Which Web Browser Should I Use?

Image Credit - CNET

Have you ever actually thought about what web browser you’re using?  For the way you use the web could there be a better option?  According to the data, about 65-70% of people use Internet Explorer.  Now, is that because Internet Explorer is so much better than Firefox, Chrome, or other competing browsers?

I think the main reason is that Internet Explorer comes pre-installed with Windows, and it’s sufficient for most things you want to do online.  It’s almost like the sports team that you grew up rooting for or the religion that you were born into.  You get set in your ways, you’re happy, and there’s no reason to make any changes.

However, there may be some major advantages in other browsers depending on what types of things you like to do online.  Here are some alternative browsers and why they might be an upgrade over Internet Explorer.

Firefox

The best part about Firefox is the add-ons.  You can find a add-on for almost anything you like.  If you’re involved in social media and you spend a lot of time sharing things with others (through email, Facebook, Twitter, etc) you can add the Shareaholic application.  If you enjoy looking at pictures in Facebook albums or anywhere on the web you might like Cooliris.  Finally, you might want to try Xmarks if you have a lot of bookmarks on your home computer, and you’d like to be able to use them on any other computer you log in to.  There are tons of other tools that you can find in the Firefox Add-Ons Directory.

Google Chrome

The biggest advantages of Chrome are speed and seamless integration with Google products.  If I just want to have a clean, fast, and simple web browsing experience I’m going with Google Chrome.  Although it can have trouble running too many tabs, it’s by far the fastest browser for simple activities.  It also works the best with Google services like Gmail, Google Analytics, Google Docs, etc.  If you use these applications and have had trouble in Firefox or IE it’s worth downloading Google Chrome and just setting up Google products in Chrome separately from whatever other browser you’re running.

Flock

Flock is somewhat under the radar, but it’s actually the browser that I use most often.  I like to have a lot of tabs open at once, and Flock has been the best at handling multiple tabs at once.  Sure, there are some issues once I’ve had a tab open for a week with 7 other tabs, but that’s more of my problem than the browser.  Flock is built on the Firefox platform so almost any add-on that is available for Firefox can also be installed on Flock.  The other cool part about Flock is that it incorporates social media and RSS directly into the browser.  Even as I read articles on other sites I can see new Facebook or Twitter updates or my friends in real time.  I also have the Facebook Chat feature available at all times (even when I’m not on Facebook) in case I want to shoot one of my friends a quick question.  I can grab an RSS feed automatically while I’m on a web page and throw it into my reader application.  Obviously, not all of the features in Flock are necessary for the average user, but it allows you to do so many things at once instead of having to jump back and forth between the normal sites you use.

Take a look at your online habits and see if there is a browser that’s better for you.  Obviously, IE works quite well and it now has quite a few features of its own, but it’s not your only option.