What is the best browser for Mac?

[damiengolding]

Hi, I am new to this forum and to using Mac. Nice to meet you all.
I have used the Windows operating system my whole life, but recently I started working for a Japanese software company which has developed a browser for the Mac. I honestly have nearly no knowledge of the Mac, so I would like to learn as much as possible on this forum. If you are interested in the software I work with, feel free to look at my profile or send me a message.
I am very interested in knowing about what browsers are popular, why they are popular, and what you dislike about certain browsers.
If you have any questions about Japan, feel free to ask me

Thank you very much.

 

[miles01110]

Safari, Firefox, Chrome, and Opera are all free. Try them out and decide for yourself which one works best for you.

 

[rocknblogger]

I've been checking out the browser you're working on. It's okay but I don't think it's for power users.

Interesting concept though.

 

[ringgit]

Safari is the best to me because it's optimized for Lion and if you use gesture, Safari is very responsive compares to Chrome.

 

[Shrink]

Another vote for Safari. I find it works best for me.

 

[vitzr]

Chrome offers lightning fast performance & extensions that are quite useful.

That said it all depends on ones preferences. I use the others as well for various reasons.

 

[MarkMS]

I use Safari 90% of the time with a few extensions. Chrome only if a website isn't being rendered correctly in Safari.
- Why? Because I like the look and feel of Safari in OS X. I would be on Chrome if Apple didn't add extensions.

In Bootcamp (Windows 7, 8 and Ubuntu), it's Chrome all the way. Firefox is a backup, I have yet to use it since I installed it.
- Why? Because Safari on Windows looks crappy to me. Doesn't integrate well. Chrome seems to be the fastest and best looking in Windows and Linux.

 

[rowley]

Personal preference: Safari. I use firefox for work because of some required addons are handy.

 

[maflynn]

Safari, I've had zero problems and as the saying goes - it just works

 

[Skika]

Safari all day erry day.

 

[SandboxGeneral]

The best browser for me is Safari. But the best browser for you is the one you like best.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

Safari on the mac. I like your browser, it needs more work to compete with the big guns. Welcome to the forum.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

Safari has the advantage on the Mac of taking advantage of the newest technologies as soon as they're ready. Safari also benefits from a restartless extension system. Safari's big downside is that it doesn't always interoperate with various services popular elsewhere, due either to lack of extension support or browser rendering bugs.

Firefox has a rich community of add-on developers, and gets frequent updates. However, its add-on system is not as modern as the other browsers' systems yet.

Opera has some interesting features none of the other browser makers have adopted yet. Its biggest downside is incompatibilities with some web sites, though this has improved a LOT in the newest releases.

Chrome is rapidly updated, and ties in well with other Google services you happen to use. It is also highly resistant to crashes. Its biggest downside is its memory consumption under load, which is higher than the other browsers.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

Safari has the advantage on the Mac of taking advantage of the newest technologies as soon as they're ready. Safari also benefits from a restartless extension system. Safari's big downside is that it doesn't always interoperate with various services popular elsewhere, due either to lack of extension support or browser rendering bugs.

Firefox has a rich community of add-on developers, and gets frequent updates. However, its add-on system is not as modern as the other browsers' systems yet.

Opera has some interesting features none of the other browser makers have adopted yet. Its biggest downside is incompatibilities with some web sites, though this has improved a LOT in the newest releases.

Chrome is rapidly updated, and ties in well with other Google services you happen to use. It is also highly resistant to crashes. Its biggest downside is its memory consumption under load, which is higher than the other browsers.

Well chrome doesn't have webcontent/preview fetcher process the plagues safari. These two issues can kill safari and eat all of the ram.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

Well chrome doesn't have webcontent/preview fetcher process the plagues safari. These to issues can kill safari and eat all of the ram.

Yes, Safari and Chrome use different design philosophies. Safari uses one process (Webpage Content) for all tabs. Chrome uses one renderer process for EACH tab.

 

[lazerbrains]

Safari as well here. I have been a Mac User and a Web Developer for years and have been using all the browsers mentioned. I have recently as of Safari 5.1 moved to using Safari full time, and I will say it is the best browser on the Mac. I was a Firefox user for years, until they started the rapid release. (I can't keep trying to fix my extensions every six weeks.) I like Chrome somewhat, but the interface, and the privacy issues keep me away from that. (except for testing) And if there were more extensions out there for Opera, then that browser is a great choice. Fast reliable and light on resources too!

Needless to say all of these are ports from the PC counterpart, and none of them are as good as the PC version. Safari is the only one built and optimized for Mac, and after using the latest version, you can really tell.

My vote is for Safari.

 

[LeandrodaFL]

Usually long time Mac Users prefer Safari

As I switched from Windows, I like to have the close tab button on the right, so I prefer Firefox or Chrome. Since I also like tabs on bottom, and I really like some exclusive Firefox extensions, I choose Firefox.

But on my macbook, where I simply need to quickly check something on the net, I have Chrome, as its the fastest

 

[Amazing Iceman]

I've tried to like other browsers, but always end up with Safari, and I have been a Mac user just for a little over 3 years.
In Windows I always used IE and sometimes FireFox; I have also tried other browsers but kept returning to IE or FireFox when IE wouldn't behave properly.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

Roccat is good and fast. I like SRW Iron for safety. Here is a new browser. http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/41384/browser http://itsabrowser.com/

 

[Apple Key]

I've tried all the major popular browsers on the Mac, and I definitely prefer Safari. I find FireFox and Chrome, etc. to be very slow in comparison. Every once in a while I try them out again for a bit to see if anything's improved, but none of them are faster than Safari for me.

 

[saberahul]

I really like Safari but I hate how it cannot handle Gmail's video chat (freezes every 5 seconds when it's on). For my use, I keep gmail video chat on Firefox (for about 10 hours a day) and use Safari for everything else.

 

[shyam09]

lol i have all three of the major browsers [sry Opera..] Firefox, Chrome, nad Safari.
I honestly prefer Chrome- thats on my dock- but idk why., I have tried using Safari a few times, but i guess it "feels" different, and ever since i got my mac I have used Chrome so i guess I got used to it. Also, i don't open up that many tabs so that might help in the long run [with all the processes buzz i am hearing...]

My sister on the other hand prefers Safari, for reasons i am not sure of. But in the beginning [we got our macs together] I started using Chrome and so my sister asked me if she should get chrome too. I naturally said yes. About 1 year later [probably less] she switched to Safari and she tells me it is the best!

I can see where Safari excels being designed by Apple thus ensuring hte best compatibility with OSX. I mean Chrome doesn't even have the finger tap [OSX Lion] over a word to look up the definition,but yeah...

For a mac, I would definitely say either Chrome or Safari [sry Firefox ]

 

[SuperBrown]

I agree with most people here, try them all out and find the one that works best for you. I found Chrome very fast, but I've had troubles where I constantly have to "Kill Pages." Safari on the other hand is speedy enough and rarely crashes on me, thus it's currently my preferred browser.

 

[BreakGuy]

Safari. Made my Apple for Apple. Haven't had any stability or performance issues at all.

 

[rocknblogger]

I went from Firefox to Chrome and I used it for years. When I installed Lion I started using Safari and now it's the only browser I use.

I still open FF and Chrome every now and then out of nostalgia, but Safari just works so well in Lion so it's my go to browser.