The Best Internet Browsers That Nobody Uses

The fight against anonymity on the Internet has been going on for several years now. But thanks to the efforts of people like Edward Snowden and organizations like Wikileaks, we are becoming more aware and can take a more thoughtful approach to online safety.

More and more companies are gaining access to data about you and your life, which is undoubtedly scary. The state is watching you, Google also collects a huge amount of data about you using its products, Facebook is experimenting with the behavior of users on the Internet...

A key part of your online security is your web browser. Browsers such as Google Chrome and Firefox run java scripts by default and accept cookies. Therefore, the most popular browsers are not suitable for us. Even anonymous browsing modes in browsers do not protect you from government surveillance.

I took this issue seriously and will tell you about three browsers that will ensure you are as safe and anonymous online as possible.

In documents that surfaced thanks to Wikileaks, the US National Security Agency described TOR as the king of high security and anonymity, which is not soon to be dethroned. If the NSA said this, then it’s not just like that.

TOR was originally a project of the US Naval Research Laboratory, which explains why the browser and the network it runs on are so inaccessible. In fact, Onion Routing (the data transfer algorithm technology that TOR uses) was patented by the US Navy in 1998. Today, TOR is being developed thanks to the non-profit research and educational organization TOR Project.

TOP protects your personal data and online activity in several ways. First, JavaScript and cookies are disabled by default. Secondly, TOR routes traffic through many free servers around the world.

Messages are repeatedly encrypted and then sent through multiple network nodes called onion routers. Each router removes the encryption layer to reveal the trace instructions and send the messages to the next router, where everything is repeated. Thus, intermediate nodes do not know the source, destination, and content of the message.

TOR is developed based on a modified version of Mozilla Firefox, uses NoScript and HTTPS extensions, as well as TorButton, TorLauncher and TorProxy. The browser can be launched from a flash drive and is available for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux operating systems.

If you're looking for something similar to Google Chrome, I recommend taking a closer look at Epic. It provides less security than TOR, but has all the Google Chrome features you're used to.

On the browser download page, there is a list of 11 vulnerabilities through which information about you is leaked. By default, tracking sites and advertising are blocked. Saving cookies, cache, history, and autofill, which are enabled by default in other browsers, is also disabled. Access to the network occurs through a proxy server located in the USA. Thus, it is more difficult to track you and you can access Internet services that operate only in the United States, for example, HULU, Netflix, Google Play.

Epic has an interesting feature that lets you see which services are tracking you in other open browsers on your computer.

The Pirate Browser is the creation of the guys behind the well-known torrent network The Pirate Bay. Like TOR, it is built on a modified version of Firefox, uses some components from TOR and the FoxyProxy extension.

The browser was originally designed to bypass internet censorship in countries where The Pirate Bay is blocked. But at the same time, there are options to block tracking as in the previous EPIC browser.

What's the result?

At the moment, TOR is the leader in Internet anonymity. So, if you are looking for maximum protection, then this is for you. If you simply don't want to be tracked by other websites, then EPIC is worth a look. And if you need access to prohibited sites, then choose “Pirate Browser”.

But no matter how sad it may sound, no browser can provide you with 100% anonymity. Even TOR cannot guarantee completeness. An example is the recently closed child pornography site hidden in the depths of the TOR network. The FBI was able to release a virus onto the network that obtained a list of addresses of users of an illegal site.

What conclusions can be drawn from this? People motivated by malicious intent cannot remain secret and anonymous for long, especially if the government is involved.

Google once said that you have nothing to hide if you haven't done anything criminal. What do you think about anonymity on the Internet? Is it necessary?

In contact with

There are several projects on the global network today, the authors of which claim that they are creating a safe and secure browser for users. Moreover, each of them puts its own meaning into the concept of security. Ideally, the most secure browser should have the following qualities:

• No collection and storage of user data under any pretext;
• Force the browser to use the secure, encrypted HTTPS protocol wherever possible;
• Protection against hidden installation of unwanted extensions;
• Advanced means of detecting and countering malicious code on web pages;
• Disabling some website elements that can be used by attackers;
• Substituting a user’s real IP address or using an entire chain of IP addresses;
• Additional methods of protection against various user identification tactics;
• Built-in ad blocking, as well as blocking at the browser kernel level.

