any extra elements from a web page and makes it easy to read. With the iOS version, you also get a web page to PDF converter as well. Now you definitely want to call Brave as the top browser for Mac.
The native browser for Macbook, Safari is one of the finest browsers and is combined with updated features like Dark mode, Siri suggestions, easy switching in between tabs and intelligent security. Safari itself completes a user’s browsing experience with additionals like:
Ever since 2004, it has been a default browser for Apple’s devices for various good reasons. To begin with, it works on the Nitro JavaScript engine, which is almost eight times faster than the Internet Explorer.
It comes with built-in functionality for sending email and accessing social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. For readers, Safari is a treat since it comes with a Safari reader that allows distraction-free reading. Apart from all this, Safari comes loaded with extensions that facilitate both security and comforts. For instance, you get Save to Pocket, 1 Password and DuckDuckGo.
And, not to forget it is indeed a fast performer that takes care of the multitasking needs of a modern user which is why it is counted amongst the fastest browsers for Mac.
Chrome from Google is a popular browser not just for Windows users, but it is undoubtedly one of the best browsers for Mac as well. And why won’t it be? It comes packed with several features because of which it stays ahead of the competition by quite a margin. To begin with,
Despite being one of the oldest browsers on the block, it is still one of the best internet browsers for Mac because it has quite recently gone through several updates. These updates have focused on increasing its reliability amongst the users and the speed putting it head to head with all the other browsers.
Also Read : Best Mac Apps 2021- That Every Apple Newbie Should Install
While Maxthon is a lesser-known browser if pitted against other browsers in its class but it is genuinely one of the fastest and lightweight browsers for Mac. Despite being light in size, it doesn’t compromise on performance and delivers exceptional and fast browsing experience.
Many might misconstrue, Microsoft Edge as a revamped internet explorer. Which can’t be wholly negated, but when it comes to functionality, Edge has come a very long way. Ask many mac users, and they won’t shy away from saying that Edge is one of the best internet browsers for Mac.
Also Read:7 Best App Uninstaller For Mac to Remove Unwanted Apps
Seamonkey is yet another lightweight browser for Mac.
While carrying the similar look as Microsoft Edge, Yandex is making its way in the list of best and fastest browsers for Macbook nowadays. This browser gives an opportunity to view the browser interface in different shapes and colors.
Vivaldi is yet another best web browser on Mac which is famous for its security features like protection from hackers, blocks unwanted ads that may become a security threat tomorrow and gives you control of your browsing experience with its in-built features.
This is a good browser for Mac where you can access favorite chat apps, social media feeds and news sites with one single click. You can even rearrange the icons with the drag and drop option.
Read Also :CleanMyMac X Review: Pros, Cons & All You Want To Know
Camino is differently special for mac and works as an open source browser. Loaded with tabbed browsing features like scrollable tab bar and drag and drop tabs for rearranging.
Browser cache is a temporary storage area which stores all the recently downloaded web pages. It plays a vital role as you can quickly go back to a particular web page without needing to download it from the web again.
Now, you may wonder, if it is so important, why would anybody need to get rid of it? That’s because there are times when this browsing cache can cause more harm as if it is compromised and misused, your security can be jeopardised. For instance, hackers can access your location from the website you have visited or access any files you have used when accessing an online application. That’s why it is recommended that you clean the browser cache from time to time.
One of the best and the easiest ways to get rid of browser cache is to use a tool such as TuneupMyMac that scans all the browsers you have installed on your Mac and cleans any browser cache and internet history that can be misused.
Which One’s Your Favorite?
Now since you know that in the race of best browser for Mac, there are several contenders to choose from, do let us know which one is your absolute favorite. If you are already using a browser for Mac and just adore it over every other browser, do share your experience with us.
FAQs: Fastest Browsers For macOS
1. What is the best browser to use with a Mac?
The native browser app of Mac, Safari is one of the best browsers to use with Mac. Apart from this, Chrome, Firefox and Opera are other best options for browser on Mac.
2. Is Chrome faster than Safari on Mac?
Let’s just say, Safari is faster than Chrome on Mac. Although Chrome is fast but it consumes more battery and doesn’t possess as many developer tools as Safari.
3. What is the best browser for Mac 2020?
Safari is undoubtedly the best browser for Mac. If you wish to consider other browsers, Chrome, Opera and Firefox are some of the best browsers.
4. Is Firefox or Chrome better for Mac?
Once considered, Chrome is considered better for Mac in terms of speed, developer tools, etc. and scores a lot better than Firefox.
Back in September 2014, Ars Technica's Andrew Cunningham took on a Herculean challenge in modern computing. Egged on by his coworkers, he used a PowerBook G4 running OS 9.2.2 as his 'daily driver' for a couple of days, placing a turn-of-the-century bit of hardware into the present tense. It's no surprise that almost nothing was achieved that week (except for, of course, the excellent article).
Years later, I had that story on my mind when I was browsing a local online classifieds site and stumbled across a gem: a Macintosh IIsi. Even better, the old computer was for sale along with the elusive but much-desired Portrait Display, a must-have for the desktop publishing industry of its time. I bought it the very next day.
It took me several days just to get the machine to boot at all, but I kept thinking back to that article. Could I do any better? With much less? Am I that arrogant? Am I a masochist?
