Top 5 Unbiased World News Websites Free From Censorship

This is a world where money seems to have such control over journalistic integrity. Is there no place for the reader to turn for unbiased news? The short answer is an emphatic yes.

There’s still hope.

When it comes to “censorship”, news can be censored either by the over-reach of government entities or by a corporate stranglehold on the editorial processes of news organizations.

What Is Unbiased News?

It could be an angle placed on news stories about state organizations or policies that are financed by state leadership themselves. There is no better example of this than the Xinhua News Agency, the mouthpiece of the Peoples Republic of China. Or Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS), the news agency owned by the Russian government.

However, the US isn’t innocent either. In the US, those controlling the journalists’ pens are corporate leaders rather than government leaders.

In the US, there are six corporate media giants that own 90 percent of the US media market—GE, News-Corp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, and CBS.

It would be naive of anyone to believe that the people writing the paychecks for those reporting the news don’t hold some sway over what news gets reported, and how it gets reported.

This is especially apparent during every US Presidential election. Media corporate owners contribute significant campaign contributions to their favored candidates on one hand. On the other hand, they published news stories with a positive spin for their own favored candidate. CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, The New Yorker, and The Blaze are just a few examples.

So are there still any unbiased news sources? Thankfully, there are.

1. The Associated Press

The Associated Press was founded in 1846 and remains a renowned global news organization with 52 Pulitzer Prizes under its belt. It is and has always been the epitome of clear and unbiased news journalism and reporting. It is actually where most journalists seek out their own news stories to report on.

John Daniszewski for the AP wrote a piece about fake news on social media titled “Getting the facts right.” He cited a memo sent out to AP staff by Social Media Editor Eric Carvin where Eric wrote:

“The language we use: Whenever possible, we want to emphasize specifics rather than generalizations or labels. Let’s say what we know to be true and what is false, based on our reporting.”

This is the very definition of unbiased news.

The AP doesn’t only paint rainbows for one side on any story while drawing storm clouds for the other. The language used in each report is neutral, and the focus is only on reporting the news.

2. Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal is well known for reporting the news as it is. It serves a healthy dose of reality from both sides of the political spectrum.

It isn’t likely you’ll see a Wall Street Journal White House correspondent trading blows with the President in the Press Room.

The reason for this isn’t because WSJ loves our current president. It’s because you won’t often find antagonistic stories on the front page that are lambasting either side.

They explain what’s happening, who’s doing it and why, without excessive editorializing or using emotion-ridden writing.

WSJ journalists tell it like it is, without letting their own biases (or the biases of the corporate ownership) filter down into the story.

This isn’t an easy thing to accomplish with any news organization.

A contrast to this can be made with Fox News, the bastion of Conservative news reporting.

This isn’t just political bias in the media. Other sites that lack journalistic integrity like this are usually overtly nationalistic (overly pro-American — posting negative news headlines about other countries), or blatantly anti-American (like British news sources that produce a fresh batch of anti-gun editorials in response to every major shooting event that happens in the US—the Guardian is guilty of this quite often).

If you become a reader of the Wall Street Journal, you’ll find yourself more often better-informed, and less often offended or annoyed by the journalist’s choice of words.

3. Google News

Google News isn’t so much a news organization as it is a collection of news sources generated at least partially by a news-gathering algorithm, similar to how Google runs its flagship search engine.

It is partially managed by human editors as well, but the reason Google News is listed here not because the headlines are especially unbiased. It’s listed because of how little human intervention there is in developing front page headlines.

This usually results in a listing of headlines that may not be entirely free from left or right leaning headlines. But you’ll at least discover a healthy mix of each side.

If you believe that no single news organization can be completely free of intrinsic bias, then Google News gives you a place where you can at least see the news reported from the entire spectrum. That’s a great way to get the whole picture, no matter what the news event may be.

4. BBC

If you want to know what’s going on in the world, the BBC is the place to go. You will find better information than the same stories at a US news site.

It may seem ironic that US news organizations appear far more censored and filled with pro-government propaganda than British news organizations.

These days, US foreign policy includes so much government cooperation with corporate US news media. So, the only alternative for Americans (or anyone for that matter), is to turn to foreign news sources for the whole story.

