Web Browsers are one of the ways using which you can interact with the content on the internet. Having the right browser boosts the overall experience with the internet.
There are many browsers out there each special in their way. Some offer the fastest performance, while others provide the best security. But very few offer all the best services.
Most of the time you’re online is spent looking at a website, that’s why it is essential to make sure you have the best web browser.
In a fast-paced technological world, any upper hand you have at dealing with everyday tasks is an advantage. With the best browser suited to your needs, you’ll be able to save time. And at this age, time is money.
While there are many browsers available to choose from we decided to make things easy by finding out the best browser for 2020. The most common browsers, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Opera, were considered. Read on to find the best web browser for 2020.
1. Mozilla Firefox
Ever since it was initially released Firefox was known for its flexibility and the support for extensions. It started to lag behind the other browsers when it came to speed in recent years.
People were starting to write off Mozilla Firefox, and it has had the most significant update in 13 years, and it looks so fulfilling.
While it was previously slow, the new updated Firefox is one of the fastest browsers out there now. It is also the safest and turned out to be more secure when it came to malwares.
Mozilla has a lot of tools and features, and because of its clean interface, it’s easy to find them.
Compatibility
It is compatible with Windows and Mac OS and also with Android and iOS phones and tablets. You can sync all your passwords and browser settings so that you can feel right at home when you access it from another computer or mobile device.
Accessibility
Firefox also has a private browsing option which lets you browse without storing cookies. You can even set the browser to automatically clear all the cache and cookies every time you close the browser.
You can open up multiple tabs in a single browser, and you can easily rearrange them by clicking and dragging. If you accidentally close the entire browser or even a single tab, Firefox would be able to retrieve it for you.
Support
Mozilla doesn’t offer telephone help or chat help, so it’s difficult to contact live support. And it has been told that it doesn’t always reply to an email.
The only option to get in contact with Mozilla for direct help is through their forums. There’s also a huge deal of FAQs and tutorials available.
Firefox has managed to come back into the race with its additional scrutiny for privacy. It has even marched back to the first place because of its security restrictions.
Pros
- Blocks phishing and other dangerous softwares easily.
- Navigates the pages quickly
- It doesn’t eat up all the system resources.
Cons
- It is challenging to find bookmarks.
- The landing page has many ads and a lot of recommended links.
2. Google Chrome
It is one of all-time favorites. It is most popular due to the extensible extensions library. Though not as simple as it usually was, Chrome is still easy to use.
It just has an URL bar, known as the OmniBar, followed by the extensions that you can add to Chrome, a bookmark icon.
Compatibility
Like Firefox, Chrome can be accessed via Windows and Mac OS and also in Android and iOS phones and tablets. Chrome also allows you to sync to multiple accounts, bookmarks, search history, and passwords.
Accessibility
It opens up very fastly – it takes only a second or two. But it has a navigation time of 5 seconds, which makes it slow when compared to the other browsers under consideration.
It can prevent pop-up and also has a private browser. However, Chrome can’t automatically clear cache for you; you have to do it manually.
When you sign up with a Chrome account, you will also get access to other Google features like Gmail, YouTube, Maps, and Drive. And since Chrome supports syncing, you can easily access anything you look for or save in your account from other computing devices just by signing into your account.
File Size
This browser takes up quite some space in your memory. You need about a little over a megabyte of space to download this browser. Since it is large, it is also taxing to the other computer resources during its runtime.
Though this doesn’t seem like such a significant amount of space, it is still much bigger than the other browsers taken into account.
Salient Features
Even if it is invisible to the eyes of the user, Google has managed to integrate all of its features into the browser with the help of deep integration. It allows us to sync bookmarks, passwords, search history, and much more across devices.
Chrome also supports multiple accounts in case you are using it in a family device. It has many built-in features like PDF viewer, Google Translate, a Task Manager, and the convenient “Paste and Go” option for easy access.
Pros
- Chrome is available and accessible across many platforms.
- Easy synchronization to many devices.
Cons
- The desktop version of Chrome doesn’t navigate that fast
- It uses up a lot of memory as the files are large. It uses more system resources when compared to others.
3. Opera
One of the oldest web browsers, Opera runs on the Google Chromium system. Opera uses the open-source Chrome program, but it remodifies it to suit its features.
Since Opera has the same base as Google Chrome, it feels familiar. Even though it has the same core technologies as Chrome, but it is an underrated web browser.
Accessibility
It launches fastly, and it has a great UI but is a little different than the other browsers, so it might take a while to get familiar with it.
