Web browsers: A field guide

You can learn a lot about someone—or, at least, about how they use technology—from their choice of web browser.

Some play it safe, sticking with defaults like Safari on a Mac or Microsoft Edge on a Windows PC. Others are creatures of habit, always seeking out Google Chrome and never wondering if a better browser is out there.

Me? I prefer to play the field, tinkering with different browsers as they evolve—and I think you should too. Ultimately, web browsers determine how you experience the internet, governing things like ad blocking and tab management. Switching browsers can unlock new experiences that you didn’t know were possible.

To that end, I’ve assembled a field guide to every notable web browser. Let’s dig in.

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Built-in browsers

These browsers have gained users by being built into major mobile and desktop operating systems. Instead of focusing on a specific kind of user, they aim to please as broad of an audience as possible—for better and for worse.

Google Chrome

The blandest browser, Chrome takes a conservative approach to new features—it doesn’t support vertical tabs, for instance—but is stable and secure overall. It also includes a free password manager that syncs across all your devices, including mobile. Just don’t expect it to block any ads or data trackers without third-party extensions, which you can’t install on the mobile version.

• Use if: You’re all-in Google’s ecosystem, don’t care about the privacy trade-offs, and don’t have any tab management issues.
• Available for: Desktop, iOS, and Android

Apple Safari

Safari is to Apple’s ecosystem what Chrome is to Google’s. While its tab management features are a bit limited, it hooks into iCloud’s password manager, Apple Pay, and native Mac features such as Quick Notes. It also blocks invasive trackers by default, though ad blocking is less aggressive than some other browsers.

• Use if: You only buy Apple hardware, want the best Apple service tie-ins, and don’t use a lot of browser extensions.
• Available for: Mac and iOS

Microsoft Edge

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Privacy browsers

While many browsers have ad- and tracker-blocking built in, these emphasize privacy above all else.

DuckDuckGo

Brave

Brave is more aggressive than most other browsers at blocking ads and trackers by default, and it does so without sacrificing niceties such as vertical tabs and extensions. But it also has its own share of bloat, including a crypto-powered advertising system and VPN toolbar that take time to disable.

• Use if: You want something like Chrome, but better privacy protections and vertical tab support.
• Available for: Desktop, iOS, Android

Orion

This browser for Apple devices uses the same WebKit rendering engine as Safari, so it supports device features such as Live Text, but it has stronger ad-blocking and privacy protections, plus it uses vertical tabs. It also lets you install Chrome extensions, many of which have no Safari equivalent.

• Use if: You like Safari’s Mac and iOS integration but wish it was more powerful.
• Available for: Mac and iOS

Mozilla Firefox

While it’s struggled to maintain an audience in recent years, Firefox still positions itself as a versatile, cross-platform browser with better privacy protections than Chrome or Edge. It’s also deeply customizable if you’re comfortable tweaking CSS files. Its most notable attribute, though, is under the hood: It uses its own rendering engine instead of those maintained by Google and Apple. In a small way, using it helps democratize the direction of the web.

• Use if: You crave customization or dislike the idea of a rendering engine monoculture.
• Available for: Desktop, iOS, Android.

Librewolf

While it’s based on the same open-source code as Firefox, Librewolf strips away Mozilla’s own ads and data collection, plus it comes pre-installed with uBlock Origin for ad blocking. There’s no mobile version, though, so you’ll need to use Firefox’s iOS or Android apps if you want to sync history and bookmarks.

• Use if: You like the idea of using Firefox but want something even more privacy-focused.
• Available for: Desktop

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Power user browsers

I’ve saved my favorite category for last. For those who think of the web browser as a productivity tool and get overwhelmed by the number of tabs they need to manage, these browsers offer powerful ways to stay organized.

Vivaldi

The amount of things you can do with Vivaldi is impossible to summarize in a paragraph, so I’ve written an entire article about it instead. While Vivaldi’s endless customization and tab management features can be overwhelming, that’s also what makes it great. The mobile version isn’t quite as robust, but offers a desktop-style tab row and some neat customization settings.

• Use if: You don’t mind sinking some time into setting up your ideal browser experience.
• Available on: Desktop, iOS, Android

Floorp

Floorp clearly takes inspiration from Vivaldi and has many of the same tab management features, but it’s built on Firefox’s open-source code instead of Chromium, so it’s even more customizable through CSS tweaks. There’s no mobile app, though, so you’re stuck using regular Firefox if you want to sync bookmarks and tabs. (Previous coverage here.)

• Use if: You like Firefox but want more power user features.
• Available on: Desktop

Arc

Built by a New York-based startup, Arc is brimming with smart ideas, like automatic picture-in-picture mode for video, drag-and-drop split-screen mode, and the one-click cleanup button for unneeded browser tabs. Lately it’s been leaning more into AI, for instance with a feature that searches and summarizes the web for you. It’d be nice if we knew how Arc plans to make money, though, and the mobile versions are a work in progress.

• Use if: You want a slickly-packaged desktop browser with thoughtful tab management features.
• Available on: Windows, Mac, iOS

SigmaOS

This Mac browser has some parallels to Arc with features like AI summarization and a vertical tab layout, but leans even harder into the productivity angle. It emphasizes keyboard shortcuts to get around—you can even hit Spacebar to search your tabs or the web—and it treats tabs as “tasks,” complete with checkmarks instead of X boxes to dismiss them. It’s also the rare browser with a subscription tier, which is required for high-volume AI usage.

• Use if: You want to completely rethink how a browser should work.
• Available on: Mac

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Give ’em a try

Whatever your choice may be, don’t be afraid to experiment. Web browsers are free software, the cost of switching is minimal, and trying a new browser is a great way to get out of your tech comfort zone.

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