The 10 Best Web Browsers for Mac Other Than Safari

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In an internet-centric world, the browser is king. In most instances, the browser is the platform. For flash games, cloud storage, software-as-a-service, and synching across devices, the choice of browser is becoming even more important. On the other hand, with the browser also serving as the door to the Internet, it also serves as a door to your computer. Nowadays, most malware gets entry to the computer and Internet device via the browser. On the Mac OS X, the default browser is Safari, but there are a lot more browsers available for download, with more features than Safari. The following is a list of the Internet’s best web browser for Mac.

10. Camino

10. Camino

Another browser based on Mozilla Gecko, Camino is one of the oldest Mac OS X browsers around. It is a secure browser with customizable controls for blocking pop ups. Keeping security concerns at the top of the list, it has Annoyance Blocking, and phishing protection on top of its other anti-malware measures. Tabbed browsing is also simpler as Camino allows you to see all your open tabs at the same time with its “Tab Overview” feature.

9. OmniWeb

9. OmniWeb

Incorporating visual tabs, Omniweb allows the user to see all the open websites being browsed. Another feature is the use of “workspaces” which compartmentalizes the various user tasks. The window can be further optimized, and returns all settings and windows to their last positions when Omniweb is next used.

8. Fake

8. Fake

The browser industry is a cutthroat business. Developers spend time and resources creating the most important tool to access the Internet, and then distribute the product for free. This would explain why Fake is not free. Fake is arguably the most powerful browser on the Mac OS X. The reason it is the most powerful, is also the reason why it is not free. It’s because it is not a browser, but a development tool made for regular people who browse the Internet on the Mac.

If you are a web developer, you should have this in your toolkit. If you spend a lot of time online, you should be using this tool. Fake uses OS X scripting tools and integrates them in the browser for a customized automation.
Besides that, the only disadvantage this software has is that there is some programming skill needed.

7. Opera

7. Opera

One of the most secure and stable browsers around, Opera also happens to be very standards compliant. Most features that are common with today’s browsers first saw implementation on Opera. A version of Opera can be found for most operating systems. This is an old standby, which is still very popular with Mac OS X users. Opera is one browser, which was designed to be always on. Shutdown the computer with Opera running and it does the cleanup on its own. Ready to start where you left off.

6. SeaMonkey

6. SeaMonkey

SeaMonkey is a suite of Internet applications and is based on the Mozilla engine. Other web apps that use Mozilla include Firefox, Thunderbird and Camino. This is a stable browser implementation with plenty of tools. It ranks high in standards compliance ratings, security features and speed and stability.

The other components of SeaMonkey also noteworthy. The HTML editor is an old-school IDE. If you need an editor, which generates small optimized standards-compliant code, this is the one you need.

5. Stainless

5. Stainless

It is easy to say that a website is different. Proving it is much harder to do. Stainless is different. They’ve proven it by doing something only they could do.

That being said, there are a lot of outstanding features on Stainless that should be on everyone else’s features list. Based on Chromium, it has the same basic features as its cousins. Fast browsing, fast search, coupled with an innovative bookmark, with this feature set, and not straying far from other Chromium family members, it already stands out.

The real clincher is the unique way it allows a user to browse a site. It’s the only browser that can access a site multiple times with different login credentials, all at the same time.

4. Cruz

4. Cruz

The difference of the Fluid web browser engine is the way it integrates the browser with the Internet. As such, Cruz is no different from other Fluid-based web browsers. It was designed to be both a web browser and a web-browsing appliance, or aide. Using split panels, the user can access his timeline and browsing history with ease. Some people have grown accustomed to the Internet that they have practically carved their own piece of it and go around a small neighborhood of websites. These netizens is what Cruz wants to address. The tools on Cruz allow the user to experience their regularly visited websites interactively while browsing on the main window like using a regular browser. And just in case something goes wrong, it even has a system restore to bring you back to the last pages you were browsing.

3. Firefox

3. Firefox

For a time, Firefox was the browser of choice for almost all platforms. It has had recent problems in recent years, mainly because it no longer looks cool. But make no mistake, it is still one of the best browsers around performance-wise. Based on Mozilla Gecko, it has the pedigree for the long haul. It integrates well with the Mozilla family of products, which include Thunderbird. It also has one of the largest set of plugins and addons. Using Firefox is one of the easiest decisions anyone can make.

2. Sleipnir

2. Sleipnir

Sleipnir is made in Japan and before being ported to other languages had a 6% share in the Japanese browser market. The Japanese aesthetics clearly shows in this unique browser. It is not every browser, which can say that it was made from scratch. It maximizes space, at the same time minimizing the header. Even with a small header it still is able to make the tabs more easily seen and visually appealing.

Gestures are built-in to the Mac. Gestures are also used wisely in Sleipnir, making it the only browser to make heavy use of gestures. Using the trackpad or the Magic Mouse makes more sense on this browser.

Since their introduction, tabs have been the focus when designing and using a web browser. Others have tried to sell the idea that you don’t need to close any tab ever. Until duplicate tabs have made multiple open tabs untenable. With Sleipnir, there are no duplicate tabs. Trying to open an already opened tab will bring up the older one. Or looking at it from the other way, with so many tabs open, you can search for a particular page by just typing the web page name. It just makes sense.

1. Chrome

1. Chrome

In recent years, Google has positioned Chrome as more than a browser, and more of an eco-system. Besides having its own eco-system it is also an important part of Google’s overall strategy. Every Google product is designed to work well and better with Chrome. This browser is also closely integrated with other Google products. Logging in to Chrome opens up automatic logins to other Google services, including Google+, Gmail, YouTube, Blogger, and others. This differentiation with other browsers with the Chromium engine makes for a browser, which is larger than itself. This is another browser made for the long haul.

 

One Response

  1. Rob54

    March 28, 2013 3:57 pm

    What a great article, thank you very much. I just wanted to add to the list the browser that I usually use. It’s called Torch browser and it’s still not available on every mac, you have to contact Torch’s app page on facebook, but anyway, it’s based on chromium and got a lot of cool features. I never get tired of it.

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