Maybe (hopefully) this will change for the better, but for now this is the only option many Americans have.

5. Reuters

The news organization Reuters deserves honorable mention on this list for the same reasons as the BBC and more. News events on this site are written with some of the most straightforward reporting seen anywhere.

World stories on controversial hot-topics like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Brexit, or various government elections, don’t appear to take one side or another. Headlines cover insights from every end of the spectrum.

This is especially refreshing at a time when this kind of journalistic, unbiased news reporting is so rare.

If you want to bookmark only one news website, you should bookmark this one. You will get a fair and balanced perspective on all important matters in the world today.

Other Unbiased News Sources Worth Mentioning

There are a few additional news organizations in the world today that deserve mention. They were not included in the list above because sometimes these sites occasionally let their author’s biases get published.

C-Span and Pew Research aren’t specifically news organizations. But they deserve mention as fantastic resources to learn the deeper truth behind today’s news stories.

• Al Jazeera: Al Jazeera is based out of Qatar. Qatar is quite different from America, where “freedom of the press” is sacrosanct. However, Al Jazeera remains impartial and fact-based regardless. It’s surprising that many Americans prefer an Arabic news source above American ones. That’s the reality of the world today.
• C-Span: Watch government hearings and other events on your own, instead of relying on second-hand reporting. Keep your TV tuned to C-Span. You’ll actually be shocked to discover just how much those second-hand journalists twist what was actually said at those hearings. So why depend on those faulty reports when you can see for yourself?
• NPR: NPR would have landed in the primary list of unbiased news sources above, but its coverage sometimes leans a little too far to the left. However, in the majority of cases, NPR reporting is about as impartial and factual as you could ask for from a US-based news organization.
• Christian Science Monitor: Despite a name that would make you expect it to be a bastion of Conservative news reporting like The Blaze, CSMonitor is actually a refreshingly honest and impartial news source. You’ll find stories here that attack or support government policies from both sides of the aisle.
• Pew Research: Interested in the facts, and only the facts? You can’t go wrong bookmarking Pew Research. Even during heated election years, you’ll find the polls, surveys, and research conducted by this organization to be accurate and truthful. It is self-described as a “nonpartisan fact tank”, and that’s exactly what it is. Don’t get your facts from Facebook. Look to Pew Research to get accurate facts before you make up your mind.

What Bias Really Means

These days, you’ll find anyone who disagrees with a news story angle calling it “biased.” Conservatives hate CNN and MSNBC. Liberals hate Fox News and The Blaze. Everyone in the middle hates them all. So how can you really call any news organization “unbiased”, when so often bias itself is subjective?

Every journalist is aware of the nine principles of journalism. The first says that a journalist’s first obligation is to the truth.

“This ‘journalistic truth’ is a process that begins with the professional discipline of assembling and verifying facts. Then journalists try to convey a fair and reliable account of their meaning, valid for now, subject to further investigation.”

The ability to set aside one’s own prejudices in order to be “neutral” is not a part of those principles. However, “the source of their credibility is still their accuracy, intellectual fairness, and ability to inform.” When journalists let personal biases hinder their objectivity, it puts the entire media organization at risk. Thankfully there are still enough media outlets left that uphold these principles.

If you’re into tech news, there are some great tech news sources to check out as well.

Source: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-5-world-news-websites-guaranteed-free-censorship/

Why You Shouldn’t Use (Most) Alternative Browsers Based on Google Chrome

Google Chrome is based on Chromium, an open-source browser project. Anyone can take the Chromium source code and use it to build their own browser, renaming it and changing whatever they like. That’s why there are so many alternative browsers based on Google Chrome—but you don’t necessarily want to use most of them.

Many web sites have recommended these browsers in the past—including us, in this very post. We’ve since rewritten this article to discuss the problems with some of these alternative browsers, and why we no longer recommend using them—with a few exceptions.

The “Secure” Comodo Dragon Had Big Security Problems

Comodo Dragon is a Chrome-based browser made by Comodo, a security company. It’s installed by default with Comodo Internet Security.

You’d think a “secure” web browser made by a security software company would be…well, secure, but it’s had some big problems. Google’s Tavis Ormandy found that the browser shipped with a serious problem that destroyed the security of HTTPS encryption. As he put it: “Chromodo is described as ‘highest levels of speed, security and privacy’, but actually disables all web security.”

