Arc (Web Browser, discontinued)★★★☆☆An interesting experiment in finding different ways to use the web, on the idea that people don’t want to use it more, they want to use the web less to accomplish what they want.
Arc Search (discontinued)★★★★☆Surprisingly, I like the mobile Arc browser better than its desktop counterpart. Simplified UI, stays mostly out of your way, and it’s satisfying to fling tabs offscreen to close them. Still leery of the AI summarizer, though.
Brave (Web Browser)★★☆☆☆A privacy-focused browser, but for every cool privacy feature there’s something else that makes me want to firewall the application away from my system.
Chromium (Web Browser)★★★☆☆The basis for most web browsers these days, driven mainly by building Google Chrome. Less tracking and branding, but stable updates are only available on Linux.
Dia (Browser)★★☆☆☆An AI chatbot masquerading as a web browser, or the other way around. You can use it without the AI features, but that just leaves you with a stripped-down Chromium skin.
Dillo (Web Browser)★★★★☆Ultra-minimalist and super-fast browser for web documents (not applications). You won’t be logging into Gmail with it, but it’ll load a Wikipedia article incredibly fast.
DuckDuckGo★★★★☆A private-ish search engine that’s also serving less slop than Google. Disposable email aliases are convenient. The browser extension and standalone browser block known trackers, and the Android app can block trackers in other apps too.
Ecosia (Search)★★★☆☆Non-profit search provider that uses renewable energy and partners with environmental organizations. AKA “the search engine that plants trees.”
Falkon (Web Browser)★★★★☆A surprisingly capable Chromium browser for KDE and other Linux desktops that runs well even on low-end hardware and virtual machines.
Firefox★★★★☆I still have a soft spot for Firefox. At times it’s been the best web browser on Windows and Linux. It’s still good, has a solid extension ecosystem, and serves as an important bulwark against one company dominating browser tech.
GNOME Web (aka Epiphany)★★★☆☆A rare WebKit browser for Linux. Handles the basics, but it’s specifically designed for GNOME, and it’s limited in what it can do around websites. Well-suited for PWAs, though!
GNU IceCat★★★☆☆Firefox minus all branding and connections to Mozilla services, plus add-ons to block non-FSF-approved JavaScript.
Google Chrome★★★☆☆There was a time when Chrome was the fastest web browser available. It isn’t anymore, and over the last few years it’s felt less like a user agent and more like a Google agent.
iCab★★★☆☆This macOS-only WebKit browser is just OK, but with so many other browsers trying to grab your attention and data, sometimes ‘just OK’ is what you want.
IronFox★★★★☆A privacy-hardened Firefox variation for Android, comparable to LibreWolf on desktops. Removes Mozilla tracking and services like Pocket. Locks down features that can leak data, but those changes can break some sites.
LibreWolf★★★★☆Customized Firefox, with an eye toward security and privacy. Follows the stable release channel. Works well most of the time, but privacy features can break some sites.
Microsoft Edge★★☆☆☆Once you turn off all the Microsoft specials, it feels usable again – but then, it’s just another Chromium skin.
NetSurf★★★☆☆Lightweight browser for RISC-OS and Linux/Unix (and a few smaller OSes). Slightly more capable than Dillo, if not quite as small or fast.
Opera (Web Browser)★★★☆☆Opera used to be one of my favorite browsers back in the day, but its current incarnation just doesn’t appeal to me. I much prefer Vivaldi, which is a spiritual successor to the original.
Orion Browser★★★★★A Mac-native WebKit browser from Kagi that’s more advanced than Safari, slightly cleaner than Arc or Zen, and can run Chromium/Firefox extensions. I may be sticking with this as my main web browser on macOS.
Regarding Mozilla and BraveOn Brendan Eich’s brief promotion to CEO at Mozilla, the fallout for Mozilla and the creation of Brave.
Safari (Web Browser)★★★★☆Dependable web browser built into macOS. Not much in the way of bells and whistles, but it does offer the usual bookmarks, autofill, reading mode, private windows, etc. And it’ll install PWAs on a desktop.
SeaMonkey (Internet Suite)★★★☆☆The old Mozilla Suite lives on! Featuring web, email, news, an HTML editor, IRC client and more. Recent work has mostly been to keep it working and backport security fixes, so web app compatibility lags way behind even the ESR Firefox.
Tor Browser★★★★☆When you really want (or need) to stay private while using the web, Tor is the way to go. Just keep the drawbacks in mind when you do.
Ungoogled Chromium★★★☆☆This takes Chromium and removes everything that connects to Google services…including things like safe browsing and the extension store.
Vivaldi (Web Browser)★★★★★Spiritual successor to the original Opera browser, this ultra-customizable web browser can open into a full suite for email, calendar, feeds and more – but only if you want it to.
Waterfox★★★★☆A Firefox fork aimed at improved performance and privacy, without sacrificing usability. Also available on Android.
Web Browser RecommendationsVivaldi, Orion, Waterfox and Zen are my current favorites. I want to like Firefox, but I’m not so sure about Mozilla these days. Safari’s OK. LibreWolf and IronFox are good for everyday privacy, Tor for advanced scenarios. Falkon and Dillo are good for slow hardware.
Zen Browser★★★★☆Similar to Arc, Zen has a non-cluttered design that stays out of your way. Unlike Arc, it’s built on Firefox, runs on more platforms, and doesn’t require you to log in just to use it!