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We built Safari to be the best browser for your Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Built-in privacy features keep your browsing your business. You can stream and search smarter with handy tools that help you save, find, and share your favorite sites. Apple Pay in Safari lets you shop safely and simply. Safari for Mac is faster and more energy efficient than other browsers. And thanks to iCloud, Safari works seamlessly with all your devices.

Google’s Chrome remains the world’s most popular desktop browser by quite a margin, although that does encompass Windows users too. This success isn’t hard to fathom, as Chrome is an. Firefox overtakes Chrome to place third by using 120 megabytes, while Google's browser uses the most memory (140 megabytes). Heavy Load Under a. The Safari browser comes pre-installed with macOS and it’s a browser many people.

Defending your online privacy and security.

Privacy and security aren’t just something you should hope for — they’re something you should expect. That’s why features to help protect your privacy and keep your Mac secure are built into Safari.

Intelligent Tracking Prevention.

Remember when you looked at that green mountain bike online? And then saw annoying green mountain bike ads everywhere you browsed? Safari uses machine learning to identify advertisers and others who track your online behavior, and removes the cross‑site tracking data they leave behind. So your browsing stays your business. And Safari keeps embedded content such as Like buttons, Share buttons, and comment widgets from tracking you without your permission. We know you’ll like that.

Sandboxing. Built-in protection for websites.

Sandboxing provides a safeguard against malicious code and malware by restricting what websites can do. And because Safari runs web pages in separate processes, any harmful code you come across in one page is confined to a single browser tab, so it can’t crash the whole browser or access your data.

Fingerprinting defense.

When you’re online, the characteristics of your device can be used by advertisers to create a “fingerprint” to follow you. Safari thwarts this by only sharing a simplified system profile, making it more difficult for data companies to identify and track you.

Protection from harmful sites.

Safari helps protect you against fraudulent websites and those that harbor malware — before you visit them. If a website looks suspicious, Safari prevents it from loading and warns you.

Private Browsing.

When you use Private Browsing, Safari doesn’t remember the pages you visit, your search history, or your AutoFill information. You can also use DuckDuckGo, a built-in search engine that doesn’t track you, to make your web searches private, too.

More secure and convenient passwords.

Safari works hard to make sure your passwords are robust and unique by automatically creating and storing strong passwords for you. Once stored, your passwords will autofill in websites across all your Apple devices and in apps on iOS and iPadOS devices. In Safari preferences, passwords that have been used more than once are flagged so you can easily update them. And one-time security codes sent over SMS are autofilled right in the password field as soon as they appear in Messages. Security has never been so user friendly.

Surf seamlessly across all your devices.

Not only does Safari come on every Mac, it comes on all your iOS and iPadOS devices. And thanks to iCloud, your passwords, bookmarks, history, tabs, and Reading List are always up to date no matter which device you’re using.

iCloud Keychain securely stores your user names, passwords, and credit card numbers and keeps them up to date on your trusted devices. So you can easily sign in to your favorite websites — as well as in apps on iOS and iPadOS — and quickly make online purchases. And everything is protected with robust 256-bit AES encryption.

With Bookmarks in Safari, your favorite sites are always close at hand. Bookmark a web page on your Mac, and it automatically appears on all your iCloud-connected devices.

With Tab view, the last websites you had open on your Mac are available in Safari on your iOS and iPadOS devices — and vice versa. So you can go from one device to another without having to search for the web pages you were reading.

Save web pages you want to read later simply by adding them to your Reading List. Then view them on any of your iCloud-connected devices — even if you’re not connected to the internet.

The fastest way to browse on a Mac. And faster than any Windows browser, too.

With a blazing-fast JavaScript engine, Safari is the world’s fastest desktop browser, outperforming both Mac and PC browsers in benchmark after benchmark on the same Mac.¹

JavaScript performance on advanced web applications¹

Search more. Stream more.

Safari is optimized specifically for Mac, so it’s more efficient than other browsers on macOS. And Safari plays HTML5 video — the format used by your favorite streaming services — whenever it’s available. So you can explore the web for up to three hours longer and stream video for up to four hours longer than on any other browser.² Embroidery for mac.

browsing compared to Chrome and Firefox

streaming videos compared to Chrome and Firefox

The best browsing experience.

Features in Safari help you surf smarter and easily manage and share what you find.

Pay easily and securely with Apple Pay. Apple Pay is the easiest and most secure way to pay when shopping in Safari. Look for Apple Pay on your favorite shopping sites, then complete your purchase with Face ID or Touch ID on your iPhone or iPad. You can also use Touch ID on your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, or double-click the side button on your Apple Watch. Your credit card details are never shared when you use Apple Pay, and your transactions are protected with industry-leading security.