Comodo responded by issuing a fix that didn’t actually fix the problem. Comodo did fix it eventually, but that doesn’t change the fact that such a glaring security problem shipped with the browser. Companies like Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, and Apple have never made such a big mistake in their products. Comodo doesn’t sound like a company we’d want to get our web browser from.

SRWare Iron’s Privacy Claims Are Exaggerated, and It’s Slow to Update

SRWare Iron promises to remove various privacy-infringing options from Google Chrome. But it isn’t as good as it sounds.

Right off the bat, there’s something we don’t like: On March 17, 2017, the latest version of SRWare Iron was version 56.0.2950.1. The latest version of Chrome was version 57.0.2987.110, released on March 16. That means SRWare Iron was missing more than 36 security fixes that Chrome had for over a week.

That’s because SRWare Iron’s developers have to do some work to release those security fixes whenever Google releases a new version of Chrome. It’s not instant, and these third-party projects may take a long time to issue updates if their developers are busy.

RELATED ARTICLE

How to Optimize Google Chrome for Maximum Privacy

But here’s the real kicker: you aren’t really getting any extra privacy out of SRWare Iron. Most of what SRWare Iron does is possible through Chrome’s regular privacy settings. And if you enable those tweaks in Chrome, you’ll get the latest security updates without waiting for and trusting another company.

Chromium Isn’t For Users (Except on Linux)

Google doesn’t want you using the open-source Chromium browser. That’s why the Chromium project only offers “raw builds” of Chromium code that “may be tremendously buggy” for Windows. They also don’t include an auto-update feature, so you have to manually download new versions with security and bug fixes. These Chromium builds are really just development tools for checking whether issues are fixed in the latest Chromium code. Stay away.

RELATED ARTICLE

What’s the Difference Between Chromium and Chrome?

Chromium’s main difference is that it’s entirely open-source, while Google Chrome includes a few closed-source pieces (like Flash). That’s why Chromium is often made available via the package repositories on Linux distributions. A Chromium browser obtained from your Linux package repositories should be safe and receive regular security updates from your Linux distribution. But Windows and Mac users should just install Chrome.

The Chrome-Based Browsers Worth Using: Opera, Vivaldi, and Chrome Portable

There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. Some browsers are solid alternatives to Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Internet Explorer.

Opera, for example, has been around in one form or another for a long time, with the first version of Opera being released back in 1995. In 2013, the company abandoned its old, homegrown browser engine, Presto, and Opera is now based on Chromium.

But Opera isn’t just a Chrome clone—it’s a unique browser with its own unique features, like a built-in VPN that can secure your web browsing.

RELATED ARTICLE

The Best Features of Vivaldi, a New Customizable Web Browser for Power Users

Vivaldi is also based on Chromium, and was created by former Opera developers who disagree with Opera’s new direction. Released in 2016, Vivaldi attempts to restore various “power user” features the Opera project has removed. For example, Vivaldi allows you to make your tabs appear as vertical thumbnails, something that just isn’t possible in Chrome. The developers are working on adding a built-in email client, a feature no longer included on the latest versions of Opera.

Both Opera and Vivaldi support Chrome extensions, as they’re based on the same underlying technology. If you’re looking for a new browser that still uses Chrome’s speedy rendering engine and supports the same browser extensions you use in Chrome, these browsers are interesting options you may want to try.

RELATED ARTICLE

What Is a “Portable” App, and Why Does It Matter?

Lastly, you may also consider a portable version of Chrome or Chromium. The Chromium Portable project, for example, is a customized build of Chromium designed to run as a “portable application“. If you place its files on a USB drive or other removable media device, you can take it between computers, using it on any PC without installing it first.

That said, Chromium Portable is based on the unstable “Dev” release channel of Google Chrome, which means it’s more unstable than the typical stable versions of Google Chrome. You probably aren’t looking for that. If you’d prefer a stable, portable version of Google Chrome, you’ll probably want to use the Google Chrome Portable package from PortableApps.com. Either way, both are decent, secure versions of Chrome.