Cuppertino retro-curiosity ultimately won out: I decided to enroll the Macintosh IIsi as my main computing system for a while. A 1990 bit of gear would now go through the 2018 paces. Just how far can 20MHz of raw processing power take you in the 21st century?
It's important to state this from the outset: the IIsi, or any other vintage computer, is generally not suitable for home or office use in modern times. And after doing it, I won't be advocating for the experience to others.
But, what is “suitable” anyway? A vintage car enthusiast is probably not going to recommend many of their motors for getting from A to B, yet these older cars can still fulfill their primary role as a means of transportation—just not as quickly, or as reliably, or as safely, or with air conditioning.
An optimist may start to see these technical limitations as opportunities, the flaws as charming characteristics, the dubious reliability as a challenge to surmount. The wheels may turn a little slower, and the entire cabin might start to shake when traveling at highway speed, but it sure is fun. Without wanting to sound like a contrived car commercial—it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. The same goes for some dedicated tinkering and a bit of old tech.
When I first flicked the power switch on the Macintosh IIsi, it didn't work at all. Replacing a suspect capacitor inside the power supply resulted in a small explosion and venting of the “magic smoke”—clearly, this wouldn't be a simple fix. For a time, the IIsi simply looked as if it was on life support, with a half-hacked up ATX power supply being used to deliver the required voltages to the logic board.
AdvertisementI also had issues early and often with sound reproduction, which may be due to failing capacitors on the logic board itself. These tin cans often wreak chemical havoc across the logic board when they start leaking, but they too can be replaced.
I started by popping in a new battery, used to maintain the PRAM (Parameter RAM), meaning that I don't have to reset the clock and other settings every time I boot up. Naturally, as soon as things seemed to be going well, the hard drive died—not an uncommon occurrence.
Thankfully, everything else that came with the IIsi worked great from day one, needing no repairs whatsoever. To extend the classic car metaphor just a little further, it only took a little elbow grease before I was ready to road-test the IIsi. The machine could take me from A to B, moving at just a fraction of the speed that I'm used to. I knew immediately from the first successful boot up: despite the obvious shortcomings (or perhaps due to them), this would be an enjoyable journey.
The Macintosh IIsi, released in the third quarter of 1990, comes out of the factory with a Motorola 68030 processor clocked at 20MHz, 5MB of RAM, and an 80MB SCSI hard drive. Similar to its Apple contemporaries, it also came with a 1.44MB floppy disk drive, LocalTalk ports for a printer and modem, and an ADB port for keyboards and mice.
In the passage of time, this particular Macintosh IIsi received a couple of upgrades. Its single expansion port is occupied with a bridge card that converts the PDS slot into a more capable NuBus slot. This bridge card also includes a math coprocessor, which boosts the performance of some tasks.
The NuBus slot is taken up by an Ethernet card for fast networking, and this should connect the IIsi to the Internet with limited fuss. The RAM has been upgraded to17MB (1MB on the logic board, plus 4x4MB SIMMs), and the hard drive has been replaced with a SCSI2SD, a modern SD card solution for mass storage over SCSI.
AdvertisementFor the record, the SCSI2SD is the only real “cheat” used in this entire setup, replacing 80MB of spinning platters with 4GB of flash memory. This ridiculous amount of storage would have cost around $36,000 USD back in September 1990. I/O speed is still limited by the SCSI bus, and tests put its performance pretty close to that of a spinning disk.
I used System 7.5.5, although many of the same tasks would have been possible on System 6 and up. System 7.5 included many quality of life improvements, such as the Control Strip and compatibility with a massive variety of extensions and applications, at the expense of RAM and overall system performance.
The Portrait Display supports a resolution of 640x870 pixels, with up to 16 greys (no color here). The monitor was designed with desktop publishers in mind, with a screen ratio and resolution supporting full-page WYSIWYG editing of documents, flyers, posters, etc. This monitor and many like it were quite popular in their day, but these were eventually made obsolete by high-resolution color CRT monitors in the traditional 4:3 ratio. The influence of these portrait monitors can still be seen today on some office desks, with some users opting to use their modern 16:9 LCD screens in a portrait configuration.
For the record, I restricted myself to using the IIsi exclusively in the creation of this very article. From word processing to research to contacting Ars Technica staff, this will be the computer that I will be using. [Editor’s note—Who doesn’t like editing copy from a PDF?]
Word processing on the Macintosh IIsi is a classic, well-understood experience. Both Microsoft Word 5.1 and ClarisWorks 2.1 perform as you would expect and modern day word processor.
As I pressed on with using the IIsi, I found the experience to be an overall pleasant devolution: no wizards, no updates, very simple user interfaces, no essential updating required. After just a couple of CPU cycles, you land on a blank page to begin your masterpiece. Typing on Apple's renowned Extended Keyboard II also certainly helped.
The full-page capabilities of the Portrait Display are evident here. While it's hard to comprehend these days, working on an entire page of formatted text and graphics, without scrolling or scaling, was remarkable for 1990. Combined with the true-type fonts that scale infinitely, the IIsi becomes a surprisingly capable desktop publishing machine, no matter what year it is.
Spreadsheets are a similar story, with the Portrait Display offering more screen estate for longer documents.