In the early years of the Internet, users used Netscape as a browser to navigate, then Microsoft released Internet Explorer which, being included in the Windows operating system, quickly reached market dominance. Fortunately, to break the monopoly Microsoft thought Mozilla who, from the ashes of Netscape gave birth, in 2004, Firefox.
From that moment, the browser war began and their evolution which brought more and more functionality, lightness and speed.
On this page we will see together the best browsers to download, so as to have a general, complete and concise overview, of all browsers we can download for free on a computer, whether it is Windows, Linux or Mac.
The article focuses mainly on the browsers used by most of the population, but we will also show you the lesser known browsers that can be used as alternatives (especially on older or slower PCs).
READ ALSO: Best browsers compared: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari and Opera
When it comes to web browsers, everyone has a personal opinion, since each browser has specific features that some, but not others, like.
To judge which is better than browsers we use 5 criteria :
- Speed with which a web page loads;
- Security ;
- Ease of use ;
- Set of additional features beyond standard web browsing;
- Compatibility with new models, flexibility and expandability with plugins and add-ons.
For each browser a score from 1 to 10 will be given, so as to understand immediately which are the best browsers to try on our PCs.
1) Google Chrome (9/10)
The latest statistical data confirm that Google Chrome is the most used browser worldwide, clearly undermining the solutions offered by Microsoft.
Chrome offers the best combination of the criteria listed above with many integrated functions, support for extensions, a store to download applications and add-ons and, what should not be underestimated, full compatibility with the most modern web technology.
Based on the open source WebKit engine and Google Javascipt, Google Chrome has emerged as one of the fastest browsers available in many tests and trials.
The Chrome interface has always been celebrated for its usability, simple and minimalist, integrated with powerful tools; lately it has been updated to make it even more modern and less angular.
The space is entirely dedicated to the websites you visit, the tabs are dynamic and detachable and when you open a new tab there is a home page that stores quick links to your favorite and most visited sites, the three dots at the top right they allow you to access all the menus and, on the white pages, we find the bar with your favorite bookmarks.
It is interesting to see how Chrome outperformed Firefox in the number of extensions available.
The installed extensions page opens in a new tab from Preferences -> Tools -> Extensions and can be installed from the Chrome Web Store site, sorted into categories.
Extensions in Chrome appear as icons on the right of the address bar, in order to maintain a uniform appearance.
Chrome was one of the first browsers to offer Omnibox, with the address bar also working to search the Internet.
The main additional functions are: window for incognito browsing or private browsing mode, printing of web pages in PDF, preloading of sites in the background before clicking a link, support for translating pages written in foreign languages, WebGL support, acceleration 3D graphics, Google Cloud Print to print remotely using the printer connected to another PC even from a mobile phone using Google Drive, synchronization of all data so that the configuration is saved online and always the same whatever PC is used, safety sandbox on the browser so that a page that gets stuck in one tab does not spread the problem to the others (even if there is memory loss).
Chrome is the only browser with the built-in Flash plugin and also has an internal PDF reader.
The only real flaws are: high consumption of RAM (especially if we install many extensions) and the sharing of data to Google (however manageable through privacy policies).
Chrome can be downloaded from the official Google website, for Windows Mac and Linux.
You can download Chrome with offline installation .
Once installed, the browser updates automatically in the background, while the portable version of Google Chrome is available on the PortableApps site.
On Navigaweb there is a specific section entirely dedicated to Google Chrome.
2) Mozilla Firefox (8.5 / 10)
Mozilla Firefox has long been the most popular browser by all computer experts and magazines.
In recent years it seems to have lost its way a little and has been surpassed by more innovative browsers such as Chrome.
In recent months it has recovered with substantial improvements, accelerated by a very tight cycle of updates.
The Firefox user interface presents a new tab page with the quick selection of the most visited sites, with the addition of recommended content (which can be removed at any time) and a quick search bar.
The new user interface is minimalist, with an address bar from which you can search the internet for anything Omnibox-style on Chrome.
The menu is available in the upper right (three lines), with the extensions installed which are gradually added next to it (in full Chrome style).
The interface is fully customizable in the buttons and positions of the various elements: definitely one of the most important features of Firefox.
Other interesting features include: intelligent address bar, very powerful developer tools, panoramic view of sites opened by a button on the new tab page, address bar with search function, Firefox Sync to synchronize browser bookmarks, the history, passwords and tabs open between different computers and very powerful personal data protection system (anti-tracking system).
Firefox can be customized through add-ons and themes that can be downloaded from the addons.mozilla.org site.
As for speed and performance, Firefox has corrected numerous problems of the past, with a noticeable improvement in memory management and boot time, even if the installation of extensions increases memory usage considerably (on Chrome levels, although at Firefox tends to be lighter for the same extension).
Even Firefox, like Chrome, updates automatically and silently and guarantees navigation security and greater privacy, but does not have the integrated Flash plugin (we will have to install it separately if we still use sites with this technology).
Firefox can be downloaded, for Windows Mac and Linux, from the Mozilla website while the portable version that does not require installation is available on Portable Apps .
Also for Firefox there is a special section on Navigaweb with various articles and news.
3) Opera (8/10)
Opera has always been the most innovative browser because it introduced numerous functions before the others who then copied it; for example Opera was the first to have browser tabs, speed dialing in the initial tab, pop-up blocker, browsing sessions to be resumed and the possibility to delete private data.
