Six Mac Web Browsers: How Do They Stack Up?
Six Mac Web Browsers: How Do They Stack Up?
Posted 11/11/2010 at 3:21pm
| by J.R. Bookwalter
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RockMelt blasted into our collective conscience this month to compete for web browsing dominance against Safari, Firefox, Opera, Chrome and Flock -- not to mention a handful of smaller competitors. So which one is right for you?
There’s no doubt that web browsing is a very personal experience, and one person’s browser of choice might be another person’s nightmare. Most of the web browsers today do an admirable job and compatibility isn’t as much of an issue as it used to be, but if you don’t have the time to test them all out, read on!
MacLife.com is here to help cut through the thick fog and help choose the one that’s just right for you from these six Mac favorites.
Safari 5
Who Makes It: Apple, Inc.
Based Upon: WebKit
Who’s It For: All but the most discerning power users
Where Do I Get It: www.apple.com/safari/download
Just because Apple includes Safari with Mac OS X by default, that doesn’t mean it’s the best browser on the platform, does it? Prior to Safari 5 being released earlier this year, we might have questioned whether or not that was true, but thanks to Apple opening up the WebKit-based browser with extensions (many of which are featured in the company’s own Safari Extensions Gallery), Safari 5 has finally come out of the shadows with gloves ready to spar.
Safari has been criticized in the past for not doing enough to keep innocent users away from scammy phishing websites, and it’s certainly an area where the competition has done a much better job. But otherwise, Apple’s prodigal browser is quite fast and thanks to an ever-growing list of extensions, it’s quickly catching up to the likes of Firefox as well.
The little things make all the difference, and one area where Safari 5 excels can be found with its Universal Access preference. When Facebook recently reduced the font size of users’ News Feeds, plenty of folks cried fowl as they reached for their granny glasses to read the latest from their friends. Those of us who had the “Never use font sizes smaller than…” setting probably never noticed the change, while competitors like Google’s Chrome can only combat the dilemma by increasing the font size on all pages or digging up an extension to make the magic happen.
Safari’s feature set includes managing bookmarks, downloads, passwords and forms, spell checking, a search engine toolbar with your choice of Google, Yahoo! or Bing, privacy mode and an auto-updater.
Firefox
Who Makes It: Mozilla Corporation
Based Upon: Mozilla
Who’s It For: Hardcore power users
Where Do I Get It: www.mozilla.com
Mozilla’s Firefox has gained a well-deserved reputation as the most customizable browser of them all, largely thanks to a vibrant developer community currently offering more than 5,000 add-ons (the Firefox version of extensions). Where most browsers simply offer extensions to tap into existing services like Evernote or block unwanted elements of various websites, Firefox features add-ons in 14 different categories ranging from Appearance (currently 1,176) to Games & Entertainment (61), Privacy & Security (755) and Tabs (469). Suffice it to say that if you want to do it, Firefox can probably make it happen.
For instance, who would ever think to use your web browser for FTP when there are so many great software clients available? Yet, developer Mime Čuvalo offers the excellent FireFTP, a free, secure and cross-platform FTP client that works inside Firefox and does just about anything you might want from a file transfer app.
Firefox isn’t just about extensions, either -- Mozilla and their developers offer a wide variety of Themes, Search Tools and Personas which allow users to customize your web browsing experience, right down to making the browser look more like the competition.
Firefox is also a great fallback browser for those rare times when sites don’t play nice with Safari, including the very content management system used to post to this site! Firefox is probably the most compatible browser on the Mac, particularly for websites that favor Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, which was long ago abandoned by Redmond.
For all of its positive traits, Firefox tends to be a bit more sluggish than many of the other browsers we’re covering here at actual browsing -- although that promises to change soon, if Mozilla’s just-released Firefox 4 Beta 7 is any indication. Based on our early tests, it’s quite the little speed demon, although a few quirks and incompatibilities still remain, which will likely be hammered out by the time it’s released to all early next year.
Chrome
Who Makes It: Google, Inc.
