5 Best Browsers For Windows

Although universal, Internet is different for each user; for some, it’s a platform to read whereas some others use it to keep in touch with people; and there are some others who find it a platform to create, save and share documents, in a pretty much easier way! Depending upon which kind of user you are and what your major purpose is, you will have to choose the most appropriate web browser too, since there are several web browsers with different capabilities. If you need a web browser that prioritizes privacy and security, for instance, you may have to compromise features; on the other hand, if you mainly need a browser to read online news portals and check your mail, you would hopefully be satisfied with one that does not consume more resources. In this post, we’ll have a list of top 5 web browsers for Windows, discussing major aspects such as security and productivity of web browsers listed here.

1. Google Chrome

The free, trusted web browser from Google, Google Chrome for Windows is the appropriate choice when you need a multipurpose tool for pro web experience. Being a Google-made product, the web browser gives better results when you use Gmail or YouTube. As per statistics, Google Chrome is the most popular and used web browser, offering lots of impressive features in terms of security, usability, privacy and after-sign-in features. Plus, when we do compare it with other browsers out there, Google Chrome is quicker — though it is known for the higher resource consumption!

When it comes to usability aspect, there are some other features worth noting. For instance, you can create as many profiles you may need in your family or organization and keep each one’s data intact. If your primary concern is kind of privacy, on the other hand, you will find the Incognito Mode quite useful. And, there is a stronger integration with Google Now, which lets you use your voice instead of keywords. Also, coming to backend, the browser comes with in-built support for HTML5 and V8 JavaScript engine that is far more powerful. When combined with the Webkit rendering engine, loading web pages will be an easy thing in Google Chrome. To extend productivity of Chrome, you’ve a huge collection of Chrome Apps and Extensions waiting in store. Notably, Chrome is coming with a few developer-oriented features through Inspect Element.

When you need a complete web browser, with efficient apps in your Smartphones and enhanced synchronization-oriented features, Google Chrome makes sense. One issue you might encounter is the higher RAM consumption, for solving which you can use some extensions.

Compatibility: Windows 8/8.1/7/vista/XP-32 bit

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2. Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox — more often than not known as Firefox — is a free-to-use web browser by Mozilla Foundation and it is an open-source initiative, available for other platforms as well along with Windows. When compared with Chrome, which is developed by Google, Firefox is popular in terms of security and privacy and there are several perks of being an open-source solution, such as wide range of support, always-growing collection of plug-ins etc. It has to be noted that developers prefer Mozilla Firefox to other browsers out there, as Firefox has some developer-oriented tools like Error Console and Firebug.

Being a product from the Most Trusted Internet Company for Privacy, you can be least tensed about being tracked if you are using Mozilla Firefox. For instance, it comes with Do Not Track, Private Browsing through a specific window, Forget button to get a site out of history etc. When we consider the case of customization, you have themes, a lot of add-ons and awesome bar to make Mozilla Firefox look the way you want it. To compete with Google Sync, Firefox is accompanied by a dedicated Firefox Sync, letting you have your data at your home, work or even on-the-go, thanks to the Android app. And, there is Firefox Hello, which helps you create video calls, free of cost. When we check out its back end stuff, Mozilla Firefox is powered by Gecko web browser engine and it offers HTML5 Support as well.

Considering these, Mozilla Firefox is a standard web browser with some optional developer-oriented features. You’ll have the option to use it as you need, given the rich extensions available. Being open source, Firefox has better level of security too.

Compatibility: Windows 8/8.1/7/vista/XP

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3. Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge is actually Microsoft’s trump card against Google Chrome, as the latter dominates Windows! Initially known as Project Spartan, this brand-new web browser comes with Windows 10, as the default web browser, hence replacing Internet Explorer. Being a Chrome competitor, Microsoft Edge offers integration with several services that are offered by Microsoft such as OneDrive and Cortana. Since Edge comes from Microsoft, it is quite natural that it’ll perform well in your Windows 10 PC or Tablet PC, giving you the best performance when you browse. Apart from its sophistication, Microsoft Edge has some superb features too.

One to be noted is the integration with Cortana — Microsoft’s Digital Assistant — letting you search using your voice and get personalized experience in terms of results as well as UI. It seems that Microsoft has given importance to UI & usability of this browser, which is why there are features such as Reading Mode and Reading List. Also, there is an innovative way of keeping your bookmarks and other favorite stuff, namely Hub. Coming to the back-end, Edge has been powered by EdgeHTML layout engine, which is actually forked from Trident. This new approach in terms of the layout engine is meant to give users better, modern web experience. By means of looks as well, Microsoft Edge has become a viable competitor to Google Chrome and other browsers.

So, when you prefer a native, sophisticated and moreover simple web browser — with not many developer-oriented features —, Microsoft Edge will be something great for you. It is to be noted that Microsoft improving Edge day by day and we can get the real idea only upon public launch of Windows 10.

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4. Opera

In terms of comparison, Opera stands somewhere between Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome! There is nothing the browser has when it comes to service integration, nor does it have some developer-oriented features. Opera is, in its all senses, a minimalistic web browser with basic-yet-satisfying feature for a typical internet user. However, Opera is impressive in terms of easier set-up and start-up — you can launch Opera as if you are opening a lightweight app and there is no haunting RAM usage either. Despite the simplicity in setup and usage, Opera has some stunning features ready as well; and those features will really impress you.

Through an Opera account, you can keep your bookmarks and other data synced between various devices of yours! It also comes with more features in terms of customization, such as the one to create custom keyboard shortcuts as well as changing the appearance by means of themes that are available. In case of security, you can take advantage of Private Browsing and auto-upgrade to ensure security; and, for those who need enhanced security, there are a few other extensions and add-ons waiting. In addition, there is a Visual bookmark feature too. If we are to talk about back-end, Opera has its base in Blink layout engine, which was developed as a part of Chromium project. In addition, as a basic internet user, you may love the Discover section and unlimited Speed Dial.

So, recalling what we said earlier, Opera is a simple web browser for Windows PC of yours, with standard features you’d expect. It does the job, quite well — simple as that.

Compatibility: Windows 8.1/8/7/vista/XP

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5. Torch Browser

Till now, we were talking about normal web browsers that had additional features! Nevertheless, now, we’ve Torch Browser in front of us, which is more than a typical web browser, best-suited for the hyper-active internet users who just love dealing with downloads and all. Torch is actually a Chromium-based browser and the free browser has a lot of in-built features to make your web life easier than you expect. Apart from the basic tasks like displaying web page, most of other features of Torch can be called media-oriented — in a way or another. And, there are people who need it, we know.

While the Media Grabber lets you download audio and video files straight from internet, the in-built BitTorrent client can help you when it comes to downloading and managing torrents; in addition, Torch Browser has an embedded player that allows you play media files even before the downloading process is over! Some other features of Torch are Torch Music and Torch Games, which let you play music and games respectively, right from your browser screen. In addition, there are some in-built features like Download Accelerator and Integrated Sharing, which will be useful in one situation or other. Altogether, the Chromium-based free web browser is so rich when it comes to dealing with media and related stuff.

In short, Torch Browser isn’t a fully-fledged browser. Rather, it seems to be an alternate browser you can keep in the PC, for the movie or music freak in you. In the latter case, Torch Browser is the best and you must try it out.

Compatibility: Windows 8/8.1/7/vista/XP

Install

SEE ALSO: Best Video Players For Windows

Comparison Between Various Browsers