Alas, today no program is capable of providing all the items on this list. However, we have selected for you those safe and secure browsers that in 2018 are trying to take on at least some of these tasks:

• Waterfox– a simple secure browser based on Firefox;
• – the strongest protection and privacy from the Tor development team;
• Opera– a well-known browser with security and privacy features that competitors do not have;
• – an attempt to make a secure browser based on Chrome;
• Comodo Dragon And IceDragon– browsers from famous manufacturer antiviruses and firewalls;
• Brave is a project of a safe and secure web browser from the founding father of Mozilla.

We decided to figure out who is who and take a closer look at each of these programs.

Waterfox – Firefox without unnecessary services

Let's start the review, as it seemed to us, with the simplest of all projects - the Waterfox browser, which is being worked on by a small group of enthusiasts.

Waterfox is based on Firefox and in terms of interface/performance at the time of writing this text is almost identical to its version 56. This is the last version of the "fire fox" before they significantly changed the engine (the Quantum project) and introduced the new Photon interface.

The Waterfox developers removed, in their opinion, everything unnecessary from the Mozilla browser that could negatively affect the user's security, safety and privacy. This is the main difference. In particular:

• Integration with the Pocket delayed reading web service has been removed;
• Telemetry removed;
• Removed other collection of user data by the browser;
• Removed sponsor cells on the new tab page;
• Some controversial Firefox technologies, in the opinion of the authors, have been disabled.

Theoretically, this could also provide a small performance bonus and also lead to a reduction in resource consumption by the browser. But it’s unlikely that the numbers here are at all serious.

In terms of interface, Waterfox looks like Firefox Australis. This style was used in FF from version 29 to version 56 inclusive. It is noticeably different from the current Photon in the appearance and arrangement of the main elements. For example, it has light, rounded tabs, large cells on the start page, and a customizable main menu, which Mozilla abandoned in Photon:

The Waterfox developers barely touched Australis. The only exception is the item for duplicating the current tab in the context menu. It is in Waterfox, in modern Firefox, but it was not in Firefox Australis:

Using the legacy Firefox codebase allows Waterfox to remain compatible with all XUL extensions that simply do not work in Firefox since version 57:

Finally, the creators of Waterfox allow users to use unsigned extensions, as well as 64-bit NPAPI plugins, which Mozilla also refused.

Note that Waterfox is not the only project that is positioned as “Firefox, cleared of unnecessary things,” as well as “Firefox with a classic interface.” Here, at least Pale Moon comes to mind (it has an interface in the style of FF 4), and also the new Basilisk, which uses the Australis interface.

Tor Browser – maximum protection and IP change

Tor Browser is another secure web browser based on Firefox, but putting it on the same level as Waterfox and the other projects described above would be a big mistake. The work here is much more serious.

In addition to the Firefox base, Tor Browser combines a number of extensions and mechanisms to improve security, and most importantly, the Tor module. This is special software for establishing a secure anonymous network connection.

Tor is a rather complex system and uses entire chains of proxy servers, which makes your identification much more difficult.

Apart from Tor Browser, the Tor module is also used in several other web browsers (such as The Pirate Bay's PirateBrowser), plugins, messaging clients, Linux distributions, and so on.

However, it is the Tor Browser that is the official and most famous example of implementing Tor in a specific solution and is what is recommended primarily on the Tor Project website.

In the screenshot above, the command “new Tor chain” will change your IP. For the site you are currently viewing, it will be the IP of the last link in the chain (in our case it turned out to be Romanian). In addition to changing the IP, the “new personality” will also restart the browser, clearing all the intermediate data that you will inevitably manage to accumulate even in a very short time of surfing.

