These days, there is hardly any need to do much locally; everything we do is via the cloud. That is to say; we do everything nowadays over the internet. Therefore your browser is the gateway to this online world that we are increasingly becoming dependent on.
Your choice of browser could mean the difference between a seamless experience where things happen snappily and a turmoil time where things drag out as you become exhausted. As you well know, the browser industry has got many players, and they are ever trying to outdo each other. So what might have been a great browser in 2016, might have graduated to the best browser in 2017, or relegated with another one taking it spot.
Now there are plenty of browsers out there, but let us just focus on the top four most popular browsers;
Google Chrome
Apple Safari
Microsoft Edge
Internet Explorer
Firefox
According to a research by W3Counter, here is how the browsers mentioned above stuck up against each other in a ranking of popularity worldwide.
Google Chrome has maintained a lead ever since it rolled off onto the browser scene and toppled Firefox as the leading browser. However, there are criticism on Chrome that say Google is using the browser to data mine users activities to serve them better targeted ads. Nonetheless, most of these critics would agree, it is the fastest browser out there.
Safari, Internet Explorer, and Edge browser are only available to a select group of users. Safari is locked to just users using the MacBook computers, while Internet Explorer (IE) and Edge browser only available on Windows PCs.
When you get your new MacBook or Windows PC, you can only use Safari on the former or IE or Edge on the later to get online on the first time. Depending on your preference and the experience you get on your first time using these browsers, you can decide to download other third party browsers; Chrome, Firefox, Opera, et al.
As for Windows PC, Edge browser is only available on devices running Microsoft’s latest OS, the Windows 10. Earlier version don’t have Edge, and the users is only left to use IE. Another major shortcoming for both IE and Edge browser is that they don’t have a mobile version (except on Windows Phone where you only get the Edge browser). This shortcoming makes it impossible for users to seamlessly use and synchronize their online activity from the desktop and to their mobile devices when they are on the move.
Safari is exclusively available on MacBook and iOS devices. Apple seems hell-bent on not porting its products to competitors platform like on Android, Windows, or Linux distribution. Of these tech companies, it is probably Google that has a sustainable competition strategy, as its Chrome browser is available across all platforms.
As much as there is so much talk about which browser is faster than the others. Bottom line is it depends on a number of circumstances including, the speed of your internet connection and the amount of resources on your computer. Nonetheless here is a list of the best browsers listed from first to last: