10 Best Web Browsers For Linux

For most people, the browser is one of the most used applications in the OS, which is why it’s so important to choose a stable browser that suits all your needs. Like Windows, Linux users can pick from a dozen web browsers of different kinds – from lightweight browsers to cross-platform, feature-rich browsers. In this list, let’s look at some of the best browsers you can use on your Linux system.

1. Firefox

Firefox is the third most popular browser in the world, and likely the most popular Linux browser, since it ships with many Linux distributions by default. Its initial release in 2002 marked the rebirth of Netscape Navigator, though it wasn’t until 2004 that it became known as “Firefox”, having previously been known as first “Phoenix” and then “Firebird”. It’s one of the most customizable browsers, and the ocean of user add-ons and themes created for it will likely never be surpassed by other projects. It also performs well – tests show Firefox is the most memory-efficient of the mainstream browsers, in addition to having the best Javascript performance.

Firefox for Linux

However, Mozilla has a history of making things difficult for add-on developers and users by introducing backward-incompatible changes, one of which was a complete revamp of the UI. The new interface called Australis left many users unhappy and incurred a loss of market share. It wouldn’t be unfair to say Mozilla went through a direction crisis, and time will tell if the direction they’ve chosen will serve them well.

ProsCons
Privacy-focused features such as Tracker blocking and many moreThe extensions library is lacking
Cross-device syncFlawed backward compatibility
Balanced memory usage

Download or install from Flatpak using the command:

sudo flatpak install firefox

2. Vivaldi

Released in 2015, Vivaldi is fairly new to the browser game but has managed to establish itself as one of the best browsers for Linux. For starters, it’s based on Chromium and comes with tonnes of great features to make your browsing experience great. It’s highly customizable, gives you the option to block trackers, and claims to consume fewer system resources than Chrome.

vivaldi

Although the browser may have a learning curve, it’s by far one of the cleanest and feature-rich browsers on Linux. One of our favorite features is web panels. Once you add a website in the web panel, it opens a vertical window where it loads the website for you. This way, you’re always just one click away from opening your favorite website. Vivaldi is available on all Debian-based, RPM-based, and Arch-based Linux distros.

ProsCons
Highly customizableCould be a little too overwhelming for an average user
Lots of features
Decently-balanced memory usage

Download

3. Brave

Back when Brave was introduced, it gave users crypto in the form of BAT for browsing and receiving ads via push notifications. Fast forward a couple of years, and the browser is now more than that. Like most browsers on this list, Brave, too, is a Chromium-based browser and looks quite similar to Chrome in most cases. However, the main area where it deviates from Chrome is in the number of features that it has on offer.

Brave browser

It comes with TOR, tracker blocking, and Brave’s own search engine called Brave Search. It’s a privacy-focused search engine that drew inspiration from the likes of DuckDuckGo. Overall, if privacy is a major concern for you, and if you’re looking for something that might help you remain anonymous on the web at least partially, Brave is a good choice.

ProsCons
Privacy-focused features such as Tracker blocking and many moreNo cross-device sync
Integrated Tor for more secure browsing
Fast and efficient

Download or install from Flathub:

sudo flatpak install brave

4. Chromium

There’s a lot of debate on the internet about Chromium vs Chrome. Both are similar in many ways, but the point where they deviate is in terms of features. Chromium is an open-source project and Google upstreams features to Chrome from the same, with a few proprietary features that differentiate Chrome from Chromium. As a result, Chromium isn’t as feature-rich as Chrome, but it has the same DNA as Chrome.

Chromium

Loading web pages, installing extensions, and the general overall usability is quite similar to that of Chrome. Some of the drawbacks of Chromium are you’ll manually need to install updates and support for built-in Media Codecs is missing. Besides, there’s no option to sync browser data from Google accounts. That said, if you’re looking for a good, privacy-focused browser, Chromium should serve you well.

ProsCons
Lack of Google goodies means enhanced privacyNo cross-device sync
Simple, easy to use, and fastLacks support for codecs

Download or install using Flathub:

sudo flatpak install chromium

5. Tor Browser

There’s a rich, brief history behind the Tor browser, and it’s known to very few people. For starters, Tor (not the browser) was developed in the 1990s by the US Naval Research Laboratory to protect the identity of US Navy Intelligence agents. It was later distributed on a free license, and in 2008, Tor Browser emerged as one of the best browsers to help users stay anonymous on the web.