You can also increase your general security settings. By default, the browser security level is set to the standard value, but you can move it up 1 or 2 levels. In this case, the program itself will explain to you what you will change in this way:

Just keep in mind that all the chains and specified security measures, even without upgrading from the basic level, already have a very noticeable impact on the program’s performance compared to regular Firefox, not for the better.

Currently, Tor Browser is based on Firefox 52 ESR - this is the official special version of the “fire fox” with an extended support period. Due to ongoing support with patches, it will not be considered obsolete until the summer, until it is replaced by Firefox 60 on the ESR channel. Obviously, the future Tor Browser will be based on Firefox 60 ESR.

With the current framework, Tor Browser offers the Australis interface and support for legacy XUL extensions. In the settings you will notice several items that are missing in Firefox:

Tor Browser has some mechanisms by default that protect and warn the user about potential danger or a threat to confidentiality. Sometimes the browser even makes comments about very well-known resources, for example, the most popular WordPress platform and all the sites that use it:

However, the ideas of the Tor Browser developers find their response. For example, the notice shown above relates to an anti-tracking mechanism using the Canvas API. It was with an eye on the Tor Browser that Mozilla implemented a similar tool in its Firefox 58 in January.

As for extensions to enhance security, they are presented in the Tor browser, first of all, NoScript and HTTPS Everywhere.

The first blocks plugins (not to be confused with extensions) everywhere except trusted resources, and is also capable of protecting against certain types of attacks. The second forces the browser, wherever supported, to use the secure HTTPS protocol with encryption support.

Finally, sometimes Tor Browser will simply give you various tips, if you are seriously concerned about your safety and/or anonymity.

Unlike most of the projects listed in this article, Tor Browser has its own release numbering system, separate from Firefox. At the time of writing, version 7.5 is current. With each update, the authors add new measures to strengthen the program's protection.

Opera - reliable VPN

The Opera browser, unlike other participants, definitely does not need a special introduction. It appeared in our article thanks to built-in anti-advertising and anti-tracking tools, as well as a free VPN integrated into the web browser.

Having lost their own engine, the creators of Opera began to look for a way to stand out from the rest and not get lost in the army of Chromium-based browsers. The result was the possibilities described above.

Opera became the first of the major players in the market who dared to add its own advertising cutter to the program. In addition, this tool can block various user surveillance mechanisms. For example, did you know that site owners can even see a recording of your cursor movements if they wish?

As for the built-in VPN, this has never been seen in regular browsers before. The mechanism will help you change your IP address and go where your provider, employer or anyone else prohibits you. The scheme here is not as complex as in Tor, and your level of privacy/protection will be significantly lower.

But for many, this solution will be enough, and the speed of opening pages through Opera VPN should be higher than in Tor. notice, that Of all the browsers in our selection, only Tor Browser and Opera can change IP.

Opera offers the user several additional security settings that you will not find in Chromium browsers. For example, recently a curious item appeared in the program to protect the properties of its shortcut from editing by third-party programs and extensions. However, we repeat, Opera is not an alternative to Tor Browser with its comprehensive approach to user protection.

SRWare Iron – Chrome without tracking

In September 2008, when Google first released its Chrome browser, Google immediately faced strong criticism of the amount of information that its brainchild somehow collected about the user.

One of the first such active critics were the Germans from the company SRWare, and literally two weeks after the release of Chrome they managed to release their own browser based on it, called Iron. In terms of interface, it was almost indistinguishable from Chrome.

Almost ten years have passed since then. The developers still continue to support their program, updating Chromium from time to time to a more or less current version.

Iron should differ from Chrome in that it does not send any information about the user to Google or anywhere else. It also does not install a background update service into the OS memory and disables some other Chrome mechanisms by default, including those that could theoretically be used to authenticate the user.

The developers from SRWare also planned to make Iron their own ad blocker and slightly improve the Chromium interface out of the box, adding, for example, a customizable new tab page. Alas, ten years later we have not seen any of this. But for Russian-speaking users, modules from Yandex are offered:

Moreover, it seems that the developers failed to integrate them smoothly with Chromium. All this stuff is immediately attacked by the security system built into Chromium.

Iron also tries to install the Tampermonkey extension, designed for user scripts, but why it is there remains a mystery to us. By default, in the Iron build we looked at, all these extensions are not enabled. Although Yandex is still used as a search, and its bookmarks hang on the bookmarks bar.

By the way, for some reason we were able to download exclusively the 32-bit Iron build from the official website.

Comodo Dragon and IceDragon – protected by Chrome and Firefox

The ability to create your own browsers based on Chromium and Firefox, without even making any special changes, but simply coming up with your own name and logo, is still popular with many companies of various sizes who want to make a name for themselves. As a result, we have dozens of such “unique” browsers.

However, we definitely don’t want to reproach all the developers without exception who, based on Google and Mozilla projects, are trying to create something of their own. Next in our review are the Americans Comodo. This is not a group of enthusiasts, but a completely reputable company that employs more than 600 people.

They are known as the developer of the antivirus of the same name, a firewall and a number of other security programs. Therefore, the browser from them is also interesting to us. Built on Chromium, Comodo Dragon was first released in 2010.

During installation (screenshot above), the program offers you to use Comodo's own DNS servers, assuring in the description that they are safer and even faster.

The program interface, as it was easy to assume, has not moved far from Chromium/Chrome, but what catches your eye is a certain metallic design theme that the authors put on the browser. Some of the additional features are built into the web browser, others are added in the form of extensions, and, in comparison with Iron, Chromium doesn’t “swear” at anything here.

It is noteworthy that all modules are created by Comodo itself. Almost all special functions are placed in the form of buttons on the toolbar:

The first button on the left is responsible for using the HTTPS protocol. The second provides information about IP, DNS and plugins. The third allows you to find out how safe the currently viewed resource is. The following features are not directly related to security.

So, the fourth button allows you to share content on social networks. The fifth is responsible for comfortable downloading multimedia from those resources where there is no direct opportunity to download audio/video. At least it definitely works with YouTube:

The sixth feature is perhaps the most interesting. If you select a word, picture or something else on the page, and then try to move it to the left or right edge of the browser, special panels will appear there, divided into sectors. You need to “reset” the selected content to them.

The left panel will allow you to share content; respectively, the sectors there are Facebook, Twitter, G+ and other social networks. The right panel is responsible for search. For example, we picked up a picture and “dropped” it on Image Search, thereby launching an image search on Google with the selected image:

In a word, an interesting feature, although not related to user safety. As for the settings, we noticed in Comodo Dragon an option to launch “incognito” mode when the browser starts by default. Just below there is a setting that will allow you not to transmit information to sites about where you came to them from.

Now a few contradictory points. Firstly, as in the case of Iron, Comodo has obviously entered into a partnership agreement with our Yandex. Hence the start page (by the way, not working in the current build) and other things from Yandex. Secondly, at the time of writing this article, Chromium 64 was already relevant, and Dragon was still based on the 60th version.

Finally, thirdly, and this surprised us most of all, the browser managed to install an antivirus along with itself and some other application from Comodo, although there was no mention of them during the installation of the web browser.

Finally, let’s note that in addition to Dragon, Comodo also has IceDragon.

The latter is based on Firefox (ESR) instead of Chromium and, alas, is noticeably inferior to Dragon in the number of additional functions, as if the authors devoted much less time to it. Of all the above, we found only a mechanism for dragging the content of web pages onto panels with sectors.

Brave - Security and Tracking Protection

The Brave project started at the beginning of 2016 and we talked about it on ITRew when the browser was still in its early stages of development. About two years have passed since then and now the program has begun to look much more mature, although active work on it is still ongoing.

