6 Best Safari Alternatives for Mac 1

6 Best Safari Alternatives for Mac

Safari was going to be my first browser on a Mac for a while. It was excellent in terms of performance and easy on power consumption. And it still is. But Apple has taken things a long way in how extensions work, starting with Safari 13. After daily runs with them, I decided to look for the best Safari alternatives for Mac.

With Safari 13, extensions run as “apps” and are supposedly more “secure”. In the case of content blocking, extensions now instruct Safari on what to block. It must be the other way around. This means that extensions can no longer track your browsing activity.

While Apple deserves credit for its efforts to improve user privacy, I can no longer run the various extensions that are often required for productivity. They’re just not supported anymore. So even though I wanted to stick with Safari, I had to look elsewhere.

If you’re in the same boat or just want a different perspective on web browsing on Mac, here are six excellent Safari alternatives you can try right away.

1. Google Chrome

Chrome holds the lion’s share of the browser market, and for good reason. Quick, fast and polished to perfection. Also, almost every website is designed primarily with Google’s crawler in mind, so you should rarely find a site that doesn’t work.

It also supports thousands of extensions; this means that you can customize various activities in it. And most likely, you should easily find the same extensions that no longer support Safari in the Chrome Web Store.

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However, what I like the most is the way Chrome syncs my data. Except on rare occasions, I’ve had no issues syncing my browsing activity between devices. Also, bookmarks, passwords, open tabs, extensions, themes, etc. syncs pretty much everything, and that’s insanely useful.

Chrome also beats Safari in terms of usability. You can upload and sync your browsing data to any platform like Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome OS or Linux. On the other hand, Safari is limited to iOS and macOS only.

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However, Chrome is often mentioned in the news due to newly discovered security vulnerabilities. If you decide to switch to Google’s browser, remember to update it regularly; You don’t want to be stuck on a compromised version for too long.

2. Mozilla Firefox

Firefox is an excellent web browser for Mac, with rock-solid performance, regular updates, and a large library of extensions to boot. It also lets you sync your data with other devices across multiple platforms, similar to what Chrome does. I find Chrome slightly better in this regard.

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But where Firefox really excels is in privacy. By default, the browser blocks cross-site cookies, social media trackers, crypto miners, and fingerprints. You can also choose stricter anti-tracking measures or choose which trackers and scripts to block manually – the result is less targeted advertising and less pressure on system resources.

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However, Firefox, unlike other browsers on this list, is not based on the Chromium open source engine. Instead, it uses the Gecko rendering engine. Firefox’s relatively small and declining market share, unlike Chromium, may mean fewer sites are optimized over time.

3. Brave

If you prefer a privacy-centric browser based on the same engine as Chrome, Brave should do the job just fine.

Integrated Brave Shields can block everything from cross-site trackers to browser fingerprinting. Brave’s new tabs even show the number of viewers it has blocked and the time gained as a result, which adds a nice touch.

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The browser also allows you to earn cryptocurrency-based BAT tokens that you can choose to distribute back to publishers and creators in exchange for viewing ads. It’s a neat concept worth checking out.

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Brave is available on multiple platforms. Despite this, the browser only has limited cross-platform synchronization capabilities. You can only sync your bookmarks, but that won’t cut it if you switch between devices a lot.

4. Opera

Opera feels like Chrome on steroids. It comes with a dizzying array of features, the most notable being the Sidebar. With it, you can perform many actions such as instant messaging via Messenger/WhatsApp/Telegram, connecting and sending notes to other devices using My Flow, speed dialing with Instant.

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Under the hood, it has built-in battery saver mode, native crypto wallet, customizable mouse/rocker gestures, etc. You will find various useful functions such as

But perhaps best of all is the integrated VPN module, which you can easily activate and start using, not only to protect your privacy from online trackers, but also to access geo-restricted content. And it is completely free to use. However, I wouldn’t recommend relying that much.

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Opera can feel very messy. For example, I don’t like it when it bombards me with news whenever I open a new tab. If you feel the same, you can always choose to make Opera less distracting.

5. Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge has abandoned its proprietary EdgeHTML browsing engine in favor of Chromium. This means that you can now install the browser not only on Windows, but also on macOS. And it works incredibly well.

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You can sync your browsing data across multiple platforms, use websites as PWAs (Progressive Web Apps), install loads of extensions, and more. The browser even has a built-in Anti-Tracking module to help protect your privacy.

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However, Microsoft Edge Chromium is still in its early stages. Compared to Chrome, the UI feels a bit rough around the edges (no pun intended). You’ll find that certain functions are also missing, at least for now, like syncing extensions and opening tabs.

If you don’t mind the odd hiccups every once in a while, it’s a great alternative to Safari, especially if you’re stashing a lot of shuttles between a PC and Mac.

6. Vivaldi

Vivaldi is a great browser with a dazzling user interface that reflects the color accent of any website you visit. It just provides a truly immersive browsing experience.

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The sleek side panel to the left of the browser screen gives you instant access to your bookmarks, downloads and browsing history.

But perhaps the most useful is a feature called Web Panel, which you can use to launch any site you choose in a custom side panel while browsing another site.

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Under the hood, Vivaldi offers numerous configuration options that you can use to change the browser look, set keyboard and mouse shortcuts, manage privacy settings, and more. It will take a lot of time to review what Vivaldi has to offer.

Make Your Choice

It’s not easy to abandon Safari in favor of Chrome or Firefox. Both browsers are well optimized, support many extensions and sync your data with multiple platforms. I’ve already switched to Chrome full time. I was already using it on my non-Apple devices and it made the decision so much easier.

Other browsers on this list – Brave, Microsoft Edge, Opera and Vivaldi – bring their unique flavors to the table. They’re also based on the same engine that Chrome uses, so you shouldn’t have any issues with compatibility or extension support. It is only up to you to decide what is best for you.

Next: Considering switching browsers on iPhone too? Here are nine great alternatives to try right away.

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