Why Lesser-Known Browsers Are Suspect

There are other Chromium-based browsers out there. But we’re skeptical of them, and you should be too.

Here’s the issue: Browsers are very important programs. You spend almost all of your internet-connected time in a browser, so it needs to be secure. Part of that means getting security updates very quickly when they’re released, and smaller Chromium-based browsers don’t always do that. Furthermore, you’re trusting a small company or group of developers to make changes to your browser, which can introduce problems—intentional or not.

Comodo’s security problems and SRWare’s update delays are a few examples of the problems that can occur, even when a browser developer is acting in good faith. And if a browser developer isn’t acting in good faith, you’re in an even worse position: they could snoop on your web browsing and abuse its access to your computer.

Even if you don’t trust Google, Google is a large company with a lot of eyes on it. Google won’t steal your credit card number. If Google does something bad or makes a big mistake in Chrome, everyone will hear about it. The same isn’t true for these Chromium alternatives.

Many of the features promised in various third-party browsers can be achieved simply by tweaking Chrome’s settings or installing extensions from the Chrome Web Store. You’re better off using Google Chrome and installing a few browser extensions than switching to a Chrome-based alternative.

Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/108384/6-alternative-browsers-based-on-google-chrome/

9 Alternative Chromium Browsers That Beat Chrome at Its Own Game

Google Chrome seems ubiquitous these days, thanks to its robust set of features. Its vast collection of extensions and its sheer simplicity make it really hard to give up on Chrome. Though, it has its own share of problems like being heavy on system resources and draining battery life.
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What if you could switch to a different lightweight browser? And retain the technology that runs Chrome?
Chromium is the open-source browser project behind Chrome. A lot of developers have forked Chromium to include unique features around privacy, multi-media, and security. More importantly, most of these browsers support Chrome extensions so you get the best of both worlds.

 

1. Vivaldi Browser: A Browser From the Future

 

Vivaldi is the brainchild of Opera’s former CEO, who wasn’t happy with the direction Opera was headed. It aims to target power users while bringing back discarded features from Opera.
Vivaldi’s user interface sports a color scheme that changes based on the current webpage. It offers the ability to change themes, position tabs, and supports many other customization options. Vivaldi is built using the Chromium web browser project, so extensions available in the Chrome Web Store can also be installed in Vivaldi.
It lets you annotate web pages and supports mouse gestures for faster navigation. But perhaps the feature Chrome users would be most interested in is the Tab Hibernation feature. It lets you hibernate tabs and free resources when those tabs are not actively used.
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Platforms: Available as a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

 

2. Opera: Old Is Gold

 

Opera has been around for more than a couple of decades and has pioneered a lot of features like the Speed Dial, tabbed browsing and private browsing. In 2013, Opera decided to discard its own Presto engine in favor of Blink, a browser engine developed as a part of Chromium project.
Opera is power-packed with features. Along with the usual features, it comes with a Turbo mode. When enabled, it compresses web pages, thus making them load faster by up to 50%. This can be particularly helpful if you’re trying to save data or you’re browsing the web on a slow network.
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Another relatively new addition is the integration of a free VPN service right into the browser. This lets users access blocked websites and also helps users stay secure on a public network.
If you’re switching from Chrome, you can use the Download Chrome Extension extension. It lets you install extensions from Google Chrome Web Store directly in Opera. Note that it doesn’t support Chrome apps or themes as of yet.
Platforms: Available as a free download for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.

3. Opera Neon: Feast Your Eyes

 

Earlier this year, Opera launched an experimental new web browser based on Blink. It’s a radical re-imagining of what web-browsers of the future should look like. The futurism is pretty evident from the fact that the first time you launch it, you are greeted with a background that blends in beautifully with your desktop wallpaper. The tabs are represented by vertically-stacked circles instead of the usual rectangular tab-bar.
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Besides the cosmetic changes, it comes with some great usability features, too. It features split-screen mode and a built-in screen capture tool.
Opera Neon puts special emphasis on multimedia-related features. The currently playing media can be controlled from a unified place. The Video Pop-out feature lets you pop-out a video, letting you browse other websites while watching videos simultaneously.
Note that Opera deliberately hasn’t included support for extensions, as it says that Neon is a concept web browser for now.
Platforms: Available as a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