Its interface is a pleasure for the eyes, especially when combined with speed, safety and lightness.
The main additional functions of Opera are: Tab stacking to drag and drop the tabs on each other and create a group of tabs, Opera Link to synchronize the browser on different platforms including Opera Mobile and Opera Mini for Android and iPhone, shortcuts quick the most used sites and services, VPN system for anonymous surfing, unwanted content blocking system, support for using the webcam in web applications, quick search, themes and extensions.
There are hundreds of extensions for Opera downloadable from the addons.opera.com website and, thanks to the compatibility with the Chrome engine (you can install the extensions of the Chrome Web store on Opera), it becomes very easy to find the desired extension.
In terms of performance and memory it is extremely optimized and provides an additional option called Opera Turbo, ideal for surfing with slow internet connection and is the best browser for an older or less powerful computer.
In terms of security, it is on the line of other browsers, with private browsing, separation of plugins and the possibility of not being tracked online.
What is missing instead is a strong and numerous user base, which is a shame given the quality of the product.
Opera can be downloaded from the Opera.com website, free and in Italian, for Windows, Mac and Linux.
The installation also allows you to choose to install the browser in a portable version .
4) Microsoft Edge (8/10)
With the arrival of Windows 10, a new Microsoft browser called Edge was launched.
This browser tries to take the best of Internet Explorer, bringing it on par with the most popular browsers.
This browser has a really modern and minimal interface, with a button for quick sharing in the upper right corner and all the features you expect: anonymous browsing, deleting history by periods, synchronizing bookmarks and history with the Microsoft account associated with Windows and, very important for browsers, the presence of extensions designed for it.
The latter are not very many (for now), but we can find the most important and used ones.
As for speed and memory consumption, Edge is obviously the best on Windows 10, being optimized to make the most of the operating system: Edge is therefore extremely fast in loading pages, sometimes even better than Chrome.
Excellent compatibility with the latest web standards and integrations with DRM services: Edge is the only one on Windows 10 that can play 4K content on Windows from services such as Netflix and the like.
Obviously it is not necessary to download it since it is already integrated in Windows 10 and it is perhaps its only flaw: we cannot try it on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.
5) Internet Explorer (6.5 / 10)
Internet Explorer was first a monopolist and the only choice, then the poorest and most dangerous browser to use, bearing a very bad reputation despite all the efforts made by Microsoft to improve it, has long been mistreated, used only by those who had no other choice (Blocked business PCs or programs and sites that only worked with its rendering engine).
The interface of Internet Explorer is clean but no longer in step with the times: even on leather it gives a sense of what has already been seen, which will immediately make us regret the beautiful interfaces of Chrome and Edge.
Internet Explorer is the default browser on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 (upgradeable to the latest version made available, i.e. 11), while on Windows 10 it acts as a backup browser to Microsoft Edge, decidedly more modern and secure.
Internet Explorer can be downloaded from the Microsoft website in Italian for compatible PCs.
We can find all the Internet Explorer guides in the special IE section on Navigaweb.net.
6) Apple Safari (7.5 / 10)
Apple Safari is the browser pre-installed on Macs (iMac and MacBook), with Webkit rendering engine, therefore it maintains a very high speed with all the Web pages.
The address bar is smart and automatically displays suggestions based on the sites you visit and your favorites.
The new tab has a 3D view with thumbnails of the 12 most visited sites, without forgetting the reading function that transforms the sites into books.
Over the years, extensions for the browser have also arrived, but they are decidedly less in number than the other browsers that we can install on a Mac (such as Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox).
Safari is also quite heavy, but fortunately very optimized so we will hardly see our Mac slow down because of the browser (one of the advantages of Apple products lies in the extreme optimization of its programs with the hardware available).
On Mac Safari it is definitely the first option to consider to surf the Internet, knowing that at any time we can move on to something else without problems.
7) Vivaldi (8.5 / 10)
A little known but very nice browser to look at is definitely Vivaldi, which we talked about in a dedicated article Try Vivaldi 2, The coolest browser of all to see the web .
As we will be able to read in the dedicated guide (which we recommend reading), this browser has a modern and truly captivating interface, since it was born from the Opera developers who decided to detach themselves from the company and make a real new and innovative browser .
We can download this new browser from the Vivaldi official website .
8) Other alternative browsers
Besides these, in this blog we have seen many other alternative web browsers, sometimes even better than Firefox and Chrome, of which an in-depth review has been written.
The complete list, based on the rendering engine they use, is:
1) Mozilla Firefox based browsers :
- K-Meleon
- Palemoon
- SeaMonkey
- Waterfox
- Tor Browser, to surf anonymously with the Tor network
- UC Browser
- Convenient Dragon and IceDragon
- SRWare Iron
- Torch Web Browser
- SlimJet
- Sleipnir
- Maxthon
- Avant Browser
After trying them all, here is the ranking with which we can choose the best browser to use on the PC or Mac, in my opinion:
- Chrome (winner)
- Vivaldi
- Microsoft Edge
- Opera
- SlimJet
- Mozilla Firefox
- Safari
- Tor Browser
- Maxthon
- Convenient Dragon
- UC Browser
Other articles that we can read about the browser are the following: best alternatives to Firefox, best alternatives to Google Chrome and the best portable and light browsers.