Based Upon: WebKit, Chromium
Who’s It For: Google users, casual users
Where Do I Get It: www.google.com/chrome
First released for Microsoft Windows in September, 2008, Google’s Chrome is based on the same WebKit engine as Apple’s own Safari, but the search giant has built its own Chromium into the mix, which is the foundation for their own netbook operating system, Chrome OS. In just two years, Google has already dwarfed Apple’s Safari in browser market share with nearly 10 percent.
The Chrome browser will likely appeal to folks already deeply connected to Google -- and not just because the gang in Mountain View has a host of Google-themed extensions for their fans, including close ties to Gmail, Google Reader, Google Voice and even Google Wave. That’s not to say that third-party developers haven’t made their own imprint on Chrome, with 13 other categories of extensions ranging from Blogging to Productivity and of course, Social.
Chrome also has a few nice touches that separate it from the pack. For instance, the status bar at the bottom of the screen only pops up while you’re loading a page, then vanishes back into the ether when it’s done, rather than taking up valuable screen space all the time as other browsers do. It’s also notable that Chrome chose to place tabs on top of the URL field -- a change that Apple briefly flirted with during a public beta version of Safari but later abandoned.
Visual changes aside, at its core there’s not all that much different between Chrome and Safari, particularly since they’re based on the same core WebKit technology. Chrome still has a few things in its favor, including a much richer catalog of extensions, while Safari feels like a more mature web browser overall (which it should be, having been around longer).
It’s a tougher choice between Safari and Chrome -- more than any other two browsers in this roundup, you’ll have to try them both to see which one suits you.
>> Next: Flock, Opera and RockMelt
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iMac.27
February 01, 2011 at 11:37pm
I have tried, Safari, Chrome and FF. I do like Chrome, its fast, but I prefer Safari most of the time.
I appreciate the article, but, I want to know how these browsers rank for security.
Each have had their "day in the news" with some security flaw.Chrome, being google, spies on everything you do...(and sends that info to whoever they want)
Safari, auto complete security flaw ( I'm sure was fixed at some point)
FF, can't remember what it was, but it had a security hole somewhere...
kwameshearrod
January 29, 2011 at 1:31pm
Each browser boasts it strong suites, but Safari does it all and has a few tricks up its sleeve. I use firefox for the extensions, and Chrome for the ability to implement private browsing from the keyboard, but I use Safari the most.
If you have multiple macs, an iPad, an iPhone, or combination of the aforementioned, along with a mobile me account you can sync your bookmarks across all of these devices seamlessly, it just works. So i keep all my commonly used site (mostly online apps) in the bookmarks bar and they are in the same place, in the same order, on every device.
I recently purchased a macbook air, set it to sync with mobile me, opened safari (which takes just under two seconds on the air) and it looks and acts the same as all the instances running on my other devices. my only quarrel is you have to use the mouse and a series of clicks to implement private browsing.
I also must admit the integrated search and address bar implementation in chrome is pure genius.
justir7
November 17, 2010 at 12:03pm
I have used four Mac browsers heavily. It's been Safari, Firefox, Chrome, and iCab Trial Version.
As I'm home schooled, my obsolete schooling platform requires Firefox to interact with most of the material. They specify Firefox, but why they can't use other browsers is beyond me.
iCab Trial Version: ... Just don't even try it. Obsolete. I've erased it from my computer. If I mention one browser has the worst flaw, it's actually iCab. I just don't feel like typing that every time I reference a flaw.
Firefox: My least favorite. Slowest of all my browsers. Application opening time is 60% slower than Safari. It personally just seems like a "heavy" application. 55.7 MB is the size compared to Safari's 57 MB size. Not much of a difference, but Safari is just FASTER.
Google Chrome: Comparable with Firefox. Slow, clunky, "heavy"... it just has more integration with Google features and is slightly faster than Firefox. I use a Google stuff a lot, so Chrome was good with that. I have no size as I erased it off my drive because I have no need for it.
Safari: My all-time favorite. Fast, quick, loads pages WITH Flash content perfectly. I've never experienced any difficulties as listed above. I use the browser whenever I'm not schooling. Plus, I love the OS integration, which helps with quick tasks that need Address Book or the like.