Tor browser for Linux

If you want to know how Tor works, refer to our comprehensive “What is Tor” guide. In brief, Tor works on an overlay network; When you send a request, the request is encrypted, bounces off multiple computers in the network, and returns with the information. This ensures that no middlemen are accessing your requests to and fro, ensuring great privacy. Tor is completely free and open source.

ProsCons
Helps users remain anonymous on the webTor network is slower than your regular browsing experience
Access to blocked websites without a VPN

Download or install from Flathub

sudo flatpak install torbrowser-launcher

6. Falkon

Falkon is yet another privacy-focused browser developed by the KDE team. The browser is very basic but comes with all the important bits and pieces you’d need for a good browsing experience. The overall UI could’ve been better and looked modern, but it is what it is. In the short time we spent using the browser, our experience was pretty positive.

Falkon browser

Besides the lackluster UI, the parsing speed was pretty comparable to Chrome and Edge Chromium. The browser comes with the Ad Block extension, which, as the name suggests, blocks trackers and Ads. The browser also comes with a sidebar to manage recent pages, history, and many more. Overall, for a free browser, Falkon is a decent browser.

ProsCons
Privacy-focused features such as Tracker blockingA little too simple
Lightweight and open sourceOutdated UI

Install from Flathub:

sudo flatpak install falkon

7. Chrome

Chrome is Google’s answer to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox. Chrome took everyone by surprise, offering a lightweight, responsive experience, and a fast JavaScript engine. This affected all other browsers, as everyone had to scramble to catch up. Today, it’s the most popular browser, holding more than half the market share.

Google Chrome Linux

On Linux, you’re more likely to see Chromium, which is the open-source project that Chrome is based on. However, Chromium still lacks a few potentially useful features, such as H.264 support and Google’s version of the Flash plugin. On the other side, it doesn’t feature Google’s tracking software. Following its main competitors, Chrome ships with only the most basic functionality, but it’s very extensible, and the number of add-ons has risen dramatically over the years.

ProsCons
The fastest browser on this listPrivacy concerns
Cross-device syncVery heavy on memory
Massive extensions library

Download or install from Flathub:

sudo flatpak install chrome

8. Opera

Opera has never had much market share, despite being one of the more innovative browsers – it was the first browser that had the Speed Dial feature. In recent times, they’ve abandoned their proprietary layout engine, Presto, in favor of Google’s fork of WebKit, Blink. This essentially means Opera is now a version of Chromium, a move that disappointed some old users, as some of the customization options have been lost in the transition.

opera for Linux

However, it retains much of the look and feel of the older versions and offers mouse gestures, a download manager, extensions, Private Browsing and Turbo Mode. Besides, the browser also comes bundled with Opera VPN.

ProsCons
Privacy-focused features such as Tracker blocking and many moreCluttered, bloated interface
Features such as battery saver and turbo mode for enhanced browsing experienceSlower than the competition

Download or install using Flathub:

sudo flatpak install opera

9. Microsoft Edge

Prior to introducing Chromium-based Edge, Microsoft experimented with lots of things, which, unfortunately, didn’t end up being a success. The new Edge, however, did the trick for the giant as it was able to capture a significant market. Sure, 4.28% might not seem like a lot, but this year, Edge overtook Firefox in the race and the share is growing steadily.

Microsoft Edge Linux

Edge has all the basic features you’d expect from a browser, but it feels more bloated compared to the competition, and the same gets worse with each update. Although some people like having more features, it’s certainly not our cup of tea. Thanks to the recent Microsoft – OpenAI acquisition, the new Bing AI has been integrated into Edge. Overall, while it may not be the best browser when it comes to privacy, it’s one of the most feature-rich browsers you can try.

