5 other browsers you can use instead of Google Chrome

Google Chrome is immensely popular, but it isn’t the only web browser out there. We have 5 other options for you to pick from

Google Chrome is immensely popular, but it isn’t the only web browser out there. We have 5 other options for you to pick from (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Google Chrome is the clear winner when it comes to web browsers. Chrome, a cross platform web browser, has a 71% share of the market in PCs and 63% across all platforms, according to StatCounter.

The application was first released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows and was later also made available for Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android.

In spite of Chrome's prominence, there are some other web browsers that can prove to be good alternatives. We taken a look at some of them:

1. Vivaldi

This cross-platform web browser hit the market in 2016 and is available for Windows, Android and Linux users. There plans to make foray into iOS too in the near future. In terms of speed, Vivaldi is quite fast and boasts of having great privacy control. However, what really works in its favour is the amount of customisation it allows.

2. Firefox Quantum

Possibly, the next most popular browser after Google Chrome. Firefox uses Gecko layout engine in order to render web pages. It first hit the market in 2002, but received a massive update in 2017 with which it launched its quantum update. Firefox basically improved speed and overhauled the entire design of the browser with the update.

The browser is available on almost all devices and operating systems such as Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.9, Android Jelly Bean, iOS 11.0 and their updated versions.

3. Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge now has latest features and an entirely new interface.

It may be noted that 2020 is the first time Microsoft has done a major revamp of its browser since 1995. Windows 10 users, however, have a major advantage as this comes as a part of an update and as a result one need not download any other third party browser.

4. Tor

Developed in the mid-90s by a United States Naval Research Laboratory employee, Tor lets people browse the internet anonymously. It runs the internet traffic through an overlay network that consists of more than 7000 relays to conceal a person's usage and location.

5. Brave

This is an open-source web browser based on Chromium. It blocks all and any kind of ads and website trackers. Brave is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS users.