Browsers: what to install, and why
Your browser is the one program you will keep open from the first minute of the day to the last, and it is the one that sees almost everything you do…
What this category is for
Your browser is the one program you will keep open from the first minute of the day to the last, and it is the one that sees almost everything you do online. That makes it the highest-leverage decision on a new machine and the one most people make by simply accepting whatever is preinstalled. Four programs passed our filter; they are not four versions of the same thing.
What we filter on
- A real reason to exist beyond a different logo: an independent engine, or a materially different default stance on tracking.
- Clean distribution. No bundled toolbar, no homepage swap on install, no installer that also installs something else.
- Cross-platform enough that your bookmarks, passwords and extensions can follow you between machines.
- A publisher whose release and privacy practices are documented in public, so a claim can be checked rather than trusted.
The 4 programs, compared
The table below is generated from the same directory data as the main list. Licence wording matters here: free for personal use is not the same as free for a work machine, and source-available is not the same as open source. Every link opens the publisher's own site.
| Program | Licence / price | Platforms | Why it is on the list |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firefox Publisher's site ↗ | Free · Open source | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | The safest default for most people. It runs its own engine instead of Chromium, blocks trackers out of the box, and carries extensions the Chromium side is busy removing. Slightly rougher on a handful of Google properties. |
| Brave Publisher's site ↗ | Free · Open source | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Chrome's speed with the ads and trackers already stripped out. The strongest built-in blocker you can get without installing anything. Its optional crypto features are easy to ignore, and you should ignore them. |
| Vivaldi Publisher's site ↗ | Free · Closed source | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | For people who want everything at once: tab stacks, side panels, split view, built-in mail and calendar. No telemetry, no ad business. The trade-off is a busy interface you have to set up before it feels good. |
| Google Chrome Publisher's site ↗ | Free · Closed source | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Install it only when a work tool refuses to run anywhere else. It is the most compatible and the most invasive: it reports to Google by default and is the engine everyone else is forced to follow. |
If you only install one
Firefox. It is the only entry here running an engine that is not Chromium. That matters less as a performance argument than as a structural one: when one engine dominates, the extensions and web features that disappear from it disappear from the web. Firefox also ships with tracker blocking on by default, so the safest configuration is the one you get without configuring anything.
Its Free · Open source licence and Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS support are listed in the table above. The rest of this category exists because the right answer changes with the job, not because the other entries are filler.
The trade-offs
| Instead | What changes |
|---|---|
| Brave | Stronger built-in blocking out of the box, but it is Chromium underneath and its optional crypto and rewards features are noise most people have to switch off. |
| Vivaldi | The most configurable interface here, at the cost of a setup session before it feels usable. |
| Google Chrome | Keep it for the rare work tool that refuses anything else, not as a daily driver. |
Mistakes we see
- Installing two or three browsers just in case, then maintaining two sets of extensions, two update cycles and two password stores.
- Choosing on a speed benchmark. A few hundred milliseconds is invisible across a year; how much of your activity a browser reports is not.
- Stacking four privacy extensions on top of a browser that already blocks trackers. Overlapping blockers break logins and payment pages, and the failure looks like a broken website rather than an over-configured browser.
Questions people ask
Do I need a separate browser for banking?
No. A private window in the browser you already use is enough for almost everyone. A second browser is a second thing to keep updated, and an out-of-date browser is a bigger risk than a shared profile.
Will extensions from Chrome work here?
Chromium-based browsers share an extension ecosystem. Firefox has its own, and its Manifest V2 support is precisely why some content-blocking extensions remain available there.
Where to go next
These guides use tools from this category:
- Setting up a new Windows PC: the order that actually works
- Before and after a clean reinstall: the checklist
- A privacy-first setup that does not break your computer
- How to spot a bundled installer before it is too late
Or continue through the other categories:
- Files & Organisation — 6 programs
- Media, Recording & Capture — 10 programs
- Graphics & Design — 7 programs
- Documents & Notes — 8 programs
- Communication — 6 programs
- Privacy & Security — 10 programs
- Developer Tools — 12 programs
- System & Hardware — 8 programs
- Backup & Sync — 5 programs
- Network & Remote — 6 programs
How to read this page. How to read this page. Platform, licence and publisher details come from our directory data. Where an independent review, audit or survey is mentioned, it is summarised in our own words with the source named and linked; our /sources page sets out that policy. The recommendation, the trade-offs and every 'skip it if' line are our editorial judgement. We do not run benchmarks, publish measured performance figures or host installers, and every download link goes to the publisher's own site. If a detail is out of date, our About page explains how to tell us.