More Choices in Browsers

Challengers take on Internet Explorer

Though Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) is the best known and still the most widely-used Internet browser -- after all, it comes bundled with practically every PC sold -- it is anything but the favorite for many users. Earlier versions were plagued by well documented security and usability shortfalls, providing an opening for competitors. Today, Windows users (and Mac users to a lesser degree) can choose from several alternative browsers, several of which have advantages over IE.

All three major web browsers -- Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera -- have new versions that reviews say provide significant advantages and are worth the upgrade. However, much of the current excitement focuses on Google's brand-new web browser, called Chrome. The name stands for the extensive "trim" on most web browsers -- lots of tool bars and information -- which Chrome is designed to minimize. By contrast, reviews say Google's Chrome browser is sleek and stripped down like a race car -- designed for the fastest possible searching and browsing.

At the time of this report, Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) is also still in beta, which means that it's finished enough to try, but will still be refined further. So is Google Chrome. Firefox 3 is the latest public (fully finished) version of Firefox, but some reviews test Firefox 3.1 beta, reporting that it's even faster. Opera 9.5 is the latest public version of Opera, but Opera 9.6 (beta) is available to try.

The most useful reviews are those that test Google Chrome along with the latest versions of its top competitors. PC Magazine and Tech Radar review Opera 9.5 as well as Firefox 3 and IE8 beta. Tech Radar tops the Our Sources list because it tests all four browsers on older computers as well as newer high-powered machines. PC World also does a good job of comparing the browsers for resource use as well as performance and features, but ignores Opera, as does CNet.com. Softpedia, on the other hand, even reviews the latest Opera 9.6 beta.

We also found reviews comparing the best browsers for Mac computers. Firefox remains the most-recommended choice (as it is for Windows users), but Opera also gets good reviews. Both browsers are good choices for people who use both platforms. Safari, originally a Mac browser, is also available for Windows, but reviews say other browsers are better for both PCs and Macs. Camino, on the other hand, is a Mac browser worth considering. Reviews say Flock, which adds multitasking features to Firefox 3, is also worth considering for both PCs and Macs.