ProsCons
Privacy-focused features such as Tracker blocking and many moreBloated with unnecessary features
CustomizableRequires more system resources
Is fast and comes baked in with efficiency features

Download or install using Flathub:

sudo flatpak install microsoft-edge

10. GNOME Web (Epiphany)

The official browser of the GNOME project, Web was previously known as Epiphany. It’s a WebKit-based browser that adheres to the design tenets of the GNOME project, offering a clean, simple interface and tight integration with the desktop environment. More recent versions have dropped support for user extensions, but a number of the most popular add-ons have become a core part of the browser. These include ad filtering, Greasemonkey support, and mouse gestures.

GNOME Web

The browser allows you to block ADs and Trackers by default. With the release of recent GNOME versions, Web feels responsive and fairly modern to use. If you’re switching from Firefox, it also gives you the option to sync browser data, passwords, bookmarks, history, and open tabs with your Mozilla account, which will help you get started quickly.

ProsCons
Tracker blockingA little too basic
Sync with Mozilla account and FirefoxNot very customizable
Fast, efficient, and lightweight

Download or install using Flathub:

sudo flatpak install gnome-web

Bonus: Lynx

Lynx is a text-based browser – it runs in the terminal. In case you’re wondering why would anyone bother, there are a few situations where it might come in handy: maybe X has crashed and you need to Google how to fix it, or perhaps the documentation for some other console application is in HTML, and it’s a lot more elegant to just open in it in another tab.

10 Best Web Browsers For Linux

Lynx is the oldest such project still around, dating all the way back to 1992. Lynx doesn’t do much: it renders text from web pages. It has no support for images or video or Javascript. Consequently, it’s blazing fast, and fairly secure.

Download

What’s your favorite web browser for Linux? Do you know of any other browsers worth mentioning? Tell us about them in the comments.

comment Comments 31
  • EV2450BK says:

    Did Firefox have balanced memory usage in 2015?! I would not say so.
    FF gradually lost its great features such as blocking objects from certain sites and became unable to import passwords from older FF versions and so on. . .
    I started using Pale Moon instead and been using it happily since then.

  • TNTprizz says:

    LYNXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
    it is the best!!!!!!!

  • ThatGuy says:

    Qutebrowser and Surf

  • Ex Vivaldi user says:

    I would love to recommend Vivaldi, but when one bug is ironed out in it, another comes along with the next update. Some bugs are consistent, though, like buttons that don’t work on certain sites.

  • chris says:

    perhaps update this list and put Brave abova Firefox? 😉

    • Kalder says:

      That browser is Garbage. It shows how stupid you are.

  • why says:

    ur browser

    • bob says:

      Windows and Apple only according to its website.

  • Just another person says:

    I think OceanHero should be on there because it is a amazing browser and it takes one bottle out of the ocean for every 5 searches and it keeps track of how many searches you’ve done!

  • George Goffe says:

    Cubzilla and Lynx download “buttons” are broken… they don’t download. Is this intended or are they broken?

  • Joe Blow says:

    i think midori, konqueror and qupzilla are not as good as the other on the list. lynx is a text-based so why include it? aren’t the web isn’t meant for the visually-challenged people? /s srsly tho i weep for the less accessible web we now have. u can’t even browse some sites wihtout javascript

  • Abu Galib says:

    Great choice of browsers, with alternative functionalities, modes of operation and extendibility.

  • J L Merrill says:

    I use Slimjet, a variant of Chrome, but with more functionality and customization. I use it both in Windows and Ubuntu 14.04. I also use the venerable Chromium. It always plays videos, and sometimes Slimjet will not. I never invoke Firefox.

  • Ove says:

    I DO not samt tog Use X 11.

  • Zeke says:

    Is there a web browser that is completely independent from GOOGLE? I am trying to keep my computer and my information as far away from google as possible. Is there a browser like that??

    • Awais says:

      TOR

      • vishal says:

        you can go with TOR
        almost unbeatable web browser

      • vishal says:

        You need to change some of your habits, as some things won’t work exactly as you are used to.

