Browsers

Preferred: Vivaldi

Like many others, Brave has been my choice of browser on my laptop for the past 6 months. However, recently I have changed to Vivaldi. It is very smooth, and I like the way you can customize everything. Security and privacy settings can be adjusted to your needs, and you can also select your preferred search engine. A lot of themes and extensions are available. 

Vivaldi lets you move tools around in the browser e.g. aligning the address bar, move the settings panel to the left or right, capture screenshots etc. Open bookmarks in a new tab is pretty neat as well.

Currently Edge and Brave are close seconds, and Firefox is my backup when a standard browser is needed. 

Preferred for quick browsing: Firefox Focus

On my mobile I prefer to use a quick browser, which loads fast and blocks distractions. So far Firefox Focus is doing a great job. It's easy to set up with your preferred privacy settings, and adjust your default search engine. 

The best overall Android browser: DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo is a great browser for Android. You get more than a browser with the DuckDuckGo mobile app and I have been impressed with their cool features. It is very focused on privacy. Their fireproof button comes in handy as well.

With the Android browser you also get the following features

• App Tracking Protection for your device

• A "@duck.com" e-mail address, which removes trackers and forward tracker-free e-mails to your an e-mail acocunt of your choice. Great for subscribing and signining up online

• The DocuDuckGo search engine. Famous for being one of the first major search engines without personalized ads i.e. no personalized tracking of users. and no selling private data

• Cookie Management - You won't be bothered by cookie consent forms

Honourable mention

Brave deserves an honourable mention, as an alternative to the two other browsers. A quick and secure browser, with an opportunity to customiza and adjust the settings to your need.

Preferred: Edge

Microsoft has really upped their game when it comes to browsing. Many people fled from Internet Explorer, and vowed never to return to a Microsoft browser. However, many of us has been persuaded to give Microsoft a second chance. Simply because they seems to listen to their users, and provide a browser that can do what users expect in 2024. In my opinion their main target groups are offices around the world, and with Edge you can really work productively.

The built-in 'split-screen' feature is awesome. Basically it allows you to show two taps next to each other inside the browser window. It's very neat and helps productivity.

Brave has been my favorite browser for the past six months, and I am still using it from time to time. I love their concept and execution when it comes to privacy. To me it's a Chrome browser with more privacy settings.

LibreWolf appeared on my radar in January 2024, and is promising so far. It mightl be the next in line, but need to support Android before it happens. LibreWolf is an independent version of Firefox. The project is open-source and supports both Windows, MacOS, and Linux. I haven't been able to find it in the Google Play store for Android yet.

DuckDuckGo has released a beta version of their Desktop app for Windows. I have been impressed with their mobile browser, and their other services which have focus on privacy. Their browser looks allright, but I haven't seen anything that will make me leave Vivaldi or Brave yet. When they finish beta testing and release a stable version I will be more inclined to take a deeper look. A significant issue is the missing extensions, which I don't want to browse without.

Browsers are one of the most important and used tools. You can pretty much spend your whole work days using browsers, and applications in the browser. Choosing the right browser can save you a lot of hassle, and increase productivity and happiness. 

Most regular people probably don't care and don't want to invest time to learn about different browsers and the technology. If you've read this far you have shown that you care, and I hope you have found some browser inspiration.