Contents
Executive Summary
(February 2025)
- Moving away from Google Chrome as primary browser to Brave:
- Google
- Always been / IS is in the business of your personal information but earlier seen pros weighting over cons
- Now with US president # 47, 2025- Google shows no resistance what so ever to this administrations activities.
- As Google IS in the business of selling your info, don’t be surprised if your information increasingly end up in the hands of the alikes of a Tesla owner and a decreasingly democratic and increasingly fascist-leaning US government.
- Brave
- Receives good reviews and privacy ranks in online reviews.
- Given rank 4.5 points of 5 by us as top of the line, looking at all aspects that matters more to us.
- Seem to be a very competent alternative.
- Fast, so for no signs of using more resources (CPU, RAM) than Chrome.
- User interface very much alike Chrome (in comparison to e.g. Arc)
- For us, still be figure out extent of Apple Script script. WRbJ (by J) v2.0 does NOT work, unfortunately.
(But may? Have not yet had time to review support and if can recode, create any workarounds.)
- Google
Overview of web browsers
Browser | Privacy rank (higher better) |
Own choice (lower better) |
Privacy notes | WRbJ (by J) |
Layout engine | More notes |
Apple Safari | 3 | #2 – secondary choice | (At least Apple is NOT in business of selling your information.) | Yes ✅ | *WebKit (Apple) | ❌NOT Save as PDF |
Arc browser | 2 | #4 – occasionally, a bit clunky UI | (Giving rank of 2 as smaller company behind the browser, than (e.g.) Apple.) | No ❌ (NoAS) | *Blink (Google) (*WebKit on iOS) |
* ✅ Save as PDF |
Avast Secure Browser | 4 | TBD | * “Best for Built-In VPN” [1] | *Blink (Google) | ||
Brave Privacy Browser | 4.5 👍 | #1 – preferred go-to for now | * “Best for Fingerprint Tracking Protection” [1] * “Best browser for privacy overall” [2] * #4 “The Best Browsers for Privacy” [3] |
No ❌ (WRbJ 2.0) | *Blink (Google) | * ✅ Save as PDF * ⚠️ Own default search engine |
DuckDuckGo | 4 | TBD | * “Best for Private Search” [1] * “Best browser for privacy searches” [2] * #2 “The Best Browsers for Privacy” [3] |
?? | ||
Epic Privacy Browser | 4 | TBD | * “Best for Ultrasound and WebRTC Protection” [1] | ?? | ||
Ghostery Private Browser | 4 | TBD | * “Best for Hardened Firefox-Based Privacy” [1] | ?? | ||
Google Chrome | 0 ⚠️ | #3 – secondary / special cases, e.g. YouTube, … use of Profiles. (Even though bad Privacy, has some really good features) |
(Google is in the business of selling information so best is to expect NO PRIVACY. Most likely the/among-worst browsers collecting most information about you.) |
Yes ✅ | *Blink (Google) | * ✅ Save as PDF |
Chromium | 3.5 | TBD | * #5 “The Best Browsers for Privacy” [3] | *Blink (Google) | ||
LibreWolf | 4 | TBD | * “Best for Zero Telemetry” [1] | ?? | ||
Microsoft Edge | 3 | TBD | (Assume similar as Apple Safari.) | *Blink (Google) | ||
Mozilla Firefox | 4 | TBD | * “Best Non-Corporate Option” [1] * “Best mainstream privacy browser” [2] * #3 “The Best Browsers for Privacy” [3] |
* Gecko (Mozilla) | ||
Mullvad Browser | 4 | TBD | * “Best for Mullvad VPN Users” [1] * “Best for use with a VPN” [2] |
?? | ||
Opera | 4 | TBD | * “Best for Innovative Features” [1] | * Blink (Google) | ||
Tempest Browser | 4 | TBD | * “Best if You’re Willing to Experiment” [1] | ?? | ||
Tor Browser | 4 | #4 – special cases (a bit sluggish for general daily use) | * “Best for Anonymity” [1] * “Best for anonymous browsing” [2] * #1 “The Best Browsers for Privacy” [3] |
?? Own? | * ✅ Save as PDF | |
Vivaldi | 4 | TBD | * “Best for Detailed Customization” [1] | * Blink (Google) | ||
Waterfox | 4 | TBD | * “Best Independent Browser Engine” [1] | * Gecko (Mozilla) |
Legend:
- NoAS = No AppleScript support, what so ever, as far as can determine (may or may not have researched deeper).
- Ranking scale, by us:
- 0: For ‘ don’t expect any privacy, assume all info that possibly can be collected will be collected, including also resold to anyone that want’s to pay for it ‘
- 1: (Not used yet; could be used for maybe some add-on that WOULD, SIGNIFICANTLY, improve Google Chrome.)