        Use Tor Browser

        Tor does not protect all of your computer’s Internet traffic when you run it. Tor only protects your applications that are properly configured to send their Internet traffic through Tor. To avoid problems with Tor configuration, we strongly recommend you use the Tor Browser. It is pre-configured to protect your privacy and anonymity on the web as long as you’re browsing with Tor Browser itself. Almost any other web browser configuration is likely to be unsafe to use with Tor.
        Don’t torrent over Tor

        Torrent file-sharing applications have been observed to ignore proxy settings and make direct connections even when they are told to use Tor. Even if your torrent application connects only through Tor, you will often send out your real IP address in the tracker GET request, because that’s how torrents work. Not only do you deanonymize your torrent traffic and your other simultaneous Tor web traffic this way, you also slow down the entire Tor network for everyone else.
        Don’t enable or install browser plugins

        Tor Browser will block browser plugins such as Flash, RealPlayer, Quicktime, and others: they can be manipulated into revealing your IP address. Similarly, we do not recommend installing additional addons or plugins into Tor Browser, as these may bypass Tor or otherwise harm your anonymity and privacy.
        Use HTTPS versions of websites

        Tor will encrypt your traffic to and within the Tor network, but the encryption of your traffic to the final destination website depends upon on that website. To help ensure private encryption to websites, Tor Browser includes HTTPS Everywhere to force the use of HTTPS encryption with major websites that support it. However, you should still watch the browser URL bar to ensure that websites you provide sensitive information to display a blue or green URL bar button, include https:// in the URL, and display the proper expected name for the website. Also see EFF’s interactive page explaining how Tor and HTTPS relate.
        Don’t open documents downloaded through Tor while online

        Tor Browser will warn you before automatically opening documents that are handled by external applications. DO NOT IGNORE THIS WARNING. You should be very careful when downloading documents via Tor (especially DOC and PDF files, unless you use the PDF viewer that’s built into Tor Browser) as these documents can contain Internet resources that will be downloaded outside of Tor by the application that opens them. This will reveal your non-Tor IP address. If you must work with DOC and/or PDF files, we strongly recommend either using a disconnected computer, downloading the free VirtualBox and using it with a virtual machine image with networking disabled, or using Tails. Under no circumstances is it safe to use BitTorrent and Tor together, however.
        Use bridges and/or find company

        Tor tries to prevent attackers from learning what destination websites you connect to. However, by default, it does not prevent somebody watching your Internet traffic from learning that you’re using Tor. If this matters to you, you can reduce this risk by configuring Tor to use a Tor bridge relay rather than connecting directly to the public Tor network. Ultimately the best protection is a social approach: the more Tor users there are near you and the more diverse their interests, the less dangerous it will be that you are one of them. Convince other people to use Tor, too!

      • why vishal says:

        vishal why did you write an essay?

  • Nikolai says:

    Я считаю, что что в этом обзоре следует упомянуть Yandex browser!

  • Larry says:

    I have been using Vivaldi lately and it is very impressive. Handles the extensions I need, is fast and good at keeping tracking etc to a minimum.

  • Russ Bixby says:

    The best browser for a given job is that which best does the job, and that varies from job to job.

    I use Midori and Lynx for the web and docs, respectively, Konqueror occasionally, and when I absolutely, positively have no choice in the matter Chrome or Firefox. The two latter are ridiculously slow and inefficient, max the CPU and thrash the drive array like it fell asleep on duty, and if I’vce an alternative then I do not touch them with a ten foot cliché.

  • Robin Hould says:

    Flashpeak Slimjet is a good and fast browser based on Chrome ….

  • myOpp says:

    Vivaldi – most flexible and very quick browser

  • ntv says:

    I can’t tolerate Firefox any more. My system comes to a standstill with “script error”.

    • babati says:

      can sometime be caused by an addon

      • Bullet says:

        Maybe true, to some degree, but what the hell’s the point in using Firefox if you cannot use the addons?
        The fact is, even a clean install of Firefox uses far too much memory.

  • quincy says:

    I use flashpeak slimjet /Infinity New Tab on Linux mint 18 cinnamon desktop and Ubuntu 16,04 both have cairo dock too and works great, however I have chrome and mozilla firefox 53 which I like how it runs

  • John says:

    Firefox keeps crashing every day! Midori looks nice. Does it offer dark theme for linux?

    • Bosta says:

      I used midori a little bit it is cool but simple,i changed linux again,and im going to test another browser,midori is really good option but i dont know if he has dark theme ‘-‘

  • Lynx_User says:

    Hi there! Lynx is my choice when it comes to surfing through web in searching for informations. In matter of fact I’m using Lynx in this very moment.

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