Why do people choose browser X over Y?
Let us know your opinion, unless @ace wants to run a poll, perhaps?
My 2 cents/ 2 pence:
How about you?
Let’s see what browsers people recommend and I can see if it feels like it would work well as a poll.
The hard part with polls is that I have to know the answers in advance, since I can’t add any after the poll has started.
I use Arc now. Safari only a little.
I use Safari everywhere primarily, mostly because - at least for me - syncing of bookmarks, history, and which tabs are open across devices syncs very well. I have Chrome on Mac for those times that I need to access one of my Google accounts, or when I need the functionality of a plug-in that doesn’t exist on Safari. And I also have installed and use Firefox if Safari isn’t working well with a particular site on a Mac.
But if I had to answer a poll, I’d say that I use Safari.
I use Firefox everywhere.
Originally because I’ve been using the Internet for a long time. I started with this product back when it was Netscape Navigator and my choice was either that or go back to NCSA Mosaic.
Later, when Netscape became Communicator and incorporated e-mail, I used it for that as well.
Later on, when Microsoft was trying to push everybody into Internet Explorer, I dug in my feet and refused to switch, because of the massive security problems in their software at the time.
Today, I continue using Firefox because it is the same app on all the operating systems I use (Windows, macOS and Linux), it has pretty good security and privacy features, and they have a sync service that lets me share my passwords, history and bookmarks across all of my Firefox installations on all platforms.
I don’t have any particular objections to others (aside from Chrome - I don’t trust Google), and I have installations of Edge (in order to have something Chromium-based) in addition to Safari on my Mac. But I rarely use them - usually only if there’s some web site that doesn’t work well with Firefox.
My primary browser is Opera. I use it primarily because it has all the things I like about Chrome and very few of the things I dislike about Chrome. It’s Chromium-based and can run any and all Chrome extensions, as well as those written specifically for Opera.
My secondary browser is Firefox. I use this for three purposes:
* Sites that don’t function properly in Opera (usually, those that insist that it’s not a “current” version because they test only for Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge);
* Sites where I want to keep two different accounts logged in simultaneously—I’ll run one in Opera and one in Firefox so their cookies don’t conflict with each other;
* Sites that I use to look things up to input into other sites—it’s more natural for me to Command-Tab between the two browsers than to use mouse/trackpad or keyboard shortcuts to switch between tabs or windows in the same browser, and I prefer to keep my browser windows maximized on-screen, which makes using two windows side-by-side inconvenient.
I also keep TOR on hand for extra privacy, though I rarely actually use it. Most of my privacy needs are covered in both Opera and Firefox by the Ghostery extension. (I highly recommend it.)
Of course, I still have Safari installed, but I never use it.
I have tried Arc, but didn’t care for it. Its work model doesn’t match the way I use browsers.
I periodically consider switching to using Firefox as my main browser, but always decide against it because I like how I have Opera customized for my needs, and setting up Firefox to replicate that would take several hours of work that I’d rather not have to do.
FWIW, I routinely use CMD-` to switch between open windows within a single app. It’s no less natural to me than CMD-TAB for switching between apps.
Chrome is my main browser, with Safari being my backup only when a site won’t work on Chrome – which isn’t very often.
How have I been using Macs for nearly four decades and not known this shortcut??? Thank you!
Firefox. In part because I’ve been using it a long time and have come to know and trust. It works with most of what I really need. I like their push for privacy, although I learned the hard way that too much internet security depends on tracking. Financial and some other security-sensitive sites often make you go through extra hoops if you switch between browsers frequently.
Safari. The integration with the Mac is a plus, and it’s my first choice if Firefox can’t handle something. However, I have not used it frequently enough to feel confident I can make it do what I want all the time. Plus, as I said above, switching to a different browswer can put me through extra security loops, and I have trouble getting Captchas right.
Chrome, only when nothing else works or if I need maps that show traffic patterns. Living around Boston, traffic flow varies widely over time, and I want to know slow traffic is before I go out. They also have bicycle paths, important because I’m a regular bicyclist. But that’s the only real plus from Google. I have gotten very frustrated with the way Google tries to push you to signing in to web sites on Gmail.
Brave and Safari.
Arc. 678910
Arc is my main browser now. Before that Brave was my main browser. I use Safari and Chrome to solve problems with websites that misbehave and to isolate certain tasks.
When I am in doubt if a website might be dangerous, I use Firefox with the excellent add-on NoScript.
Although Arc is my main browser for reasons I’ve explained at length, I also occasionally use Safari and Firefox for various things (often testing other rendering engines), and it’s not inconceivable that I would launch Brave or Edge to check something.
I have DuckDuckGo, Opera, Orion, Sidekick, SigmaOS, and Vivaldi installed, but just so I could look at them for an article.
On my Mac
On my iPad and iPhone
I recently moved from Chrome which I had been using since it came out to Safari. Once I got Safari configured the way I want it, I’m very happy with it. I have other browsers but I haven’t had to use them since I started using Safari.
Safari is my default because much of my support activities are macOS or iOS users. Safari Technology Preview is handy for checking new features or diverse logins on a single site. Firefox is my “this site doesn’t work with Safari today” backup browser. Edge is use mostly by accident in my Windows VMs.