4. Yandex Browser: Solid Usability and Security Features

 

Initially released in 2012, the Blink-based browser has amassed a lot of popularity owing to its security-related features. While it’s far from the most visually appealing web browser, it makes up when it comes to usability and security features.
The security system scans files and websites for viruses and blocks fraudulent websites. Yandex also comes with support for DNSCrypt technology, which encrypts DNS traffic between user’s computer and name servers. It automatically encrypts the traffic when you connect to an open WiFi network. The browser also uses Opera’s Turbo technology to load web pages faster.
The Yandex browser allows installation of extensions only from Chrome Web Store and Opera Add-ons, where they are tested for safety.
Platforms: Available as a free download for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.

5. Brave Browser: A Privacy-First Browser

 

Brave is a new open-source web-browser by the co-founders of the Mozilla project. The founders describe it as a “browser with the user’s interests at heart.” It accomplishes this by blocking website trackers and removing intrusive advertisements.
But wait, ads help publishers pay their bills and blocking them seems ethically wrong? True. Fortunately, Brave blocks ads but also comes with an alternative model: Brave Payments. It lets you load your virtual wallet with a few dollars and set up microtransactions. It keeps a track of websites where ads are blocked and then pays those websites every month using the money in your virtual wallet.
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The only major downside is that it doesn’t support extensions. If ad-blocking and password management extensions are all you need, it has you covered. But if you rely on Chrome extensions to stay productive, you’ll have to give this one a pass.
Platforms: Available as a free download for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.

Browsers That Put Privacy and Security First

Here are a few Chromium-based browsers that lay special emphasis on protecting the privacy of the users and helping them stay secure while browsing the internet.
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6. Epic Browser

 

Epic is a privacy-centered web browser. It is always in a “Private browsing” mode, and proactively removes cookies, browser history, and cache upon exit. It also disables other data that is sent to Google, like address bar suggestions.
Platforms: Available as a free download for Windows and Mac.

7. SRWare Iron

 

SRWare Iron is another privacy-focused browser that aims to eliminate privacy-compromising functionality from Google Chrome. To accomplish this, it takes a different approach: instead of adding new features, it actually strips down potentially privacy-related functionality from Chrome. It removes Google-hosted error pages, Google Updater, DNS pre-fetching, address bar suggestions, etc.
Surprisingly, the browser itself is surrounded with criticisms. Some have accused it of creating and then solving non-existent issues. While it’s tough to find out the truth, it might just be what you need if you’re overwhelmed with Google’s extensive tracking.
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Platforms: Available as a free download for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android.

8. Comodo Dragon Browser

 

Similar to SRWare Iron, the Comodo Dragon browser disables the privacy-compromising functionality in Chrome. It removes address bar suggestions, bug tracking system, and Google user tracking. The built-in PDF viewer, Google Safe Browsing, and Google Translate also get the boot. It lets users configure their computers to use Comodo’s DNS servers, which performs additional checks to verify the security of websites.
Platforms: Available as a free download for Windows.

9. Torch Browser

 

Torch browser puts heavy emphasis on multimedia-related features. It has a built-in Media Grabber that lets you save audio and video files from the internet. Torch Player lets you play videos before they have finished downloading. It also features a built-in torrent client, making it easy to manage torrents straight inside the browser.
Platforms: Torch browser is available as a free download for Windows.

Choose Your Favorite Chromium-Based Browser

Whether you’re looking to enhance your privacy or you’re looking for a fresh new design, there’s a Chromium-based browser for you out there. The only major gripe with some of them is that they can take a while to update to the latest version of Chromium, which means that you could easily miss out on critical security fixes.
My pick among the nine on the list? Opera’s offerings and Vivaldi manage to stay neck-and-neck with Chromium updates, making them a browser of my choice.
It’s your turn now. Tell us about your favorite Chromium-based browser and why? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Source: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/alternative-chromium-browsers/

The best web browser 2018: faster and more secure

The best web browser 2018: faster and more secure

The right web browser can make a huge difference to your everyday browsing – whether your priority is faster performance, better security or more flexibility through downloadable extensions.

However, it can be tricky to break out of your comfort zone. The browser you're currently using might not be the best, but you've probably become use to its idiosyncrasies over the years without realising there are better options around that will make your life so much easier.

