A Critical Analysis of Modern Web Browsers

11 Mar, 2025

My Priorities

Respects Privacy

I would like my web browser to only collect data required for functionality (like sync service, etc.) and not try to exploit that data for other purposes. Bonus points if this data is end to end encrypted like in Firefox's sync service. Chrome is the most notorious in this regard, worse than Edge.

There has been some recent drama around Firefox's new terms of service but I do not know for sure if they have started harvesting data or if they even plan to do that in the first place. I hope that the controversy was just a misunderstanding

Minimal

I want my web browser to do one thing - browse the web. And run complicated modern JavaScript-heavy web apps I guess.

What I do not want my browser to be is: tiling window manager, email client, news reader, AI chat app, data harvesting tool, crypto wallet, watch-ads-to-earn-crypto scheme, shopping coupon finder, and the like.

Own Engine

Do the makers of the browsers also make the engine? Or are they just freeloading off of someone else's engine? I know that the engine is open source and it is legal (and maybe encouraged) to do so. However, the majority of the money and work is put in by the engine maintainers and I think they are the ones who realistically control the direction of development. They choose to implement and block features, and if a fork wants to diverge from this, it will require money, so in the other case the browser must have a well thought out revenue model.

Other "nice-to-have"s

Platform Independence

Does the browser locks the user into a particular platform? This does not matter as long as I do not use sync services or if the browser is open source.

Open Source

Open Source brings trust. However, with software as huge as web browsers, you always have to trust the vendor.

Future proofing is not a concern, for the browsers mentioned here atleast, because all of them have their underlying engines (Chromium, Webkit, Gecko, QtWebEngine) open sourced.

Extensions

uBlock Origin is nice. So is Dark Reader. So is Vimium. And Bitwarden. These are not necessary though. I can live without them.

Sustainable

How are they making money? Do they have a revenue model? What happens if the donation(s) stop? Can the board be influenced with a big enough donation?

Even if the browser has a stable revenue stream, I do not want the browser to be primarily dependent on a third party (e.g. Mozilla - Google).

However, I do not think this should affect my present decision as long as the browser lets you export your data and move to a different browser. Which all browsers that I would classify as un-sustainable or unclear-revenue-model (firefox, qutebrowser, zen) already do. So, this too, is not a dealbreaker.

Parity in Performance and Security

Firefox and it's derivatives lag¹ in this regard. So does Qutebrowser. Chromium stays naturally ahead because they have more money and people working on it. I would like feature parity very much but not a deal breaker as long as everything works.

Conclusion

So, there is no one perfect browser for me. Safari is good on Apple devices. Firefox and Chrome are good. Choosing between them depends on what you prioritize more. If you want a browser that stays ahead in terms of features and optimizations go with Chrome (if you are okay with your data bring harvested). Otherwise, if you prioritize privacy go ahead with Firefox, although Brave and Zen are better in this regard as they collect no data at all (Firefox has some telemetry enabled by default but is less bloated than Brave and Zen).

The above conclusion (if you would call it a conclusion) should be relevant to you only if you agree with my list of priority and non-priority features in a web browser. You might still find my analysis useful though.

As for what browser I will use myself, I could not decide yet.

Also, I look forward to the development of LadyBird Browser.