The development team there is very professional. Its head is Brendan Eich, the creator of JavaScript, one of the founders and until 2014 the chief engineer of Mozilla. Brave is based on Chromium, but has a largely original interface. The highlights of the program are ad blocking, increased user security and privacy.

The Brave start page is designed attractively: a la Bing, there is a different image every time. There is also time, access to frequently visited sites with the ability to customize, but the most interesting thing is that there are special counters (see screenshot above). They reflect the main features of Brave.

We worked with the program quite a bit, opening only about 20-30 web pages. However, this was enough for the number of blocked trackers and ad units to exceed a hundred. Trackers mean anything that tracks your activities and preferences. Every web page on the RuNet has these, at least from Yandex and Google.

Also, in a short period of time, the browser automatically redirected us from HTTP to secure HTTPS 55 times. Let us explain here that due to built-in blocks, there can be significantly more than one such redirection per page. By the way, you can see not only general numbers, but also specific results of Brave browser protection for each web page:

In Brave, the collection of all these mechanisms is called shields. In the settings they even stand separately from the “security” tab. Some of the shields, like script blocking, are disabled by default.

The program also provides such a feature as the creation of new personalities. It is accessible directly from the main menu and will create tabs for you that are separate from others in terms of internal data. They don't change the IP address like Tor and are obviously much closer to the so-called tab containers that Mozilla has been working on for a long time for Firefox.

The point is to share different types your activities (personal affairs, work, purchases) from each other and do not allow sites to receive information about all of this at once. In addition, it should be convenient to work with multiple email or social network accounts.

Overall, the functionality of Brave, considering that it is the youngest of all that we dealt with in this article, is impressive. In addition to what was described, we liked the following features of the web browser:

• Creating private tabs instead of private windows;
• Displays the loading speed of each page;
• Search by page with and without case;
• Tab set functionality;
• Color indication of active tabs;
• Clickable sound indicator on tabs;
• Full-size preview of the tab when hovering the cursor;
• A solid list of search engines, including specialized ones with a quick search function in them by typing one or more characters.

Meanwhile, right at the time of writing this article, Brave was updated from version 0.19 to 0.20, and the list of changes there was quite significant. If the available functions are not enough for you, then the program in a special section will recommend a set of extensions that can strengthen your web security and more. They are activated by simply switching the slider on the right:

Which browser is the most secure?

In our opinion, Tor Browser certainly has the most serious and comprehensive approach to protecting its user compared to other web browsers in this collection. This is what we recommend.

In addition to the module for anonymous surfing, Tor Browser integrates tools and mechanisms to enhance security. At the same time, the authors of Tor Browser are not looking for any sponsors like Yandex and do not clutter the program with extraneous components. Unfortunately, the user has to pay for security and anonymity with the speed of the application and a number of other inconveniences.

Among other projects, we are ready to mention Brave and Opera.

In addition to the list of protective mechanisms, Brave is also notable for its original interface. If the developers of Comodo Dragon/IceDragon, SRWare Iron and Waterfox, making minimal changes to Chromium/Firefox, attached their logo to them, then the authors of Brave did a somewhat more complex and comprehensive job.

They created largely their own interface, equipping it with a number of interesting additional functions. However, let us remind you: behind Brave is not a group of inexperienced enthusiasts, but web industry veteran Brendan Eich from Mozilla, and you can feel it.

In turn, Opera, having included in its composition, after a high-quality ad/tracking blocker, a free VPN service, managed to stand out noticeably among other web browsers with functions previously unusual for them. They were risky for the company itself, but certainly not unnecessary for users.

In today's article I will tell you about the coolest browsers for anonymous surfing on the Internet.

All these applications are a complex software mechanism, so to speak, that consists of many different specialized utilities and a network of routers whose task is to ensure your secrecy on the network. Thus, preventing the collection of data from all your actions on a particular site, starting from opening it, watching videos or listening to audio, articles you read, determining your location by IP address, etc. By and large, all this is collected for one purpose only, for the actual display of news, advertising and other information to you in the future.

