How to Choose the Best Web Browser

Today's Web browsers are faster and more feature-rich than ever before. If you're not sure which one you should use, our look at the most popular options will help prep you for prime surfing.

The recent launch of Firefox 3.5 was just the latest in a crescendo of activity on the browser front over the past few months. We've seen Google tout speed with its bare-bonesChrome 2. We've seen Apple's Safari 4 bring on both the speed and all the interface eye candy we've come to expect. Opera has come in with not only a beta of its feature-packed version 10, but also an alpha of an app called Opera Unite that makes the browser a server as well as a consumer. Starting it all was that juggernaut Microsoft, coming out withInternet Explorer 8, which the company claimed was more compliant with open Web standards.

But it turns out that standards are a far murkier issue than they may first seem. Firefox's promoters will brand IE as a completely behind-the-times, non-standards-supporting browser, but the standards Firefox supports haven't yet been ratified by the organization that's been the official keeper of the standards, the W3C. Firefox's support for the

Rendering speed is another issue to consider when choosing a browser. Though all browsers today are much faster than they were a few years ago, the clear winner—at least as far as JavaScript rendering—is Chrome. JavaScript rendering is important for modern sites, which are behaving increasingly like applications rather than static pages. Chrome performed best in my tests using the SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark, finishing in just 1,503 ms. But Safari isn't far behind, at 1,707 ms, and Firefox is right in the mix, at 2,413 ms. The once-snappiest Opera trails at 7,974 ms, and IE8 is left in the dust with a 10,281-ms time.

In terms of features and customizability, Firefox, IE, Opera, and Safari all outshine the stripped-down Chrome. But no browser can come close to Firefox in both its extensions and theming capabilities. Mozilla's "Fashion My Firefox" and "Personas" tools make it simple for novice users to customize the browser to their hearts' content. IE also has an add-on capability, but there's nowhere near the ecosystem for it as there is for Firefox. True, only IE offers WebSlices and Accelerators, which deliver up-to-date data to you with little fuss, right inside the browser, but few sites currently support WebSlices.

One thing's for sure: There's no lack of choice in today's market, with speed, site compatibility, and convenience features abounding in free browsers both from the large software companies and open source projects. And if the big players aren't to your taste, there are interesting lesser-known browsers, such as the recent Japanese import, Lunascape 5, which actually combines the rendering engines of Firefox, IE, and Safari. Whichever you choose, your browsing is bound to be smoother than it was even two years ago. Here are our takes and links to reviews of the top recent entries to help you make your choice.

Firefox 3.5

With version 3.5 of its browser, Firefox shows its willingness to champion emerging Web standards and continue to improve speed. Add the new private browsing mode, improved tab handling, and incredible customizability, and you have a winning combination.

Google Chrome 2.0

This version of the speediest browser gets even faster and adds a few features its more mature competitors already offer. But Chrome still trails in convenience and customizability.

Internet Explorer 8

The latest version of the world's leading browser delivers category-leading security and adds some pretty slick browsing aids, such as WebSlices and Accelerators. It defaults to a more standards-compliant mode, but still offers a backward compatibility button. A predictive address bar brings it closer to Firefox, but the lack of a download manager and robust extension ecosystem hold the browser back.

Opera 9.5

This version of Opera is faster, has better standards support and includes lots of unique browsing helpers. But some sites still don't play well on the Opera stage. Version 10 is available in beta form, but you can already read ourOpera 10 beta hands-on. Another remarkable Opera project is Unite, which turns the browser into a peer-to-peer server, although this feature is still in alpha.

Safari 4

Safari offers plenty of eye candy, with its Cover Flow history display. Some clever interface innovations, near-Chrome speed, and site compatibility make it a good choice overall. For Mac users, the Safari 4 upgrade is a no-brainer, but Windows users will probably prefer Firefox or Chrome as IE alternatives.

The folks at Mozilla have deemed the changes in this incarnation of the popular Firefox browser significant enough to skip the planned version 3.1 and instead bump up the release number to 3.5. And I agree—it's a big improvement. By its appearance, you'd be hard pressed to tell how Firefox 3.5 differs from 3.0, but it's what's inside that counts. The new version speeds up JavaScript performance and catches up with other recent browsers like Internet Explorer 8, Opera 10, and Safari 4 by adding a private browsing mode. And 3.5 builds on everything that made the previous versions of Firefox great, like the myriad extensions and themes and the "awesome" address bar for quickly getting where you're going on the Web. The result? An impressive piece of software gets even better.