We put the web's three best browsers head to head. So which one comes out on top?
- Microsoft Edge
- Boot time
- Security and privacy
- Memory consumption
- Browser benchmarks
- Design
- Additional functionality
- Cross-platform interoperability
- Verdict
Sluggish web browsers can be one of the biggest irritations when you’re busy, so we put them through their paces to work out which one fires up the fastest. We used Passmark’s Apptimer software, opening each browser five times and then averaging out the results.
| Chrome Version | Validity Period |
| Chrome 59 (Dev, Beta, Stable) | 33 months validity (1023 days) |
| Chrome 60 (Dev, Beta, Stable) | 27 months validity (837 days) |
| Chrome 61 (Dev, Beta, Stable) | 21 months validity (651 days) |
| Chrome 62 (Dev, Beta, Stable) | 15 months validity (465 days) |
| Chrome 63 (Dev, Beta) | 9 months validity (279 days) |
| Chrome 63 (Stable) | 15 months validity (465 days) |
| Chrome 64 (Dev, Beta, Stable) | 9 months validity (279 days) |
Memory consumption
A speedy startup is only half the battle, though. You have to be sure that once opened, your browser isn’t going to gum up your PC with poorly-optimised processes.
To test this, with measured the amount of memory used by each browser during a medium session: one window with a Facebook page, a YouTube video, a BBC News article, the Microsoft Outlook web app and the IT Pro homepage open in separate tabs.
Looking at the Windows task manager, it’s easy to assume that Chrome is a resource-hungry beast, as the browser will often list multiple simultaneous processes. However, this can be deceptive as the chrome files each separate tab, extension and plug-in as a separate process.
This allows it to isolate any potential crashes or hiccups caused by specific processes while the rest of the browser remains operational. Add the total memory usage up, and it’s really not as bad as it looks.
That doesn’t mean it’s good, however. Overall, it’s still the most memory-hungry browser we tested, beating IE by a hair’s breadth. Firefox was considerably less demanding than either, tying up an average of 412,000KB compared to the almost 600,000kb eaten up by Chrome and IE.
Browser benchmarks
When comparing anything, benchmark figures are useful tools to have, and there are numerous utilities designed for this purpose. We used the Browsermark and Peacekeeper benchmark to test the browsers’ HTML5 rendering capabilities, and the Sunspider tests to assess how they dealt with Javascript.
In the Peacekeeper tests, it was Firefox that triumphed, beating out Chrome by a fairly small margin, but trumping IE by around 50 per cent. The Browsermark test was similarly dire for Microsoft’s product, scoring just 2550. Firefox still beat it with 3946, but it was this time edged out of the top spot by Chrome, with a result of 4858.
The Sunspider benchmarks told a different tale, however. For processing Javascript, Internet Explorer is actually the fastest, with a score of around 114ms. That’s better than Firefox’s 191ms result, and more than twice as fast as Chrome, which came in at 240ms.
For HTML5 – the language used for the vast majority of web 2.0 functions – Chrome and Firefox are about tied, leaving Internet Explorer behind. It excels at processing Javascript, however, and its inbuilt ActiveX capabilities are also handy.
In terms of pure specs though, Firefox is likely to be the best option for many users. It balances both the raw underlying javascript used by many developers, and the flashy HTML used by more resource-intensive sites like YouTube, processing both to a high standard.
Design
If you’re going to be using a piece of software for the majority of your online interactions over the course of a day, one would hope that it at least looks attractive. With that in mind, we’ve compared all the browsers on our list aesthetically.
Google Chrome is the best-designed browser out there. Its minimalist design is elegant and uncluttered, containing exactly what it needs to. While it wasn’t the first to do tabbed browsing, it’s possibly one of the best, and the Omnibox feature, combining search functions with URL, was a widely-aped revelation.
Firefox isn’t far behind, however. The interface is a little less streamlined than Google’s but offers more customisation as a trade-off. We’re not huge fans of the mobile version, though. While it’s perfectly serviceable, it feels a little cluttered, and the buttons feel like they’re dominating the screen any time you open a menu.
Internet Explorer, unsurprisingly, resides firmly at the bottom of the heap. It doesn’t have a reputation as a good-looking browser, and with very good reason. The boxy, angular design of IE11 does it no favours, and it looks squat and antiquated when compared to more polished rivals.
Additional functionality
When looking at professional tools, one must remember that specs aren’t everything, and a browser’s functionality must also be taken into consideration. Some aspects are universal; all of the major contenders now support tabbed browsing and searching from the address bar, for example.
Some aspects aren’t as commonplace, however. While Internet Explorer allows multiple tabs, it registers each one as a separate window on the taskbar, which slightly defeats the object. It also has very little support for add-ons, plug-ins and web apps, which rules out a lot of after-market functionality.
Chrome, by contrast, has a raft of third-party extensions, many of which have become essential. It's also unmatched in first-party integration. If you're already part of the Google ecosystem, via Gmail, Google Drive, Android, or any combination of the three, then the way Chrome blends in with these tools will be supremely convenient.
Firefox also offers various third-party plugins, although its selection is slightly lacking in comparison to Google’s. It makes up for this, however, by being more intuitive to configure than Chrome. The options are laid out in easy-to-navigate menus, and described with simple language.
If you’re the kind of person that likes to juggle multiple, high-level tasks, the amount of plug-ins and services that integrate with Chrome makes it a perfect fit. Those who are less experienced, on the other hand, can use Firefox as a stepping stone to these more advanced tasks without getting bogged down in complex jargon.
Cross-platform interoperability
Living in a connected world, we have the ability to access the sum total of human knowledge. This also means that we often have multiple devices with which to do this, and using a different browser on each can get exhausting.
Luckily, many browsers will now sync across all your devices, allowing you to access your bookmarks, history and stored details wherever you are. A web browser’s level of device interoperability is something that must be taken into account when examining them.
Internet Explorer does not perform well in this regard; IE is only supported on Windows devices, meaning that those who want to sync their PC bookmarks with those on their iPhone will have to look elsewhere.
Firefox, after being relegated strictly to Android and Mozilla's own operating system, has now received a full iOS release. As with any decent modern browser, the Firefox app for iOS can sync your history, saved passwords, favourites and settings across both mobile and desktop.
The standout is Chrome, which is currently available on both Android and iOS, although sadly not Windows Phone. Chrome uses your Google account to link your activity across not just your browsing sessions, but all Google-linked sites and services.
When one looks at the amount of apps that include Google integration, this makes Chrome by far the best choice for mobility across multiple platforms.
Verdict
Going purely by the numbers, Firefox would appear to be the best browser out there. It’s got solid performance across the board, it’s attractive and well-designed, and it has a gleaming record for security and privacy awareness.
However, try as we might, we just can’t tear ourselves away from Google Chrome. Sure, it’s noting down all our information like an obsessive ex, and it’s not the fastest for Javascript actions, but the convenience of having one unified browser for our phone, tablet and PC is just too much to give up, especially including the inbuilt app support.
Despite technically being the better choice, Firefox remains in second place, waiting for Google’s offering to slip up. Chrome, on the other hand, overcomes its few flaws by dint of being an incredibly slick experience with the best cross-platform capabilities around and remains our pick for best browser.