FINAL RATINGS:
iCab Trial Version: 1/10 (I've never tried the paid version, but seeing how the trial version operates... buy at your own risk.
Firefox: 5/10
Chrome: 6.5/10
Safari: 9/10
tomwmson
November 16, 2010 at 5:40am
Safari - fast, reliable, well integrated with all Snow Leopard applications.
Every once in a while - I'll use Chrome for a day. It works well also but does not provide the ease of interacting well with other OS applications!!
It's a no-brainer. Safari for 99.9% of the time. It also can handle downloads from all other sources.
Firefox is not consistently stable.
purplemaizenjm
November 14, 2010 at 6:41am
Chrome does not work for gaming it freezes and when you go to pogo the java script comes up like in firefox it says you don't have enough java. So I am sticking with Safari. Besides, Safari you can change the browser to different browsers for different games in pogo. I learned that trick from you.
kylerwalker
November 12, 2010 at 3:38pm
the only browsers i use are google chrome and safari 5 and so far i use google chrome more then safari
usmc2k3
November 12, 2010 at 2:23pm
I've been going back and forth between Safari and Chrome. I love Chrome's simple layout and how much actual screen real estate I get out of it compared to Safari, but I like how Safari syncs all my bookmarks with my iPhone. I wish Safari better security features, such as warning me of potential threats like Chrome does.
rlaukaitis
November 12, 2010 at 8:21am
I agree with those above - Chrome responds significantly faster to flash applications/movies/etc. than Safari. I also like the cleaner look and feel of Chrome. I use both, but prefer Chrome for casual browsing.
talktothetoe
November 11, 2010 at 6:47pm
God I love firefox's features to death. they make my life so much easier. And it does my heart good to know I am supporting open source guys at mozilla. They do the best job at add ons, and it makes my life simpler.
Unfortunently, I have abandoned firefox many times in favor of Safari 5. the only reason I do this (and it kills me but i must as i am a power user that needs speed) is because Safari rarely ever crashes, and loads webpages faster. I think im my life of using safari 5, it has only crashed once (with 12 tabs open, downloading Boxee, and with a good 15 extenstions in use while watching Hulu). Firefox crashes on me atleast once a day, and it breaks my heart. I really really want to love firefox more, and adopt it as my browser for life, but its occasional sluggy performance and daily crashes prevent me from sticking with it. I hope firefox 4 is a BIG improvement in speed and stability (hopefully topping speeds of safari and Chrome.)
justir7
November 17, 2010 at 12:08pm
For me, ironically, Firefox is the browser I most frequently have to refresh content with that has Flash. Funny.
cpwhaley
November 11, 2010 at 6:46pm
I've been a big Safari fan, but there have been some weird problems lately as you'll see in the Apple Discussions forum. Lot's of us can't even log in to Apple Discussions from Safari. We have to use another browser (I use Chrome).
Another one is that Adobe's Flash 10 seems to have almost totally crippled Safari. Any page that has video brings Safari into practically a locked up state. I have to do a force quit on Safari at least a dozen times a day whenever there's Flash video on a page. Again, check Apple Discussions... I'm not the only one.
The conspiracy theory says that since Steve Jobs won't endorse Flash for iPhone (and has called it an obsolete technology), Adobe is teaching Apple a lesson. Or is it? Doesn't that make Flash look even worse?
There are other times when Safari is limited for me... Wordpress (edit controls don't show up) and a more niche browser-based app... Mapbuilder.net. Again.. certain editing controls don't work. I use Firefox to work around those problems.
I guess the bottom line is that you can't confidently use just one browser at all. That makes comparing them to see which is best is kind of a worthless exercise.
stevengu
November 11, 2010 at 3:56pm
I too find it difficult to choose between Chrome and Safari, but lately, I've stopped using Chrome and started using Safari, mainly because Chrome started to slow down. Furthermore, Chrome does not integrate itself with other Mac applications (e.g. Preview), while Safari does.
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