Browser Comparison
I had a conversation with Claude about the current state of Web Browsers, from a user’s perspective. Then I asked it to summarize the conversation in a table.
The differences between browsers today are less significant than some years ago. The underlying engines are very close in terms of standards and HTML/CSS implementations. So, you should focus on privacy, memory efficiency, performance, and lock-in.
Just in case you were wondering why Chrome is not your best choice, and not only privacy-wise. Also, it makes me sad that Firefox is lagging behind in so many aspects.
| Category | Dimension | Safari | Chrome | Firefox | Brave |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | WebKit | Blink (Chromium) | Gecko | Blink (Chromium) | |
| Memory | 10 tabs | All four within ~1.5–2.5 GB; differences negligible | |||
| 30+ tabs | Lightest | Heaviest | Moderate | Moderate | |
| Privacy | Default tracker blocking | Strong (ITP) | Weak | Moderate; Strict mode → strong | Strongest (Shields) |
| Fingerprinting protection | Default (Safari 26+) | Minimal | Off by default | Default randomization | |
| Telemetry | Some Apple services | Extensive, default-on | Moderate, opt-out, transparent | Opt-in only (P3A) | |
| Business model alignment | Hardware / services | Advertising (direct conflict) | Google search-revenue dependent | Opt-in ads + crypto rewards (controversial) | |
| Lock-in | Required account | Apple ID (for sync) | Google account (for sync) | Firefox account (for sync) | None |
| Full uBlock Origin | No (limited extensions) | No (MV3; only uBO Lite) | Yes | No (MV3; but Shields built-in) | |
| Engine independence | Apple-controlled | Google-controlled | Independent (Mozilla) | Chromium fork | |
| Cross-platform | Apple ecosystem only | All major | All major | All major | |
| Sync | E2EE by default | Partial (full with ADP) | No (opt-in passphrase) | Yes | Yes |
| Architecture | iCloud, Apple ID | Google account-based | Account; key never leaves device | BIP39 chain; no account | |
| Self-hostable | No | No | Yes | No | |
| Standards | Interop 2025 (stable, final) | ~99% | ~99% | ~99% | ~99% (= Chrome) |
| caniuse breadth | Narrower (by design) | Broadest | Middle | Broadest (= Chrome) | |
| Hardware APIs (USB/Bluetooth/Serial/HID) | Declined | Yes | Declined | Yes | |
| Performance | Speedometer 3.x (JS/UI) | Best (narrow) | Close 2nd | Worst (~15–25% behind) | Close 2nd (= Chrome) |
| MotionMark (graphics) | Best | 2nd | Worst (regressing) | 2nd (= Chrome) | |
| Energy / battery on macOS | Best | Moderate | Worst | Moderate (= Chrome) | |
| Ad-heavy page load | Good (ITP) | Slowest | Good (ETP Strict) | Best (Shields) |