Updated start page. Easily and quickly access your favorites and frequently visited sites. And Siri suggestions surface bookmarks, links from your reading list, iCloud Tabs, links you receive in Messages, and more.

Desktop-class browsing on iPad. Safari now shows you a website’s desktop version that’s scaled for the large iPad display and automatically optimized for touch input. Faster and more fluid scrolling makes browsing feel better than ever. And a new download manager means you can easily download and share files right in Safari.

Most Power Efficient Browser

Stop auto-play videos. Safari prevents unexpected and unwanted videos with audio from automatically playing while you browse. Just click the play button if you want to view them. Have a favorite site where you always want videos to play? Use per‑site settings in Safari to enable media auto-play.

Turn on website icons in tabs in Preferences to easily see what you have open. Pin your favorite sites and they’ll reappear in tabs every time you open Safari. You can also mute the audio on any tab right from the Smart Search field — perfect for stopping the music without having to hunt for where it’s coming from or, if you prefer, silencing all the audio from your browser at once.

Personalize your browsing experience in Safari with settings for individual websites, like page zoom level, location services, and content blockers. So each website appears just how you like it.

Automatically use Reader for every web article that supports it, so you can read without ads, navigation, and other distractions. Customize your view by selecting your font size and style, and choose Sepia and Night themes. The best mail app for mac.

Play video from a web page to your TV with Apple TV — without showing everything else on your desktop. Just click the AirPlay icon that appears on compatible web videos and you can watch your video on the big screen.

Float a video window from Safari over your desktop or a full-screen app on your Mac or iPad. Play the video in any corner of the desktop and resize it to see more or less of what’s behind it. So you can watch videos while you browse photos. Or catch up on your favorite show while you catch up on email.

With Spotlight built into every Mac, you’re never far from the information you want. As you type in the Smart Search field, you’ll see Safari suggestions from sources like Wikipedia, news sites, Maps, movie listings, flight status, weather, stocks, and sports.³

Share anything you come across on the web without leaving Safari. Just click the Share button, then choose how you want to send it off. Use Mail, Messages, or AirDrop or add it to a note.

Developers

Deep WebKit integration between Mac hardware and macOS allows Safari to deliver the fastest performance and the longest battery life of any browser on the platform, while supporting modern web standards for rich experiences in the browser. WebKit in macOS Catalina includes optimizations and support for additional web standards that enable even richer browsing experiences.

Extensions

Safari Extensions are a great way to customize your browsing experience on macOS. Find and add your favorite extensions from the Mac App Store.

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Since most of your working (or even entertainment) time today is spent in your web browser window, it's likely the most important app on your computer. Without a doubt, there are lots of web browsers for Mac, but not all of them were created equal. So you might be wondering what is the best web browser for Mac.

After all, not everyone's needs are the same. You might be striving for speed or safety, or alternative ways of surfing online. And with Microsoft Edge set to appear on Mac shortly, the competition to become the top browser for Mac is getting fierce — but there's no need to try them all.

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The browser comparison below will outline all strengths and weaknesses of all the contenders on the market today to reveal the best browser for Mac you need.

What Makes The Best Web Browser

Depending on how exactly you use your Mac browser, you might require different features and specialties. Generally, there are four broad categories that make people sway one way or another.

Familiarity: Use something regularly for a while and you'll develop muscle memory, which makes it extremely hard to switch to anything else. This is the main reason most people keep using the first web browser they've tried. But it’s important to realize that experimenting with alternative browsers is not hard and might present you with much better options in no time.

Speed: Slow speed might quickly kill even the best web browser for Mac. If you think about it, no one has ever asked for their webpage to take more time to load.

Security: A lucky few might have never been the target of a hack or malware with a potential to disrupt or in some cases destroy a computer. But there's no such thing as being too careful. While some browsers are optimized for ease of use, there are safe browsers too that are secure from the ground up.

Bells and whistles: For some, it's the little things that matter most. Looking for Chromecast support? Configurable shortcuts? Extension libraries? All best internet browsers try to differentiate themselves in various ways to tailor to particular audiences.

The top browser for Mac out of the box: Safari

It could be that the best browser for Mac is the one that comes with every Mac already. Apple's proprietary web browser for Mac, Safari, is preinstalled on all Apple devices and is generally a good choice. No shame here for not bothering to explore alternative browsers at all.

Safari is good because Apple doesn't do things by half measures. Benchmarks suggest that when it comes to Safari vs Firefox, Safari loads HTML twice as fast, and four times as fast for Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Makes sense — no one knows Apple hardware better than Apple, so they have all the trump cards for near-perfect speed optimization. Safari might well be the fastest browser for Mac.

In terms of extras, Safari has a decent support for third-party plugins and integrates perfectly with your iOS and watchOS devices.

