The latest study shows that Google Chrome is one of the most used browsers, even in 2024. Google Chrome is the market leader, holding a share of 65.97% in the internet browser market.[1] This implies that two-thirds of internet users worldwide prefer Google Chrome as their browsing software.
However, there’s an increasing need for secure browsers that don’t skimp on privacy features or general performance. With the marked increase in cyberthreats, such as phishing, hacking, and malware, users are concerned about their anonymity, privacy, and protection of sensitive data. Although Google Chrome offers a few privacy features, such as Incognito Mode and Safe Browsing, it falls short of other available browsers that provide enhanced privacy and security when surfing the web.
Geekflare has researched, tested, and curated the best Google Chrome alternatives based on features like private browsing, lightweight performance, phishing protection, and anonymity.
- 1. Brave – Best for Privacy and Ad Blocking
- 2. DuckDuckGo – Best for Private Browsing
- 3. Avast Secure Browser – Best for Phishing Protection
- 4. Opera – AI-powered and Inbuilt Messenger
- 5. Polarity – Best for Lightweight Performance
- 6. Tor Browser – Best for Anonymity
- 7. Vivaldi – Best for Tab Management
- 8. Yandex – Best for Russian
- 9. Epic Privacy Browser – Fingerprint Protection
- 10. Firefox – Best for Open-Source Flexibility
- 11. Microsoft Edge Browser – Best for Windows Users and AI-powered
- 12. Safari Browser – Best for Apple Users
- Show less
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1. Brave
Best for Privacy and Ad Blocking
Brave is a free, privacy-oriented, open-source web browser launched in 2016 and founded by Brave Software Inc. It blocks on-page ads and other online trackers. The user interface is modernized and works similarly to Google’s browser. However, compared to Chrome, Brave loads quicker, leading to a more efficient browsing experience.
The browser was initially created as a blockchain-focused platform and is tied closely to the Basic Attention Token (BAT). This privacy-centric approach helps users by blocking ads daily and enhancing transparency. Brave is also the first web browser to feature a built-in cryptocurrency wallet.
Brave Pros
Offers digital fingerprint blocking.
Allows users to sync their bookmarks and settings across all devices.
Load pages faster than many other browsers.
Blocks bounce tracking and offers protection against malicious scripts.
Has a speed-reader mode that simplifies webpages for easier reading.
Brave Cons
Due to its strict ad-blocking features, several websites cannot operate optimally.
Consumes more system resources than other browsers.
Update cycle is not frequent.
Brave Pricing
Brave is open-source and free to use.
2. DuckDuckGo
Best for Private Browsing
DuckDuckGo is a popular privacy-focused browser and search engine with an anti-tracking policy. It doesn’t store user search information and prevents websites from collecting it. Unlike Google Chrome, DuckDuckGo provides email tracking protection, ensuring personal information is not revealed to unwanted parties.
DuckDuckGo’s powerful tracker-blocking feature stops trackers and unwanted ads before they load, increasing website speed. It also offers its users an AI chat option.
The browser provides various unique features, including bangs, tracker blocking, the Duck Player, HTTP to HTTPS encryption, and the Fire Button.
DuckDuckGo Pros
Has a simple and easy-to-use interface.
Blocks automatic cookie pop-ups.
Prevents fingerprint tracking.
Provides Facebook tracking protection.
DuckDuckGo Cons
Don’t support extensions.
Not optimized to provide local listings.
DuckDuckGo Pricing
The DuckDuckGo browser is free to use. However, DuckDuckGo does offer a Privacy Pro subscription service, priced at $9.99/month.
3. Avast Secure Browser
Best for Phishing Protection
Avast Secure Browser is a Chromium-based private browser offering an excellent tab grouping system that helps users keep track of their open tabs. It manages security and privacy in one place, allowing safe online shopping and banking. Avast also claims that its Avast Secure Browser was awarded the top position in an Anti-Phishing comparative test, scoring a 95%+ block rate.