It has a URL bar which also acts as a search bar. It has a sidebar which has means to pin down your favorite links.
But if you prefer otherwise, you can also modify the settings to hide the sidebar and use the well-known navigation menus. You can also pin down shortcuts to apps like mail and chat so that you can access them easily.
It is almost equal to Firefox and Chrome when things like a startup, page navigation, and loading up sites get taken into consideration.
Browsers usually look at the browser the user uses and then formats the content according to the current browser used. But particularly old sites and ones that haven’t got modified tend to block Opera, so these sites don’t get loaded in Opera.
In such a case there’s nothing you can do, you’ll have to change your browser, or you’ll have to use another website entirely. This isn’t Opera’s fault; instead, it is because of the outdated sites.
Salient Features
Opera has an additional feature called Turbo which compresses web pages on Opera servers, thus making them save time and data. It also compresses the web traffic which feels like a blessing if you are using a broadband or a slower connection
Another feature of Opera is the domain highlighting. Instead of displaying the protocol used by the website, it shows a badge. This badge can be clicked to view the security assessment of the site you are visiting.
It also includes information about the SSL (Secure Socket Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security) certificates. It also serves as a phishing filter and even as real-time fraud protection.
Security Measures
This browser takes security seriously. Automatic pop up blocker is enabled as soon as you install Opera.
It uses very advanced encryption tools when you visit a secure website like banking sites. Like Firefox and Chrome, Opera also lets you delete all the personal files like cookies and browser history.
While it does protect users against ads and malicious softwares and phishing, it still scores low on the security scale when compared to other browsers. The reason for this is because it doesn’t have a proper web-blocking technique, and it completely lacks in the parental control department.
Opera doesn’t take up too much space in the memory. It takes up only a small amount when compared to Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.
Pros
- Introduction of additional features like Turbo
- It has an integrated ad blocker which can be disabled if needed.
- Uses the same base as Google Chrome
Cons
- Opera doesn’t get easily recognized by the older websites, which may block your access to them.
- It has fewer plugins than its competitors.
- It doesn’t have parental control or web blocking.
4. Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge is a browser that is entirely compatible with Windows 10. It was designed with Windows 10 in mind.
Accessibility
Though there are mobile versions of Edge available for Android phones and iPhones, Edge is not compatible with Macintosh computers or earlier versions of Windows.
This is one of the major drawbacks of Microsoft Edge. People have been waiting for Edge to be backward compatible but they are still waiting and the solution is nowhere near sight.
Salient Features
The browser has a unique tool called “Notes,” which lets you highlight paragraphs and words on a website. You can even add small notes to the pages which can be very helpful during research work.
When you save a website after highlighting a particular paragraph or passage, the highlight is preserved along with the site so you can reread them later.
Security Measures
It has excellent features that protect you from phishing and other malicious applications. You can also modify the settings to erase the cookies and the browser history so that it doesn’t end up in the wrong person’s hands with the help of spyware.
File Size
Microsoft Edge occupies the most space not only in the browsers taken into consideration but also in the other common browsers that are available. Edge is a 23MB file which is almost 20 times larger than Chrome and 70 times larger than Firefox.
User Support
Edge has a sound support system. It is one of the very few browsers that still provide telephone support. Its extensive knowledgebase is searchable and very quick in answering questions.
In addition to these support Edge still offers tutorials and forums to help guide in times of need.
Updates coming out in 2020
Microsoft Edge has been a constant work in progress. But it seems like it is going to be that way forever because it looks like Edge is going to become a Chromium-based browser. Microsoft announced the decision in December.
Once it is adapted, Edge will be similar to Chrome and Opera. Though it is unclear when the change is to happen, it is expected to be around early 2020.
Edge has few extensions when compared to the others and can only sync favorites and the reading list.
Despite the shortcomings, Edge is deeply integrated with Windows 10 and OneNote, making it a walk in the park to clip a webpage and store it as a notebook.
Pros
- It is very fast
- It has a built-in reading mode
Cons
- It is not backward compatible
- It doesn’t have a vast extensions library.
Final Thoughts
Web browsers play a significant role in our daily life. We spend quite some time browsing the internet. Any additional feature that will help us spend our time fruitfully on the internet is always welcome.
Though Firefox emerged as the winner in the best browser for 2020 that doesn’t mean you have to get Firefox immediately. Each browser has its advantages and shortcomings.
So how do you choose one for you? Choose the browser that satisfies your personal needs. You can also install two or more browsers side by side and use them to your advantage.
Happy browsing everyone. Run wild on the internet with your imagination and creativity.