Yes, there are people who don’t give a damn about this at all and they calmly react to such actions, even many consider it convenient, they say, the convenience of presenting information to the face.

But there are also those who are dismissive and even wary of such attempts to invade their personal lives, and try in every possible way to protect strangers from this type of personal information and install programs on their computer for anonymity on the Internet.

Tor Browser

I'll start with perhaps the most famous of all browsers for anonymous surfing. It is difficult in our world now to find a user who has not heard of it, and I am sure that more than half of them have used it at least once for its intended purpose, namely hidden surfing.

It works on all Windows operating systems, as well as MAC and Linux, and can even be launched from a flash drive. Tor Browser is also convenient because you don’t need to configure anything. You just need to download from the official website, install and run.

Comodo Ice Dragon

This is an option for Mozilla Firefox, it's even built on their engine, and includes almost the full range of the main options from Comodo. He has some cool features that I really like. One of them is checking for malware, advertising and other nasty things. website page before you open it! It also blocks phishing resources and other types of fraud on the World Wide Web.

PirateBrowser

PirateBrowser, like the product above, was originally created on Mozilla, even now, when it is fully equipped with a Tor client, it remains similar to Firefox in its appearance.

Epic Browser

If you are planning to surf the World Wide Web secretly, Epic Browser can provide you with anonymous Internet surfing. Although compared to other browsers described in this article, it is simple and does not include any sophisticated technologies, it can easily save you from being tracked on the Internet.

PirateSnoop

Another program for protecting against online surveillance with the ability to bypass a number of blocked sites in many countries. PirateSnoop is also called the censorship killer. The product uses its own network of proxy servers, the list of which is constantly updated, and banned IP addresses are replaced with new ones.

Creating a new browser today is easier than ever - there is Chromium, which you can fork and add any functionality. Companies do this according to the same logic by which toolbars were once created - this is just an attempt to hammer their brand into the user and force him to use other company products. But when independent developers do it, the product's goal is to make its mark in a virtually static browser market. Don't get me wrong - I don't believe you'll switch to one of the indie browsers. But it's interesting to see what they offer, isn't it?

To switch or not?

When it seems like everything that can be said in some area has already been said, trying to do something differently is breathtaking: at first you think it’s wild and utopian, but as a result you begin to look at market leaders in a new way. For the same reason, in the December issue ][ we talked about such “strange” mobile OSs as Tizen, Firefox OS or Maemo. Therefore, in my opinion, when talking about alternative browsers, it is incorrect to pose the question bluntly: to switch or not. No, you definitely won't cross over. But you can try to repeat the functionality you are interested in in your favorite browser - for this, in each case, I tried to select the appropriate extensions.

The idea of ​​creating a browser that closely interacts with popular social networks has long been exciting the minds of developers. There were many attempts to create such a combine, but, perhaps, the Rockmelt company did a better job. No wonder they were able to receive serious financial investments.

The project of the same name was launched in 2009 and immediately enlisted the support of one of the founders of Netscape. A year later, the first beta version, built on Chromium sources, was released, and in a short time it managed to gather a decent number of fans. The main feature of Rockmelt is its unobtrusiveness. Integration with Facebook and Twitter was implemented as additional functionality, and not an intrusive addition.

Rockmelt may have had a bright future ahead of it, but in 2012 the developers shut down the desktop version and focused on creating an iOS app. Despite the drastic changes, the mobile application was born quickly and turned out to be quite interesting.

So, we are offered a solution that is interesting primarily because of its interface. Browser control centers around a single input line. It is both an address bar and a navigator for various content groups. For example, you can select a specific topic and immediately receive a pack of thumbnails of new posts corresponding to it. The presence of additional gestures allows you to perform a number of operations (sharing, liking) with one click or swipe.

Thus, together with the browser we get a content generator. At the same time, we have the opportunity to quite easily influence the conditions for issuing materials. You just need to go to any website and click on the “Follow” pimp. The resource is added to the watch list (RSS feed is taken into account), and new materials will appear in the personal news feed.