The browser has a privacy guard feature that uses forward-thinking anti-tracking techniques to stop online companies from monitoring your online interests and habits. Moreover, the Pro version of the Avast Secure Browser includes the IP Hide feature to stop websites and advertisers from tracking your online movements.
Avast Secure Browser Pros
Monitors email addresses to ensure your passwords haven’t leaked online.
Stops websites from identifying you, depending on your browser profile.
Improves website load time significantly, allowing to browse with fewer interruptions.
Syncs your history and bookmarks.
Blocks online ads and pop-ups automatically.
Avast Secure Browser Cons
Slows down after extended usage.
At times, it automatically sets itself as the default browser.
Avast Secure Browser Pricing
Avast Secure Browser has both free and paid versions. The paid version, Avast Secure Browser PRO, is available at a starting price of $5.99/month.
4. Opera
AI-powered and Inbuilt Messenger
Opera provides a complete web experience that other popular browsers, like Safari or Edge, lack. It offers features like a free VPN, ad blocker, battery-saver option, tab grouping, and Flow file sharing.
If the basic Opera browser doesn’t meet your gaming and streaming needs, the Opera GX is a gaming browser offered by Opera. It provides an enhanced gaming experience across desktop and mobile.
Opera also provides intuitive workspaces for its users through the Lucid mode. Moreover, its built-in messenger helps users stay connected to social media with instant access to Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter through the browser itself.
Opera Pros
Loads pages faster than competitor browsers.
Reduces the amount of data that you use while browsing.
Monitors the battery status of your device when it reaches 20%.
Offers access to podcasts and music.
Allows users to chat with their friends directly in the browser.
Opera Cons
Limited extension support.
Not supported by many web apps.
Opera Pricing
Opera browser is free to use. However, its built-in VPN service, Opera VPN Pro, is available at a starting price of $4/month.
5. Polarity
Best for Lightweight Performance
Polarity is a dual-engine browser powered by Trident and Chromium. It focuses on system efficiency by utilizing minimal CPU and RAM resources. The browser can safely encrypt all user-specific data to prevent theft, thanks to its built-in password manager.
Polarity’s features include a built-in adblocker and privacy tools, like Header Masking, which prevent further online tracking.
In terms of compatibility, Polarity only works on Windows and Android devices. It is highly customizable and includes various apps, themes, and extensions from the Polarity Store.
Polarity Pros
Has a speech recognition feature.
Users can overview and analyze all data points from a single place.
Minimal resource utilization for enhanced performance.
Polarity Cons
Crashes sometimes after extended use.
Not available for iOS, macOS, or Linux.
Polarity Pricing
Polarity browser is completely free to use.
6. Tor Browser
Best for Anonymity
Tor Browser is a free, open-source, modified version of Mozilla Firefox that hides your identity and IP while browsing. Tor stands for The Onion Router, indicating its onion-like layering of privacy features and server relays. It has 7000 relays and can redirect your requests to a minimum of 3 nodes.
Tor uses multi-layered encryption to protect your data. This prevents ISPs, hackers, and government surveillance companies from tracking you. You can download it on different operating systems, including Mac OS, Windows, Linux, and UNIX.
Tor Browser Pros
Enhanced privacy through the anonymization of internet traffic.
Allows access to onion websites, blocked websites and the deep web.
Users can access the non-indexed pages in Google, Bing, etc.
Works with Firefox add-ons.
Tor Browser Cons
Takes some time to load, as it connects with available node servers.
Web browsing through Tor is relatively slow.
Doesn’t support uploading and downloading large files.
Tor Browser Pricing
Tor Browser is open-source and free to use.
7. Vivaldi
Best for Tab Management
Vivaldi is a cross-platform, freeware, Chromium-based web browser with built-in privacy features. It was released on January 27, 2015, and developed by Vivaldi Technologies.
Vivaldi has a minimalist user interface optimized for efficient and quick browsing. However, its color scheme can easily change depending on the design and background of the visited web pages. There are also plenty of customization options for users who want a personalized browsing experience.
