Why Using An Alternative Browser Can Be A Good Idea

From the most suitable one for using Instagram from a PC to the one that pays you if you watch advertising up to the most attentive to the privacy of those who surf online. And to say that we are allergic to monopolies. But then, when it comes to choosing the browser for the web, we all find ourselves navigating via Google Chrome. 67% of surfers use it. Firefox, the second in the standings, does not exceed 9% of users. And the others are left with crumbs, including Safari, which, penalized by its absence on Windows and Android, goes up to 4%. 

Yet the browser sector for PCs and Macs is alive and generates continuous innovations, not only in the mobile version. Without removing anything from Chrome, which has conquered its importance in the field, it is a good idea to have a second browser to which you can delegate some operations. Which? For example, a browser is attentive to our privacy. Or one that doubles as a wallet for cryptocurrencies. Or, again, one that integrates the various Messengers and allows us to use Instagram from the PC. Here are 4 to consider outside of the triad of official browsers from Google (Chrome), Microsoft (Edge), and Apple (Safari).

Opera

It is an old acquaintance who has undergone a real restyling over time. Today Opera stands out for its innovative functions such as energy-saving mode, blocking of advertisements, and a wallet for storing cryptocurrencies (very useful, especially from smartphones). Not only that: we can also use it to chat on Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram from the sidebar, thus avoiding opening other apps or having to reach out to the phone while we’re on the PC.

And then it is the most suitable browser for those who appreciate browsing newspapers on the web, thanks to Personal News, an integrated news reader, which allows us to choose between different sources in all languages, to do our daily press review. We like it because it offers a free VPN, providing an alternative IP address to navigate without being recognized by the various sites we visit. Great for escaping censorship in the countries that practice it, but also for continuously tracking our online habits.

Well Done

Given that online advertising is not an absolute evil and allows many sites to provide us with useful and free services, it can sometimes be intrusive. In this case, Brave comes to our rescue by blocking commercials, scripts, and other things that undermine our privacy. But it has a Rewards feature that rewards users based on the attention paid to certain advertisements. 

Earnings are in the form of Bat, a cryptocurrency, which is then convertible. While other browsers earn by giving our precious private data to advertisers, Brave doesn’t keep our data safe but shares the sponsors’ earnings. Not too many so far, but let’s give it time: after all, the idea only took shape three years ago. Why we like it: To ensure everything is included, it has a partnership with the DuckDuckGo search engine, which can be used as an alternative to Big G.

Vivaldi

The fact that it already has the name of a composer and violinist makes him likable. But Vivaldi deserves attention above all because it is the browser that offers the greatest customization of style, themes, and extensions since it works with all those available on Google Chrome. Innovative already from the look: it shows the tabs of the sites we are browsing on the side of the screen, displaying each one as a thumbnail. 

Then it is very useful if we want to publish photos on Instagram from the computer without downloading any extensions: this is because it bypasses the strict rules of the social network by pretending to be a mobile version browser, even if we use it from a PC. Why we like it: It allows you to generate different user profiles for different purposes. For example, we can create a personal and a professional account by keeping bookmarks and history separate.

MozillaFirefox

It was the first free browser to offer itself as an alternative to Explorer during the years of Windows domination, offering us the possibility of enriching it with various extensions. Today, Chrome is betting everything on speed and privacy to erode the public. The claim is clear: “Automatic privacy is here. Download Firefox to block more than 2000 trackers”. Firefox shows us the number of trackers it has blocked, while the Firefox Monitor warns us if it detects that our information has been involved in a data breach. Why we like it: The Firefox Lockwise feature protects the passwords we save in Firefox, making them available on all devices.

Also Read: Firefox 114: New Settings For DNS Over HTTPS