Best Web Browsers of 2014.

Best web browsers of 2014.

Which should you be using?

Back in the old days there was just one browser, and everyone was happy. Okay, maybe not happy, but it was certainly easier to decid3e which browser to run when the answer as always Netscape.

Now, though, it’s much more complicated – not least because the big browsers appear to be updated every fourteen minutes and boast more options than the world’s most complicated Swiss Army Knife.

So which browser is the best for you? Is it the same answer on Windows 8 as windows XP?

Should Mac owners stick with the Apple option or go Google? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to put the big browsers head to head and see where they shine or struggle.

We’re comparing moving targets, of course: for example, while Firefox 28 is pretty great the incoming Firefox 29, which introduces the new Australis interface, is already available as a beta. To keep our comparisons fair, though, we’re sticking with th most recent final releases. On windows that means Internet Explore 11, Firefox 28, Chrome 33, Opera 20 and Safari 5.1.7, all available on Windows 8.1.

Best browser for speed

Browsers don’t generally feel sluggish any more, but there are still crucial differences in the way they do things, especially web apps.

The venerable Sunspider benchmark is a good indication of how well a browser performs under pressure, and lower the score the faster the browser. At the risk of sounding like an Unworthy headline here: we tested all major browsers in Sunspider. Their scores may surprise you.

• Safari 197.9ms
• Opera 174.4ms
• Chrome 165.2ms
• Firefox 157.9ms
• Internet Explorer (desktop) 94.7ms
• Internet Explorer (modern) 93.1ms

As you can see, Internet Explorer (both the desktop and modern incarnations) isn’t just ahead, but ahead by a significant amount.

Bet browser for add-ons

Firefox has long been the king of this particular category, its combinations of add-ons, Pin Tabs for web apps and Greasemonkey scripts making it the power user’s friend.

Chrome isn’t far behind, however, and its reach now extends to your desktop in the form of Chrome Desktop Apps and Google now notifications, which began rolling out to Chrome user in late March. Opera has changed its rendering engine and now uses the same technology as Chrome, which means Chromium extensions can work on Opera browser. Opera’s extension gallery is much smaller than Google’s but it’s early days and big hitters such as Evernote, Pocket and AdBlock Plus are present.

It’s also a very nice looking browser to eyes. It’s much, much better looking than its rivals. Internet Explorer isn’t in last place here: that honour goes to Safari, whose extensions gallery is smaller than something very small indeed.

Best browser for Windows 8

As we’ve already seen, for sheer speed Internet Explorer wins easily over the other browser. Now that Firefox has dumped its touch-based Modern browser for Windows 8, IE’s pretty much the only sensible choice for Windows tables and touchscreens.

In desktop mode the picture is cloudier, IE has the speed but here isn’t that much in it, both Firefox and Chrome are more expandable and have better synchronization options.

There’s essentially nothing to choose between the two IE rivals in terms of speed, so the choice really comes down to which one has the add-ons and synchronization options you need. Safari can’t cut it in this company: the most recent version, 5.1.7, was released in 2012 and it felt pretty incomplete then.

Best browser for Windows 7

It’s the same story here as it was for Windows 8. Internet Explorer wins on speed, Chrome and Firefox have the edge on expandability, Opera’s nicer to look at and Safari’s up on brick with the wheels removed.

Best browser for privacy

All the major browser have private browsing modes to prevent your partner seeing what you’ve been surfing or sopping for. But it you’re really serious about privacy you’ll need to turn to the world of add-ons and extensions such as HTTPS every where, disconnect or AdBlock Plus.

Firefox and Chrome have the edge here, possibly because the kinds of people who take security and privacy seriously are the kind of people who want more that just a basic browser. Opera’s new Chromium based extensions include our three examples too. IE isn’t entirely extension-free, but its rivals do have a wider selection of tools to cover your tracks.

Best for HTML5

The HTML5 test awards up to 555 points for standards compliance: the bigger the score, the more standards compliant the browser is. Chrome is head and shoulders above the competition here, while Safari limps in sixth and last place.

·         Chrome 505

·         Firefox 448

·         Opera 392

·         Internet Explorer (modern) 376

·         Internet Explorer (desktop) 372

·         Safari 260

Best for iPad

Our answer to this one would have been very different if Apple hadn’t shipped iOS 7.1. The version of Safari in the previous iOS 7 release was incredibly and frustratingly prone to crashing; the updated one is much more stable (it hasn’t bumped us once despite constant daily use).

Safari also has one feature rivals can’t possible offer: being the default handler for web links. While other apps have their joys – Dolphin is handy, Chrome ties in nicely with Google’s other programs and services and Coast by Opera is nippy – Safari’s OS integration give it an unfair advantage.

Best for Android

It it’s sheer power you’re after then Dolphin is the winner here. It’s fast, very expandable, packed with features and has a deserved with four-and-a-half-star rating after a million and a half user reviews. But it’s not the only option. If you don’t need Dolphin’s many options you’ll be perfectly happy with Chrome, and it you’re using Firefox on the desktop then Firefox Browser for Android’s syncing will keep you happy.