5 Safest Web Browsers – Best for Keeping Safe Online
Although many of the large mainstream browsers offer the quickest and most comprehensive search services out there, some fall far short when it comes to privacy and safety. In this article, we will be discussing browsers that might not be as well-known, but make up for their obscurity with top notch protection.
Firefox
Firefox might be known to most who have been internet surfing since the mid 2000s, but a lot of post-millennials would not have heard of them in any relevant context. Firefox has a level of security on par with that of Chrome, especially with the introduction of its new quantum engine.
Founded by the non-profit organization Mozilla, Firefox provides a clear differentiator with Chrome in that it does not use browsing history in order to make money off bombarding you with custom ads. This not only gives you security, but it reduces the visual barrage on your screen.
Canvas fingerprinting is mainly used as an alternative to cookies, and it does not specifically identify individual users, but rather it focuses on the browser and operating system. This browser fingerprinting technique, which is most commonly utilized, is greatly hindered by Firefox’s ready-made protection systems. This makes Firefox a very sought after substitute for your current mainstream browser.
Tor Browser
The Tor Browser has a few similarities to Firefox. Namely, it uses some of the same baseline security features that Firefox has used to successfully differentiate itself from mainstream browsers and gain an edge amongst the more tech-savvy and security conscious online crowd. But it also has some distinguishing differences.
One of the main features of Tor Browser is the use of HTTPS Everywhere, which was actually created by The Tor Project in conjunction with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. This was to overcome the restricted ability for encryption over HTTPS that other sites were offering, giving Tor Browser a claim to fame.
Another distinguishing feature Tor Browser has to offer is the incorporation of Disconnect.me as their baseline search engine, which has received accolades from many experts in this field. All of this and more makes Tor Browser another hard hitting addition to the competition field that our usual browsers will have to contend with.
Waterfox
As the name might suggest, Waterfox uses the basics carried forward from Firefox and provides a relatively basic, but also streamlined, browsing service. Indeed, since the release of the 56.0.4 version in February of 2018, there has been no further updates and none are forecasted for the foreseeable future.
What this means is that the browser is therefore compatible with any and all add-ons, whether they be traditional Firefox ones or brand new ones. There are many who place a premium on simplicity and will go with the somewhat vintage version, as long as you do not need a computer science degree to know how to surf the Internet.
Some people have commended Waterfox on its ability to take care of any Firefox security holes, especially given the limited nature of its human resources. Waterfox has made itself accessible to Android, Mac, Linux, as well as Windows operating systems.
Brave
Brave is quite different from the other four on our list in that it is the only one that does not stem from Firefox in any major way. Instead, it draws most of its inspiration from Chromium. Chromium actually forms the computational basis for Chrome, with the closed tidbits taken out of course.
What this implies is that basically all regular users of the Chrome browser will feel more or less at home using Brave, simply because the setup is extremely similar. Ad-blocker, script blocker, and tracking protection all come included when you use Brave as your browser, which can be very helpful for those of us who really do not like hassle.
Like Tor Browser, Brave does incorporate HTTPS everywhere into its services. One defining feature of Brave is that it provides users with leak protection, which can come in very handy in the rare event your VPN experiences a hiccup while using Brave.
Pale Moon
Like the first three browsers, Pale Moon is a branch from the Firefox tree, but it is quite different from these in that its code is not fully severed from that of Firefox. Pale Moon is relatively basic by design, which allows for increased customization for the detail-oriented Internet browser.
It is true that Pale Moon does not support some of the new add-ons coming out from Firefox, but what is also true is that Pale Moon has been churning out a substantial cache of add-ons unique to Pale Moon in order to more than make up for this shortfall.
Pale Moon is compatible with the Windows and Linux operating systems and might expand that list in the near future. Pale Moon is very suitable for those who wish to take a minimalist approach to their computer’s overall setup, so as to not burden themselves with lengthy setup times.
A Great Set of Options
Online users have a vast amount of options in terms of safe web browsers. Hopefully, the usual suspects within the industry will take this as a sign of consumer pushback and readjust their security. Until then, one of the 5 abovementioned browsers will be the best option for online security.