Google Chrome has sustained over 65% market share domination of the total browser market in the last few years. In contrast, the second biggest browser Safari has toppled to 18%. This shows the dominance Chrome has in the browser space, which is one of the reasons why the U.S. DOJ sought to separate Chrome from Google. However, if you’re looking for an alternative to Chrome for privacy reasons or because you want to rid yourself of Google’s browser, here are some of the best Chrome alternatives.
Feature complaints aside, Google is infamous for data collection, by using another Google service, we’re essentially giving Google easy access to see and assume what’s happening in our lives. So, the premise of the article is mostly privacy, and we will show you some of the best privacy-focused and better alternatives to Google Chrome.
1. Mozilla Firefox – Best Browser Like Chrome
It’s been a year since I switched to Firefox from Chrome and I’m glad to say that I haven’t looked back. The transition was surprisingly smooth; Firefox offers almost everything you’d expect in a browser, and a little more. Although Chrome is said to offer the fastest loading speeds, Firefox is no slouch. I never really experienced a page running slow. In fact, when I ran the Speedometer 3 benchmark on Chrome and Firefox, the latter beat Chrome by one huge point.
There used to be a time when Google Chrome had clear speed advantages over other browsers but that’s no longer the case post Firefox Quantum. Although, if memory usage is one of your main complaints with Chrome, Firefox won’t leave you impressed. In our testing, we found that it consumes the same, if not more resources than Chrome. Although, it’s worth noting that Firefox is configured to use more RAM if there’s more RAM available. However, it should consume far lower resources if you are dealing with a low-specced PC.
Firefox also brings improvements to the private browsing experience. Not only does the browser delete all your data after your private browsing session ends, but it also blocks online trackers from chasing you across websites to serve you ads. Besides, the browser has also hopped into the AI wagon, bringing features like a built-in “ask ChatGPT” feature. If you are looking for a Chrome alternative and haven’t used Firefox for a while, I urge you to give it a chance. I am sure that you won’t go back.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Great privacy protection | Extensions support not as comprehensive as Chrome |
| Blocks third-party cookies by default | Comes with Telemetry enabled |
| Filled with great features | |
| Decent extension support | |
| Customizable |
Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
2. Brave Browser – Privacy-Centric Chrome Alternative
Before switching from Chrome to Firefox, Brave was my primary browser mainly because I wanted a privacy-focused browser but didn’t want to completely leave the Chrome ecosystem. Yes, Brave is based on Chromium and has a lot of things going for it. While it’s similar to Google Chrome in features and speed, it focuses heavily on privacy. With Brave Browser, you are getting the best of both worlds.
The browser supports all the Chrome extensions, so you don’t have to worry about compatibility. Besides, it comes with a built-in ad, tracking blocker, and HTTPS upgrade to protect you from ads and tracking. One of the best things about Brave is its incognito mode which uses TOR to hide your IP.
Brave also comes with Leo AI and it can summarize content for you. However, it’s not as comprehensive and doesn’t make it a standout feature of the browser. Still, overall, Brave is the best Google Chrome alternative on the market right now.
Pros Cons Great privacy protection Can sometimes be as resource-heavy as Chrome Based on Chromium; easy to get used to Incognito with built-in TOR support Excellent extension support
Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
3. Safari – Chrome Alternative for Apple Users
If you use an iOS or macOS device, Safari is the best Google Chrome alternative that you can use. Not only the browser is fast but it is also pretty secure. Over the last few years, Apple has primarily worked on user privacy features and that has turned Safari into a safe haven for users who prioritize privacy. Safari automatically blocks ad trackers from following you along websites thereby thwarting their efforts to access your browsing patterns.
Not to mention, the Apple ecosystem allows effortless and seamless syncing across all your Apple devices which makes accessing web pages a breeze. Besides, with the rollout of Apple Intelligence, Safari can summarize web pages which is cool. With its speed, clean UI, and sync capabilities Safari is easily one of the best Chrome alternatives you can try.
Pros Cons Built-in tracker protection List of extensions not as comprehensive Comes with AI features Only available on Apple devices Seamless syncing between Apple devices Reader mode and more
Availability: iOS, iPadOS, macOS
4. Tor Browser – For Anonymous Browsing
If you value your privacy over everything else, then Tor Browser is just for you. As I mentioned in the introduction of this article, one of my personal major concerns with using Chrome is its data collection policies. With Tor Browser you don’t have to worry about any such problem. No one can track you and you can surf the internet anonymously because TOR uses the Onion Network. Thereby, it bounces your requests around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers around the world.