Here, we’ve put the biggest browsers through their paces (plus some that you may not be familiar with) to identify the browser that best ticks all of these boxes. And, if you have a particular concern, then read on to see if there’s an alternative that might be better suited to your needs.

1. Mozilla Firefox

Firefox is back after a total overhaul, and has retaken its crown

Very fast

Light on system resources

Strong privacy tools

Firefox recently received its biggest update in 13 years, and it's so impressive, it's propelled the browser to the top of our list. 

Firefox has always been known for its flexibility and support for extensions, but in recent years it had started to lag behind the competition in terms of speed. Firefox Quantum, first released last year, represented a total overhaul of the browser's code base, with speeds now comparable with Google Chrome. That's not just on top-end computers, either – the new Firefox makes frugal use of RAM, even with masses of tabs open.

Firefox also scores serious points when it comes to privacy. Mozilla is non-profit, which means it doesn't have the same impetus to sell your data as some other browser developers. The organization also makes regular updates to help protect its users' privacy as internet companies come under increasing scrutiny over the way they treat people's data.

Quantum also introduced a new system for extensions that prevents rogue developers making malicious changes to the browser's internal code. 

It's not always the absolute fastest – for some pages Chrome still has the edge, as Mozilla's own video demonstrates – but the new Firefox has come out swinging and is our pick for the best web browser of 2018 so far.

• Mozilla Firefox review
• Download Mozilla Firefox

2. Google Chrome

If your system has the resources, Chrome is 2018's best browser

Fast performance

Infinitely expandable

Resource-hungry

With Chrome, Google has built an extendable, efficient browser that deserves its place at the top of the browser rankings. According to w3schools' browser trend analysis its user base is only rising, even as Microsoft Edge's install numbers are presumably growing. Why? Well, it's cross-platform, incredibly stable, brilliantly presented to take up the minimum of screen space, and just about the nicest browser there is to use.

Its wide range of easily-obtained and installed extensions mean you can really make it your own, and there's support for parental controls and a huge range of tweaks and settings to ensure maximum efficiency.

However, Chrome isn’t without its downsides. It’s one of the heaviest browsers in terms of resource use, so it’s not brilliant on machines with limited RAM, and its performance doesn’t quite match up to others as far as benchmarking is concerned. And, with Google’s tentacles running through it, you may be uncomfortable with how your browsing data is used.

That said, Google is making some moves towards security, and is pushing HTTPS particularly hard. Future versions of the browser will make it very clear when sites aren't using HTTPS encryption, aiming to make it standard throughout the web.

Like Firefox, Chrome now also supports password-free logins via WebAuthn – either to replace traditional passwords completely, or work as a form of two-factor authentication. The browser also offers more features for web app developers, including more consistent experiences across different VR headsets, and the ability to use input from sensors (such as your device's ambient light sensor and accelerometer).

• Google Chrome review
• Download Google Chrome

3. Opera

An underrated browser that's a great choice for slow connections

Excellent Turbo mode

Integrated ad-blocker

Fewer plugins than rivals

It's sad that Opera makes up only around 1% of the browser market, because it really is a quality browser. It launches fast, the UI is brilliantly clean, and it does everything its rivals can do with a couple of extras thrown in for good measure.

The key reason we'd at least recommend having Opera installed alongside your main browser is its Opera Turbo feature. This compresses your web traffic, routing it through Opera's servers, which makes a huge difference to browsing speed if you're stuck on rural dial-up or your broadband connection is having a moment.

It reduces the amount of data transferred too, handy if you're using a mobile connection, and this re-routing also dodges any content restrictions your ISP might place on your browsing, which can be mighty handy. Opera automatically ducks out of the way if you're using secure sites like banks so your traffic is free and clear of any potential privacy violation.

There's also an integrated ad-blocker – which can be switched off if you're morally inclined in that direction – and a battery-saving mode which promises to keep your laptop going for longer.

