I’ve tried all of the various web browsers out there, but continue to use Safari because of the ease with which it synchronizes with my iPhone, iPad and other Macs. I’m aware that Firefox can also do this via a Firefox account. Several of my friends LOVE Chrome and Firefox, and swear by them.
Convince me to stay with Safari or switch to Firefox. I’ll never install a Google product on any of my devices, so Chrome is absolutely out of the running. Which browser do you use, and why?
Safari…it is the default and I’ve never seen any reason to change. My wife uses Firefox but does not synchronize anything amongst devices.
I’m currently using Brave, which is based on the open-source Chromium, so it’s Chrome but not from Google and with more privacy protections. And it supports Chrome extensions.
Adam,
You are Brave indeed, good sir!
What prompted your move to Brave? What do you like/love about it? Anything that you dislike/hate about it?
+1 on Brave. I love it.
Brave is FAST! It blocks ads without the need for ad-ons. It’s very secure. Unlike the half dozen other Web browsers I’ve been following, Brave seems to be the most advanced with regard to compatibility with various Web sites. (But no browser, even Safari, is always compatible. That’s why it’s good to have several browsers available.) Brave is constantly being updated and refined. It’s a pleasure to use.
I will not try to convince you one way or the other. I prefer Safari but need to use Chrome for some sites because Safari doesn’t support some web technologies. Firefox tends to support these Web technologies but I don’t see them as good as integrating with the MacOS
For example, Firefox does not support Services via a popup menu but will from the Firefox menu. This is an improvement from the past where Firefox did not provide Services support.
Firefox has a much richer plug in ecosystem compared to Safari.
So plus’s and minus’. Safari gets my vote because it is an app that tries to only appeal to Mac and iOS users. Firefox tries to provide a common user experience across multiple platforms.
Honestly, I’m just sick of all the trackers and fingerprinting and whatnot, and while I don’t harbor any conspiracy theories about Google—its business model is based on providing free services in exchange for displaying ads so I expect ad-related behavior from the company—I wanted to see if Brave might block more tracking and feel the same as Chrome otherwise (largely with extensions, as I noted).
So far, it’s basically the same, which is good, since I’ve long preferred Chrome to Safari and Firefox, both of which I also have in my Dock and use for specific sites or logins. The differences mostly come down to small personal preferences with the interface—I don’t think I’ve ever noticed a performance difference in real world use. It’s also helpful to be able to test problems with a particular site in different browsers.
I also have Microsoft Edge loaded, but apart from a brief test a while back, haven’t really integrated it into my usage patterns.
Based upon your (@ace) and Randy’s (@randy2) recommendations, I’m currently setting it up to give it a go. I’m excited about several of the extensions that I know exist for Chrome, but not for Safari. Thanks!
Regarding Brave:
Out of the box, Shields protects you by:
However, I’m still seeing all kinds of ads, no matter the website that I visit. Is there a preference option that I’m overlooking that may be enabled?
Apparently you overlooked these instructions along with warnings on what might happen if you tighten things up:
Out of the box, it doesn’t promise to block all ads.
-Al-
No, actually I didn’t over look those instructions. In fact, I quoted them where I stated:
"Out of the box, Shields protects you by:
I never said or suggested that it block all ads, but their own documentation clearly states that it does block most ads and trackers, and I was inquiring about that.
Just some miscommunication here. The simple answer is that no, Brave can’t block all ads. You can fiddle settings to make it block more, but at the risk of breaking sites.
I imagine you could install Chrome extensions that would block additional ads as well.
@ace - agreed. More than likely a simple miscommunication. After playing with all of the various options, I’m more than happy with Brave and it’s capabilities. Not to mention the plethora of extensions that work with it. 
Curiously, what are some of your favorite extension that you use with Brave?
Hmm, let me see:
1Password X (for passwords shared with Tonya and Tristan)
BuiltWith Technology Profiler (for seeing what Web sites use for backends)
Clip to DEVONthink (for saving Apple spec sheets)
Google Translate (for occasional foreign language sites)
Grammarly for Chrome (for proofing everything I post)
LastPass (my main password manager)
Library Extension (for seeing if my public library has something I see in Amazon)
Wikiwand (for giving Wikipedia a better interface)
Very interesting list. Thanks!
Why use both LastPass and 1Password X? I’ve been a huge fan of 1Password since their inception, and have never used any other password manager.
I just learned about and installed, “Just Read”, which allows for a clutter free reading experience.
Does the Google Translate track you or since you are sending them the site, is the browser anonymous sending the info?
We use 1Password for shared vaults as a family, but I personally prefer LastPass because of its auto-fill and auto-submit capabilities, which AgileBits doesn’t want to implement because it’s conceivably less secure. I also prefer to go to a Web page and then log in right in the form, which is how LastPass works most easily, whereas 1Password wants you to interact with it in some way to log in. Just a personal user experience preference.
I honestly don’t know. I haven’t actually used the extension hardly at all, since I only recently switched from Chrome (which does the translation automatically) to Brave (which doesn’t). It appears to kick in only when I’m using it, but I’m not sure how I’d check if it was tracking. Regardless, it’s easily turned off if you don’t want it enabled.
For a lot more information about Web browsers and security, check out this interesting article:
Great share Randy! Thanks.
I use Safari. It’s fast, simple, and it integrates well with other iOS/macOS devices. I don’t use many plugins, prefer to keep things simple. At this moment, Ka-block! is the only one (appears to be an excellent free ad blocker) that’s active here.
I have Firefox (since I think it’s always a good idea to have a 2nd browser available), but I don’t use it a lot. It’s not faster than Safari, but it always feels a bit bloated. The GUI is busy and there’s options galore. I prefer Safari’s slick and simple.
I try to stay clear of Google as much as I can so no Chrome. Tried it a few years ago and we use it at work on some stations. Not a huge fan. It’s not faster than Safari. I used to like that it bundled Flash internally, but fortunately Flash has finally died. I couldn’t stand the updating-behind-the-scenes thing Google uses on it. Sure, not having to update yourself is nice, but not knowing when they change things on you just stinks. Adam’s mention of Brave got my attention. Sounds like a nice idea to reap benefits of their dev effort, while keeping Google out.