- 2: For non-mainstream browsers, likely newer with short history and uncertain future. That does NOT show up in comparisons for more privacy-focused functionality.
- 3: For regular mainstream browsers that typically does NOT show up in comparisons for more privacy-focused functionality. At time of writing only Apple Safari has been given this rank.
- 4: For browsers that DOES show up in comparisons for more privacy-focused functionality.
- 4.5: More top-of-the-crowd, among browsers that DOES show up in comparisons for more privacy-focused functionality.
- 5: Best-ever. Unbeatable. Don’t assume seeing this in any actual rankings. Maybe. More for what developers can strive towards.
References
- [1] pcmag.com/picks/stop-trackers-dead-the-best-private-browsers, “Lose the Trackers: The Best Private Browsers for 2025”, updated October 16, 2024 [R:2025-02-09]
- [2] zdnet.com/article/best-browser-for-privacy/, “The best secure browsers for privacy: Expert tested”, updated January 23, 2025 [R:2025-02-09]
- [3] symlexvpn.medium.com/7-best-and-worst-browsers-for-privacy-in-2024-3f50168582de, “7 Best (and worst) browsers for privacy in 2024”, Aug 12, 2024 [R:2025-02-09]
More research:
- google.com/search?q=web+browsers
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_browser
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_web_browsers
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_browser_engines
- Market share – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_security
- jandp.biz/is/apps/web-browsers/google-chrome/
Printing – Save as PDF, …
Print dialog (⌘+P)
(E.g.) Browser(s): | Apple Safari | Brave, Google Chrome |
Destinations: | * <Physical and logical printers> * PDFwriter * <No Save as PDF> |
* <Physical and logical printers> * PDFwriter * Save as PDF ✅ |
PDF dropdown menu? | Yes | No |
Recommendation | Use either PDFwriter (as driver) or PDF menu (lower left) (No significant differences in sizes of resulting files.) | Recommend using Save as PDF as driver – actually way smaller files compared to PDFwriter. |
SMALLEST files generated: | Use Safari and PDFwriter. | <– (NOT Brave, Crome; Safari and PDFwriter creates even (slightly) smaller files than (e.g.) Brave w/ Save as PDF.) |
Potentially available ways to create PDF/print a document or page, in print dialog:
- ‘Destination’ – printer drivers selection interface (all apps/browsers)
- * <Physical and logical printers>
- PDFwriter – IF this has been added by you
- Save as PDF – not exactly sure how came along… (At this time of writing) Part of installation of Google Chrome, Brave, …)? Or maybe it was an extension added separately…?!
- Save as PDF, in Brave, Google Chrome, seems to create significantly smaller resulting PDF files. E.g.
- PDFwriter – 6.9 MB – 7 pgs – narrower pages – Så förändras det svenska medielandskapet – DN.pdf
Save as PDF – 3 MB – 7 pgs – wider pages – Så förändras det svenska medielandskapet – DN.se.pdf
Less than half the size, 56% smaller
- PDFwriter – 6.9 MB – 7 pgs – narrower pages – Så förändras det svenska medielandskapet – DN.pdf
- Save as PDF, in Brave, Google Chrome, seems to create significantly smaller resulting PDF files. E.g.
- ‘PDF menu’ on lower left side, when available i.e. (Apple Safari)
Web browser details
Web browser resources (just started, only an embryo)
Arc from The Browser Company
- A relatively new browser (initial release July 2023) and we started trying in Nov 2024 after reading ZDNet article below. Continue to try ones-in-a-while but:
- A bit different user interface not yet comfortable with
- Uncertainty if will be around
- arc.net
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_(web_browser)
- Try the world’s best browser while you can – because Arc’s creator has other plans, zdnet.com/home-and-office/work-life/try-the-worlds-best-browser-while-you-can-because-arcs-creator-has-other-plans/, Nov 1, 2024
- google.com/search?q=arc+browser
Brave (web browser), Brave Search
- brave.com
- brave.com/compare/chrome-vs-brave/
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_(web_browser)
- WRbJ support: No ❌ (WRbJ 2.0).
Search engine
- DO search: search.brave.com
- brave.com/compare/google-vs-brave-search/
- brave.com/compare/duckduckgo-vs-brave-search/
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_Search
- “Brave Search uses its own web index to generate search results with the aid of the WDP project.[11]
However, the user can allow the Brave browser to anonymously check Google for the same query.[12]”
- “Brave Search uses its own web index to generate search results with the aid of the WDP project.[11]
- More Search engines – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine
Microsoft Edge
(Just added this section mostly as placeholder. Was “some” years – like a decade+ or something – since even was close to anything Microsoft and web browsers.)