What’s great:

• Blazing-fast speed
• Already installed on your Mac

Not so great:

• Lacks Chromecast support and some other plugins

The most popular web browser: Chrome

Chrome is by far the top browser for Mac and other operating systems when it comes to popularity — some reports suggest that 70% of people on the web use it. But does that mean it’s the best web browser for Mac?

It could be. First of all, Chrome is generally one of the fastest web browsers. Second, it uses Google's proprietary Sandbox security technology, so you're completely safe running all kinds of websites on it. Third, Chrome's extension library is the largest on the market, allowing you to transform the browser into the tool for all your needs.

Even better, when you sign into your Google account on any Chrome browser anywhere, it'll load your bookmarks and logins right away. So if you're constantly using different computers, Chrome is a great choice (just remember to log out if you're using public ones).

When it comes to Safari vs Chrome, Safari wins as the best browser for Mac, whereas Chrome takes the crown if you find yourself jumping between operating systems.

Most Battery Efficient Browser Windows

What’s great:

• Fast and secure
• The best third-party support for browser extensions
• Travels well by signing into Chrome from anywhere
• Fully integrated with Chromecast

Not so great:

• Not as fast as Safari

The underdogfox web browser: Mozilla Firefox for Mac

Though it's not as commonly used as Safari or Chrome, Firefox is not without its share of devoted fans. It's been a mainstay in the browser wars for many years now and is maybe the most recognized one of the alternative browsers for people who would rather not support megalithic companies like Apple or Google. So do you want to download Firefox for Mac?

Unfortunately, sometimes the underdog is the underdog for a reason. Firefox is quite a bit slower when it comes to loading webpages. And while you can sign into your Firefox account for bookmarks just like in Google Chrome, the fact that it’s not a standard option on most computers in the way Chrome is makes this feature less useful.

Add to that a busy design that looks at odds with macOS, and when it comes to Safari vs Firefox as the best browser for Mac, Safari is the clear winner.

What’s great:

• Open-source development
• Long-established user base
• Firefox account to sync bookmarks across computers

Not so great:

• Slow by modern web standards
• Busy design

The 'could be a contender' browser: Opera for Mac

Opera has been around for years, but it's always been the 'also-ran' of the alternative browsers. But things could be different now: Opera today comes with a free VPN, ad-block, and built-in messenger client support right out of the box. The free VPN alone makes this browser worth downloading and checking out.

In the backend, Opera usings the same Blink Engine that powers Chrome, so you can be sure of its speed. Add to that integrated phishing and malware lists and you have a fast and secure browser. Some could argue that given recent Opera innovations it might have surpassed Firefox as the third-best web browser. It also might now be the best new browser for Mac, depending on what you’re looking for.

What’s great:

• Free VPN
• Just as fast as Chrome
• Great default ad and malware blocking

Not so great:

• Less third-party support compared to Chrome
• Low adoption

How to change default browser on Mac

So now that you have so many options to try — explore their websites and download the ones that you like. Just remind yourself that you're not yet fully committed to any single one.

But once you decide which one is your favorite, you need to know how to change default browser on Mac:

1. Click on the Apple menu ➙ System Preferences
2. Navigate to the General tab
3. Find a dropdown menu marked 'Default web browser' and click on it to choose from the browsers you've installed

The top browser for Mac is what you make of it

In the end, it doesn't matter too much which browser is the best — if you like it and feel like it does what you need it to do, then everybody's happy. What matters the most is whether or not you can customize the browser to your needs. That means downloading extensions that make the most of your internet experience.

If you've ever been watching a YouTube video and thought, 'I wish there was a safe and easy way to download this video,' then you absolutely need to check out Downie.

Capture video from any browser

Try a seamless video downloader that works with any browser. With Downie, you’ll be able to instantly save videos from 1000+ sites.

Downie is an app for your Mac that lets you drag and drop videos from any website onto your computer. It works like magic:

1. Copy a link from Vimeo or YouTube or anywhere else
2. Open Downie and hit ⌘ + V to paste the link
3. The download will start automatically

Even for times when you can't find a song anywhere but streaming video, use Downie to simply download the audio file. Brilliant!

Want to edit or format that file? Downie blends seamlessly with Permute, which lets you combine videos, edit them down, or convert the file type:

1. Drag and drop a video onto Permute
2. Choose to work with Audio or Video
3. Use the dropdown to choose the file format to convert to
4. Click Start

Yet another great app to completely unlock your browser is Inboard. Designed to easily capture screenshots from your screen so that you can create collages and moodboards, Inboard lets you cut and paste images from your Mac browser, and even make a Pinterest-style inspiration board from all your captured pictures.

Best of all, Downie, Permute, and Inboard are all available to try absolutely free for seven days when you sign up for Setapp, an app subscription services that gives you over 150 different apps for every possible use case. Now that’s a Mac browser transformed!

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

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