The fight for internet browsing supremacy has had its share of interesting developments over the past decade. But now, in 2020, which browser is currently the reigning champion?
If only it were that easy to make the claim outright. The fact is, there are several terrific options these days for a variety of reasons. We’ll list the primary top three (which most people are probably quite familiar with by now), and explain why each is now a perfectly viable option in 2020. And so, without further ado, here they are in no specific order.
Microsoft Edge (now with Chromium)
Microsoft’s revamped Edge web browser, which is based on the same Chromium code that powers Google’s Chrome browser, is finally here. You may be asking yourself, “Why use Microsoft Edge if it’s now based on the same underlying code as Chrome?” Most site developers already target Chrome as the majority market-share browser, so the switch enables Microsoft to focus on adding unique features to Edge rather than playing whack-a-mole with website incompatibilities. It’s extremely user-friendly, runs fast (it’s very well optimized), has excellent compatibility, allows extensions, and has very strong security and password configurations right out of the box.
Google Chrome
In many ways, Google’s Chrome browser is considered the “gold standard” for web browsers. Not only does it come with complete Google account integration, it also boasts some of the best mobile integration available. It has a thriving ecosystem for extensions, and its built-in adblocker even recognizes certain ads that don’t conform to accepted industry standards. On the security side, Chrome’s password manager now automatically generates and recommends strong passwords when a user creates a new account on a web page. Privacy and security settings are easy to make sense of and configure as needed.
Mozilla Firefox
Firefox is a surprisingly terrific option these days — especially with its new “Quantum” build, designed to leverage multi-core processors in ways that its competitors just aren’t doing. More recent updates also include better privacy protections with anti-tracker support, improved password syncing across devices, improved readability, integrated breach alerts and a “protections dashboard” that provides a summary of how Firefox protects your privacy behind the scenes while browsing. It has terrific compatibility, strong security, runs fast and to this day there are still websites that work better on Firefox than on other browsers. And where privacy is concerned, it has an edge over the above-mentioned browsers. This however, comes at the price of less account integration.
There are of course other browsers available besides those three. The Tor browser, for example, was made from the top down with security and privacy in mind, first and foremost. However, it sacrifices a lot of general user-friendliness for the sake of said security. Meanwhile, Opera still remains a decent browser to this day. It now utilizes Chromium, has a built-in ad blocker and VPN, and fast performance. At the time of writing, however, many websites still don’t properly recognize it.
In the end, everything is going to come down to security, usability and personal preference. No matter which browser you choose for your organization, the most important thing is that it’s configured properly. V2 Systems can go through your browser settings to make sure they’re as safe and secure as can be, while still doing what they’re intended to do: browse the internet.
Since 1995, Manassas Park, VA-based V2 Systems has employed local systems administrators, network engineers, security consultants, help desk technicians and partnering companies to meet a wide range of clients’ IT needs, from research, to implementation, to maintenance. Concentrate on your VISION…We’ll handle the TECHNOLOGY!