It comes with a built-in pop-up, email client, and ad and tracker blocker. While its privacy features are decent, it doesn’t offer the same level of protection provided by browsers like Tor. Due to this, Vivaldi is better suited for everyday browsing than accessing data-sensitive websites.
Vivaldi Pros
Comes with POP3 and IMAP support.
Allows users to customize the look of the UI elements, including overall theme, background color, tab positioning, etc.
Includes a built-in Vivaldi Calendar.
Users can use it as a feed reader and save Atom and RSS feeds.
Offers the extension capability of Google Chrome.
Allows users to ‘stack’ and ‘tile’ tabs.
Vivaldi Cons
Doesn’t have a reading mode or share button.
Don’t support syncing.
No mobile versions.
Vivaldi Pricing
Vivaldi browser is available for free.
8. Yandex
Best for Russian
Yandex is a free web browser developed by a Russian technology corporation of the same name. Its Incognito mode offers the utmost privacy, preventing tracking of your search queries, history, or passwords. It has an active security system, known as Protect, that hides your data, even on public Wi-Fi, and keeps you away from malicious sites.
With the Yandex browser, users can customize their browsers with various appealing backgrounds from the wallpaper library.
A standout feature of Yandex is that it automatically translates your web pages into 9 different languages. However, it is optimized for the Russian language.
With its voiceover and video translation feature, users can watch French, English, Spanish, German, or Chinese videos with Russian voice-overs.
Yandex Pros
Optimized for Russian website content.
Users can set keyboard shortcuts to activate extensions.
Allows users to sync data across several devices.
Speeds up browsing on slow connections.
Decent form-filling features.
Yandex Cons
Results are less relevant than some other search engines.
Not as user-friendly as Bing or Google.
Yandex Pricing
Yandex browser is free to use on all devices.
9. Epic Privacy Browser
Fingerprint Protection
Epic privacy browser is an Indian proprietary privacy-centric web browser released on July 15, 2010. It was developed by Hidden Reflex and uses Chromium’s source code. The browser’s default configuration removes session data like history, cookies, and cache upon closing the browser. It includes a proxy service that can be enabled both manually or automatically, depending on the user’s preferences.
Epic Privacy Browser prefers SSL connections and sends a Do Not Track header. It blocks ads and even user activity trackers to keep your browsing secure. Moreover, the browser offers fingerprint protection that blocks access to font canvas, image canvas, etc.
By default, the browser blocks WebRTC IP address leaks. Its Epic Proxy service can easily relay connections through the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Singapore, and the Netherlands.
Epic Privacy Browser Pros
Offers fingerprint protection to ensure privacy.
Integrates widgets like chat clients, social networking, and mail facilities.
Excellent at blocking WebRTC leaks.
Epic Privacy Browser Cons
Slow compared to other browsers.
Has only a few quality-of-life features, such as auto-fill searches and user profiles.
Not compatible with most password managers.
Epic Privacy Browser Pricing
The Epic Privacy Browser is available for free.
10. Firefox
Best for Open-Source Flexibility
Mozilla Firefox, or Firefox, is a widely used free and open-source web browser. It was developed by the Mozilla Foundation and the Mozilla Corporation in 2004.
Firefox is compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. It can also be used on iOS and Android mobile devices. Compared to Chrome, Firefox uses less memory and loads most websites faster on average.
Firefox’s default privacy settings are much stronger than those of Chrome. It offers impressive privacy features like enhanced tracking protection and blocking malicious websites, social media trackers, crypto miners, etc. It protects your privacy by erasing your browsing history and cookies when you close the browser.
Firefox Pros
Offers many customization options, such as add-ons, themes, and extensions.
Improved download protection.
Resource-efficient operation.
Provides a browser sync feature and free password manager.
Firefox Cons
Works slower when multiple tabs are open.
Doesn’t integrate with Google services like Google docs.
