The Safari browser has had the advantage of being the default browser on Apple devices for years. With the release of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, Apple is finally allowing users to replace the default email and browser apps on iPhone and iPad. Now is the time to check out competing offerings, as Apple has loosened the limitations of such apps. Among them, Google Chrome is the most popular offering out there. Let’s compare Google’s offering with the Apple Safari browser to see if the switch is worth considering.
With iOS 14, the Safari browser doubles its privacy options and adds more features like web page translations. Google Chrome is betting on cross-platform availability and tight integration between existing platforms.
In this article, we will compare the Safari browser with Google Chrome on iPhone. The benchmark will cover the UI, customization options, features, speed, cross-platform usability, password management, and more. Lets start.
Note: For comparison, we’re using the iOS 14 Safari browser in its initial beta and the latest Google Chrome v83.0 in the App Store. If there are any significant changes when the final version is released, we will update this post if necessary.
Cross-Platform Availability
Cross-platform usability is very important in the browser space. After all, you want to sync bookmarks, history, tabs, extensions, and saved passwords between platforms you plan to use.
As expected, Apple’s offering is limited to Apple devices only. The Safari browser is only available on iOS, iPad OS, and macOS. Google Chrome is available everywhere. You can access Google’s offerings on iOS, Android, Windows and macOS.
User Interface and Tab Management
Smartphones are coming to market with taller screens and more apps are following the bottom bar design for easy accessibility. Fortunately, both apps have embraced the latest trend with all the options at the bottom.
Safari kept it simple here. The browser displays the most recently visited websites in advance. The search bar is at the top, the tab switcher, history, bookmark and saved pages are at the bottom.
The tab switcher interface looks like a stack of files in a folder. You can easily browse the opened tabs and quickly jump between them.
Google Chrome’s default homepage displays the Google search bar with the most used websites at the top. I love the way Google adds Bookmarks, Reading List, History, Recent Tabs to the home.
You can change adding new tabs, go to Settings and switch between tabs from the bottom bar. I prefer Chrome’s multitasking tabs view over the Safari browser. It is a card-based vertical menu that is easier to read and navigate compared to Safari.
Speed and Features
When it comes to speed and page load time, you won’t see a big difference between the two browsers. Both Safari and Google Chrome browser use the WebKit browser engine to load the web page. However, Apple does not allow competing browsers to use their web rendering engines on the iPhone and iPad. Therefore, the experience of using Chrome and Safari on iPhone or iPad will be very close. Sometimes you’ll only notice a half-second difference.
Google Chrome offers a bookmark-like Reading List. The company cleverly added other Google services to the browser. For example, you can search the web using Google voice on the keyboard. You can also convert web pages into their native language using the built-in Google Translate. These are features with low use cases. My favorite Google Chrome extension is recent tabs.
From the multitasking menu you can switch to the ‘Recent Tabs’ list and there you will see all previous tabs on different devices with date and time. It makes it easy for one to navigate between devices.
Safari offers tight integration between iPhone and Mac. You can open a website on iPhone and continue reading on Mac. The app offers an excellent clutter-free reading mode. Tap the top left corner in the address bar and select the Reader view. It removes all the unnecessary talk and gives you a clean post with relevant content. You can also change the background and play with the font style and size.
Safari with iOS 14 also includes the Tracking Report, which shows details like known trackers blocked, websites communicating with trackers, and more. Protecting your privacy from ad trackers is very important.
Safari also offers extension support through the App Store. You can use extensions such as ad blocker, translation, which font to improve your browsing experience. Google Chrome does not offer any extensions.
Password Management
When it comes to password management, the Safari browser has an unprecedented advantage over Google Chrome. Let me explain why. When you save the login details in the Safari browser, all data is synchronized with the iCloud keychain, Apple’s default password manager. iCloud Keychain works in all apps on iPhone.
Google Chrome also offers the password manager, but it only works with the Chrome browser, which is also available on other platforms. You cannot use the Chrome password manager as a third-party password manager on iOS.
Widget Support
For some reason Apple removed the Safari widget in the iOS 14 developer beta. Maybe it will come before the official release this year.
As for Google Chrome, the company offers two iOS widgets in the Today View menu. You can use Quick Action widgets that give you access to the search bar, private mode, voice search and QR code scanner with one swipe. Another is the ‘Recommended Sites’ widget that offers article suggestions based on your reading habits.
Level Up Your Browsing Experience
Both Safari and Chrome are excellent offerings from Apple and Google respectively. People who are comfortable using Safari on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS along with Reading mode should welcome the new Tracker report feature with iOS 14 availability. However, if your routine includes Android or Windows and you prefer Chrome to manage tabs and multitask, then Google Chrome should be on your download list. I stick with Chrome as the ability to sync tabs between devices is a must-have for me.
Next: Firefox is another Safari competitor in the App Store. Read the post below to find the comparison between Safari and Firefox to choose a better offer for you.
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