• Opera review
• Download Opera

4. Microsoft Edge

Microsoft's new browser offers full integration with Windows 10

Very fast

Built-in reading mode

Not backwards compatible

The default 'browsing experience' on Windows 10, and unavailable for older operating systems, Edge is an odd one. Quite why Microsoft needs to be running a pair of browser products in tandem rather than making Edge backwards compatible is beyond us. The company's reason, it seems, is that Edge represents the more user-friendly end of Redmond's offering while Internet Explorer scales a little better for enterprise.

Integration with Windows 10's core gimmicks seems to be Edge's main strong point. It happily runs as a modern-skinned app on Windows 10's tablet mode, and works with Cortana. It's also highly streamlined for the current web age, doing away with insecure protocols like ActiveX and forcing you into Internet Explorer if you want to use them. We're more used to browsers failing to render newer pages than we are to being told off for visiting older corners of the web.

Curmudgeonly grumbles aside, actually using Edge is a perfectly pleasant experience. It's super-quick, hammers through benchmarks, its integrated reading mode makes complex sites more palatable, and by sandboxing it away from the rest of the operating system Microsoft has ensured that Edge won't suffer the security breaches of its older brother.

It's just a shame that Microsoft is quite so insistent on forcing Edge upon Windows 10 users, making it the default browser for links opened in the Mail app, adding shortcuts to your desktop after major OS updates, and presenting it as a potential result if you start typing 'Firefox' in the Cortana search box.

• Windows 10 (including Edge) review
• Get Windows 10 (including Edge)

5. Microsoft Internet Explorer

Fast and efficient, but less expandable than Firefox and Chrome

Make frugal use of resources

Clean design

Poor plugin support

Microsoft Internet Explorer has seen some ups and downs in its long tenure, from dominating the browser charts to languishing behind its main two competitors. This is partly an issue of choice – particularly the browser choice that Microsoft was forced to give customers after a court ruling – and partially because older versions fell behind the rendering and compatibility curve.

There are no such issues with Internet Explorer 11. It's clean, powerful, highly compatible, and it demands less of your RAM and CPU than equivalent pages would on Chrome or Firefox. Plus it one-ups both of them on WebKit's Sunspider benchmark.

That's not to say this browser is perfect. Google's V8 benchmark sees it struggling, and IE isn't quite as able to handle add-ons and extensions as many of its competitors. So while there's no reason to avoid IE like there might once have been, if you're looking for a more customised browsing experience you're out of luck.

• Download Microsoft Internet Explorer

6. Vivaldi

Build your own browser with unique docking and tab-stacking

Incredibly customizable

Creative interface features

Not the fastest

Here's something a bit different. We all spend probably far too much time sitting in front of our web browsers, and up-and-comer Vivaldi wants to make that as pleasant and personal an experience as possible.

The whole style and structure of its interface is entirely up to you. There's a built-in note-taking system, you can dock websites as side panels while using the main window to do your main browsing, and we love its innovative tab stacking tech, which allows you to group up tabs and move them around to avoid the crowding that so often plagues other browsers.

Vivaldi is built on Chromium, which means you can expand it even further with extensions from the Chrome Web Store. Just pick your preferred plugin and click 'Add to Chrome'. Some extensions might behave slightly differently in Vivaldi, but most work perfectly.

Vivaldi is a refreshing and creative take on web browsing, and one to watch in the next couple of years as more features are added.

• Vivaldi review
• Download Vivaldi

7. Tor Browser

More than just a browser – a whole suite of online security tools

Keeps browsing private

Blocks tracking cookies

Performance is slow

Tor Browser is, perhaps unjustly, most regularly associated with the seedy underworld of the dark web. While it's true that you can use this web browser to access otherwise unlisted sites, Tor's privacy aspects – where your traffic is routed through random nodes the world over, making it very hard to track - are its real asset.

Tor Browser is really a package of tools; Tor itself, a heavily modified version of the Firefox Extended Support release, and a number of other privacy packages that combine to make it the most secure browsing experience you're likely to find. Nothing is tracked, nothing is stored, and you can forget about bookmarks and cookies.

You'll need to alter your browsing habits to ensure that you don't perform actions online that reveal your identity – Tor Browser is just a tool, after all – but for a secondary browser useful for those private moments it's a great choice. Run it from a USB stick and nobody need even know you have it at all.

• Tor Browser review
• Download Tor Browse
  
  
  
  Source: https://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-web-browser