Firefox Pricing
Firefox is free to use and does not feature in-app purchases.
11. Microsoft Edge Browser
Best for Windows Users and AI-powered
Microsoft Edge is a proprietary cross-platform web browser developed by Microsoft. It was released in 2015, along with Xbox One and Windows 10. It was initially developed with EdgeHTML and Microsoft’s Chakra JavaScript engine, before being ported to iOS and Android.
With Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, Edge can help identify suspicious downloads and sites. It also organizes information from various websites into collections that users can access later or even export.
The browser’s update cycle is also frequent, resulting in better mobility, security, and functionality.
Microsoft Edge Pros
Annotates web pages and can share or store them with OneDrive.
Integrates with Microsoft’s online platforms and offers voice control.
Allows you to save MHTML and HTML pages to your computer.
Uses a lightweight design.
Provides a distraction-free reading mode.
Uses less memory compared to Google Chrome.
Microsoft Edge Cons
Has relatively slower loading times compared to Chrome and Firefox.
Doesn’t sync often.
Doesn’t have as many extensions as Chrome.
Microsoft Edge Pricing
Microsoft Edge is free to use.
12. Safari Browser
Best for Apple Users
Safari is an efficient web browser developed by Apple. It is built into Apple’s operating systems, including iOS, macOS, visionOS, and iPadOS. The browser uses Apple’s open-source browser kit, WebKit.
It includes advanced privacy features, such as Intelligent Tracking Prevention, Passkeys, Password Monitoring, and Fingerprinting defence. These features significantly reduce browsing data collection and even block cookies from third-party trackers.
Safari can monitor your passwords and even notify you if they are compromised. It uses less RAM than many other popular browsers and includes a reader mode, allowing users to read online articles without distractions.
Safari Pros
Has a more customizable user interface than Chrome.
Can support mobile extensions, unlike Chrome.
Distraction Control features can eliminate irritating elements from a website.
Offer more privacy-friendly and secure browsing than Chrome.
Syncs easily with bookmarks and passwords.
Safari Cons
Only available on Apple devices.
Lacks customization through browser extensions.
Safari Pricing
Safari is available for free on all Apple devices.
Best Chrome Alternatives Comparison
The table below compares the best Chrome alternatives on this list based on their privacy features, performance, unique features, and extension support.
| Browser | Privacy Features | Performance | Unique Features | Extension Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brave | Built-in ad blocker, tracker blocking, Fingerprinting protection, Private browsing with Tor integration. | Fast performance with emphasis on privacy, uses less RAM than Chrome. | Earn rewards (BAT tokens) by viewing ads, Tor integration for private browsing, built-in crypto wallet. | Supports Chrome Web Store extensions (since it’s built on Chromium). |
| DuckDuckGo | Strict no-tracking policy, built-in tracker blocking, anonymous browsing with “DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser”. | Not as fast as mainstream browsers. | Anonymous search engine, Privacy Grade rating for websites, no personal data collection. | No extension support (limited functionality as a browser). |
| Avast | Adblock, anti-tracking, bank mode for secure online payments, anti-phishing protection, encryption for data. | Solid performance, but can be resource-heavy at times. | Includes anti-phishing, Webcam Guard, and Hack Check to detect account breaches, Bank Mode for secure transactions. | Supports Chrome Web Store extensions. |
| Opera | Built-in VPN, tracker blocker, crypto wallet, integrated ad blocker, Privacy protection mode. | Fast with low system resource usage. | Built-in VPN, crypto wallet, messaging apps (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger) integrated in the sidebar, Flow feature to sync across devices. | Supports Chrome Web Store extensions and Opera add-ons. |
| Polarity | Adblocker, Anti-tracking, Do Not Track feature, Cloud-based encryption. | Lightweight browser, uses low system resources, fast on older hardware. | Eco-friendly with low power usage, dual-engine rendering (Chromium and Trident), customization options with add-ons, built-in note manager. | Limited extension support from Polarity store. |