That means your ISP or any middleman won’t be able to learn about the sites you are visiting. Not only that, the browser even prevents sites from learning your physical location and unlocks blocked sites in your country. What’s more, it also lets you access Deep Web and Dark Web, which we don’t recommend unless you know what you’re doing. The bottom line is, if you don’t care about anything but anonymous browsing, there is no better browser out there than Tor.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Best browser for anonymous browsing | TOR could be a bit slow |
| Open source and completely furee | Unlocks harmful content |
| Incognito with built-in TOR support | |
| Open source and completely free |
Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android
5. Waterfox – Privacy-Focused Firefox Browser
As you may have guessed by the name, Waterfox is based on Firefox, more precisely Gecko and the Quantum engine. The browser uses both Gecko and parts of the Quantum engine to give you an experience that mostly resembles Firefox, albeit with Telemetry and recommendations completely disabled.
These small things could have a huge impact when it comes to choosing a privacy–focused browser. It’s safe to say that Waterfox is much better in terms of privacy than Google Chrome. It’s Firefox underneath the skin but is definitely much more than just a reskinned version of Firefox. Overall, it’s easily one of the best privacy-focused alternatives to Chrome.
Pros Cons Disables Firefox Telemetry None Free and open source Excellent privacy protection Decent extension support
Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android
6. Mullvad Browser
We mentioned Mullvad VPN in our best Linux VPNs because it’s an excellent privacy-focused offering for a pretty amazing price. There’s the Mullvad browser as well, which the firm created with Tor to be an extremely privacy-focused browser. The browser itself is based on Firefox and therefore gets all the basics right. It comes pre-configured to reduce tracking and is a private browser by default, meaning that no cache, cookies, or history is stored.
The browser takes no telemetry data and comes pre-installed with uBlock origin, one of the revered extensions in the privacy community that was recently disabled by Google on Chrome. Although the VPN is meant to be used with the browser for maximum protection, the latter is completely free, which is great. Overall, if you’re looking for a no-frills, hardcore privacy-focused browser, Mullvad is for you.
Pros Cons Excellent privacy protection Not as comprehensive as mainstream browsers Completely free Comes with built-in uBlock extension Doesn’t keep history, cache, or cookies
Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android
7. Ungoogled Chromium – Secure Chrome Alternative
Due to Google’s dominance, the whole of the web and users have become exceedingly dependent on Google to take forward the browser game. Even Chromium, the open-source project on which most modern browsers are based, has dependencies on many Google web services and binaries to function properly. Hence, the need for de-googling.
And that’s where Ungoogled Chromium comes into the picture. is an effort to remove all the bits and pieces of Google web services from Chromium and add alternative binaries developed by the community.
In simple terms, it gets rid of Google from Chromium to make it even more private and secure. Ungoogled Chromium is an active project and it offers builds for Windows, Linux, and macOS. So if you are looking for a Chrome alternative to keep your data away from Google, do check out the Ungoogled Chromium project.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free and open-source | Could seem a bit too basic |
| Good privacy protection | No sync features |
| Comes with optional Google features | |
| Excellent extension support |
Availability: Windows, Linux, and macOS
8. Chromium – Open Source Chrome Browser
Chromium is an open-source browser project that aims to build a safer, faster, and more stable way for all users to experience the web. If you have never heard of it before, you will be surprised to know that most of your favorite browsers are running on Chromium including Google Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Opera. What differentiates Chromium from browsers like Google Chrome and Opera is the fact that it is an open-source project so potentially anyone can review its code.
Chromium is also the go-to browser for many Linux distributions as it only supports open-source projects. Chromium browser is also more private than Chrome as it doesn’t collect user data. That said, if you are using the extension store, telemetry will still be shared with the extensions’ developers. Chromium is the best open-source Google Chrome alternative and you should try it out.
Pros Cons Free and open-source Misses some key features Decent privacy protection No sync capabilities Excellent extension support
Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
9. Microsoft Edge – Built-in Windows Browser
We then moved to a browser that I liked a lot when it came out initially but has become increasingly annoying in the last year and two. The work Microsoft has put into developing the new Edge is commendable. It’s feature-rich and light on resources at the same time. It claims to consume less RAM and is power-efficient too. Apart from that, Microsoft has also added Copilot, Designer, and Read aloud AI features into Edge.
Since Edge is based on Chrome, it supports Chrome extensions, offers vertical tabs, features a password manager, and there is much more to explore. Although, one of my major complaints is how bloated Edge has become since it was introduced. Also, with Microsoft being at the helm of managing the browser, you can’t really trust them with your data, even if the browser claims to protect your privacy.
Edge appears much cluttered, which can be fixed by manually disabling a few features. However, a normal user who’s not savvy may not like the initial experience and move away from the browser. The same goes for Bing which is set as the default search engine, where people might expect Google search to be the default. Overall, we believe Edge still gets a lot of things right and is definitely one of the best alternatives to Chrome.