| Tor Browser | Multi-layer encryption, blocks trackers and surveillance, built on Firefox for secure anonymous browsing via the Tor network. | Slower due to multiple layers of encryption and relay nodes. | Ultimate anonymity and privacy with Tor network, multi-layer encryption, ideal for bypassing censorship and protecting sensitive activities. | Supports Firefox add-ons. |
| Vivaldi | No tracking, private browsing mode, built-in ad/tracker blocker, encrypted sync. | Good performance, though can be RAM-intensive with multiple open tabs. | Extreme customization (themes, tab stacking), built-in tools like note-taking, capture screenshots, built-in email client, calendar, and feed reader. | Supports Chrome Web Store extensions. |
| Yandex Browser | Protect mode for secure web surfing, DNSCrypt technology, built-in Kaspersky antivirus scan for downloads. | Generally fast but can be resource-heavy, especially with extensions. | Turbo mode for faster browsing on slow networks, DNSCrypt for secure DNS traffic, deep integration with Yandex services. | Supports Chrome Web Store extensions. |
| Epic Privacy Browser | No-tracking policy, always-on incognito mode, built-in encrypted proxy (VPN), blocks ads, fingerprinting, and crypto mining scripts. | Decent performance, but VPN usage can slow it down. | Always-on incognito mode, integrated encrypted proxy (VPN), one-click data removal feature. | Supports Chrome Web Store extensions, but limited by privacy restrictions. |
| Firefox | Enhanced Tracking Protection, blocks third-party cookies, supercookies, and fingerprinting, Private browsing mode with robust security. | Good performance, not as RAM-intensive as Chrome. | Open-source, vast extension library, customizable, Firefox Containers for isolating different online activities, strong focus on privacy. | Supports Mozilla’s Firefox Add-ons store. |
| Microsoft Edge | Built-in tracker prevention, InPrivate browsing, Password Monitor for breached credentials. | Excellent performance, especially with Chromium engine; uses less memory than Chrome. | Deep integration with Windows 10/11, Edge Collections for organizing research, vertical tabs, and Immersive Reader mode. | Supports Chrome Web Store extensions and Microsoft Edge Add-ons store. |
| Safari | Intelligent Tracking Prevention, built-in ad tracker blocker, privacy reports, Secure AutoFill, Apple Pay integration with security features. | Fast and energy-efficient, especially on Mac devices. | Tight integration with Apple ecosystem, highly energy-efficient on macOS, optimized for Mac/iOS hardware, seamless handoff between Apple devices. | Limited extension support from Safari Extensions Gallery (Mac App Store). |
Why Consider Chrome Alternatives?
Although Google Chrome is a popular browser, it has privacy and resource usage concerns. Multiple Chrome alternatives, like Brave and Opera, are available online and worth considering based on your needs. A few reasons for considering these Chrome alternatives are provided below.
Privacy Concerns
Chrome collects extensive user data, such as browsing history and location, which constitutes a privacy breach. However, a few browsers, like Opera, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox, have built-in privacy features. These features protect your browsing history and data to supplement your online privacy.
Performance Issues
Though Google Chrome offers excellent browsing speed, it is resource-intensive with both CPU and RAM usage. Browsers like Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox use fewer resources without compromising speed or performance.
Feature Needs
Users require proxy browsers to mask their IP with features like enhanced privacy, built-in VPN, and advanced customization options. These are features that Google Chrome lacks. Browsers like Epic Privacy Browser and Brave are ideal if you need privacy and customization features. Brave’s browser easily blocks third-party trackers and ads by default, and Epic Privacy Browser offers extensive VPN options that can protect your overall browsing experience.
Diverse Preferences
Everyone has different requirements when it comes to a secure browser. Though Google Chrome is used by many around the globe, it does not fit every use case. For instance, some users prefer a private browser that reduces data tracking. For this case, the Tor Browser or Firefox Browser are decent choices. For customization, Opera and Vivaldi are better choices than Google Chrome.