Pros Cons Based on Chrome Lots of features make it seem bloated Extremely feature-rich Telemetry options Excellent extension support Vertical tabs and split tabs
Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
10. Opera – Feature-Packed Chrome Alternative
Another great alternative to Google Chrome is the Opera browser which is built on Chromium. It’s similar to Chrome in many ways but brings new features that make the browser unique. My favorite Opera feature is the built-in unlimited VPN tool. The tool is not only great when it comes to unlocking region-locked content but it also helps in protecting your privacy by making your IP address. The browser does come with its own AI called Aria which uses ChatGPT’s API to serve you answers.
Opera also comes with a built-in ad-blocker, thus allowing you to surf the internet without seeing any ads. Another good feature of Opera is the Opera Turbo Mode which when enabled compresses all the data. This results in not only faster load times but also less usage of data making it perfect for users with limited internet data connections.
There’s also a battery-saver mode which makes the browser consume less battery thereby giving you up to 50% more battery life. As you can see, there are a lot of features that can come in handy, and you should certainly consider Opera if you are looking for a Chrome alternative. A quick side note, make sure you deselect all the telemetry options during setup because, honestly, Opera asks for quite a lot of it.
Pros Cons Built-in VPN Collects telemetry Decent privacy protection Learning curve Turbo mode enhances performance Great extension support
Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
11. Vivaldi – Chrome Alternative for Power Users
While Google Chrome is customizable, its customizability has limits. If you want a browser that can be customized to look and behave exactly the way you want it to, you should be using Vivaldi. Vivaldi has become a popular browser in recent months as it brings a ton of customizability features that no other browser offers. It’s a browser from Opera’s ex-CEO, Jon Sv Tetzchner. The browser is revered across the privacy-focused technology community.
For starters, you can use ultra-customizable themes to give your browser a look that’s uniquely yours. Not only that, you can even create a schedule to change your browser’s theme throughout the day. The browser also comes with an editable sidebar allowing users to add any website as they deem fit. Whether it’s your favorite chat apps, social feeds, or news sites, you can add as many websites as you want. You can even rearrange those websites’ positions by using a simple drag-and-drop tool.
One of my favorite features of Vivaldi is its adaptive interface. The browser picks up the main color of the website you are viewing and uses it as an accent color. Other features of the browser include the ability to save open tabs as sessions, a built-in fully functional notes extension, excellent keyboard shortcuts and mouse gestures for navigation, and more.
The browser also brings extra security for its users as it never tracks or collects user data. Vivaldi also uses end-to-end encryption while syncing across devices. Overall, I quite like this browser, and if you want a browser that gives you control over how it looks and behaves, you should certainly use it.
Pros Cons Extremely customizable Have a learning curve for full customization Good privacy protection Customizable keyboard shortcuts are great Excellent extension support
Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux
12. Arc Browser – New Browser Like Chrome
Arc is a completely new browser ready to take on all the existing browsers in the market including Chrome. It brings new ideas on how to browse the web and breaks the traditional UI/UX model that we’re used to. It has a sidebar that the company calls Spaces. Here, you can find your tabs in a vertical layout, bookmarks, contexts, and a lot more.
Apart from that, Arc closes all your tabs after every 12 hours. If you want to access them later on, you can search and even pin them for later usage. There’s Arc Max which uses AI to do things like showing previews of links inside a small window, summarizing, searching for things on the page, or helping you understand what something means.
In case, you are wondering, yes Arc runs on the Chromium engine and supports Chrome extensions as well. The browser is available on macOS and Windows with support for Linux coming pretty soon. So if you want to have a completely new experience while using the web, the Arc browser might be the one that will replace Chrome for you.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent User Interface | May take time to get used to |
| Decent privacy protection | No app for Linux |
| Arc Max is great | |
| Extension support |
Availability: macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS; Linux (Coming soon)
Chrome might be the go-to browser for most of you as it ticks a lot of boxes for most people. But there are a few aspects to it that may not serve you well. In case you’re wondering what they are why you should switch to a different browser, here’s why:
- Google is primarily an ad-serving company. By using Google Chrome, you are handing it over on a plate to Google for targeted ads.
- Chrome is no longer the fastest browser on the market.
- Google Chrome doesn’t offer native options for customizing the experience. You can use Chrome Flags, but they are not intuitive and may cause problems.
- It is far behind the industry when it comes to tracking prevention and Google may never change this.
- Lastly, there are tons of better alternatives on the market right now which are fast and privacy-conscious.
If these reasons speak to you, and you want de-google, Chrome might be the right first step. That ends our list of the best Chrome alternatives that you can use in 2025. The browsers mentioned should meet the needs of most users.
Do check these browsers out and let us know which is your favorite Chrome alternative amongst them all. Also, if you’re already using a browser that deserves to be on this list, let us know in the comments.
Ajaay Srinivasan