Extensions:

• Content generator. Plugin for Google Chrome Feedly;
• New materials by category. Plugin for Google Chrome: StumbleUpon;
• Interaction with social networks (publications, sharing, etc.). Plugin for Google Chrome: Buffer.

SRWare Iron

Project audience: conspiracy theory lovers

The first releases of Google Chrome (as well as Chromium) caused a lot of noise. Users paid attention not only to the interesting interface and speed of operation, but also to a couple of clauses in the license agreement that deal a blow to privacy.

After this, a boom in articles on the topic “Big Brother is watching you” began, eventually forcing Google to reconsider its ambitions. Despite this, Chrome still contains several functions that somehow violate the user's privacy.

For example, everyone knows that immediately after installation, Google Chrome generates a unique identifier, which is transmitted to the company’s server. The "suggestions" function works in a similar way. All entered data is sent to Google for the purpose of providing search suggestions. The discussion about other nightmares is in roughly the same vein: the background update service, sending error reports, and so on.

SRWare is ready to solve all the problems raised. In fact, this is the same Google Chrome, but with the language cut off. It does not transmit any information to the Google server, but also brings several nice features:

• offline installer;
• built-in ad blocker;
• ability to change User-Agent.

Verdict: The solution is primarily for conspiracy theorists. The browser has few additional functions, and all of them are implemented using appropriate extensions. As a result, it turns out that all the advantages come down to providing an additional level of privacy.

CoolNovo

Project audience: web developers, enthusiasts

Another project that grew out of a Chromium fork, CoolNovo compares favorably with similar alternatives. Firstly, developers from the Middle Kingdom are setting ambitious goals for themselves, and not just creating another clone with a couple of additional extensions. Secondly, they position their solution as a complete replacement for Google Chrome. The idea of ​​such a solution managed to win the hearts of users, and the browser itself received a number of awards.

One of the most interesting and useful features is IE Tab. My main activity is partly related to the development of web applications, which means testing whether the layout is displayed correctly in browsers that use different rendering engines. IE Tab simplifies the testing process in Internet Explorer. It eliminates the need to launch a separate copy of IE, and allows you to change the rendering engine used for rendering with one click.

Gesture controls also deserve special attention. At one time I got used to using similar functionality in Opera, and I must say that the implementation in CoolNovo is no worse.

The developers share the same views on the inviolability of personal space as the guys from the SRWare Iron project. All secret transfers of information to the company’s servers are cut to the ground.

Other most interesting features worth noting:

• instant translation of pages into other languages ​​(using Google Translate);
• taking screenshots of a page or selected area;
• quick history clearing;
• separate sidebar for placing frequently used widgets and extensions;
• ad blocker.

Verdict: CoolNovo has long been a leader among alternative Chromium-based builds. Today it continues to hold its position and remains a good solution for users who want to get a beefed-up browser out of the box. The only sad thing is that in Lately CoolNovo is updated less frequently. If this continues, sooner or later a competitor in the form of Chrome will throw it out of the race.

Extensions:

• Fast and flexible cleaning of history, cookies and other network activity files. Plugin for Google Chrome Click&Clean Click&Clean ;
• Link shortener. Plugin for Google Chrome URL Shortener;
• Gesture control. Plugin for Google Chrome: CrxMouse or Gestures for Chrome;
• Reading mode (without displaying pictures and unnecessary layout elements). Plugin for Google Chrome: iReader or Clearly;
• Button for quick RSS subscription. Plugin for Google Chrome: RSS Subscription Extension;
• Super drag. Plugin for Google Chrome: Super Drag;
• Translator. Plugin for Google Chrome: Google Translate.

Maxthon

Project audience: All inclusive lovers

Maxthon is one of those projects that has experienced a rebirth. He first saw the light in the early 2000s under the pseudonym MyIE. Back then it was a convenient wrapper for Donkey IE and a number of useful functions. It had a built-in download manager, tabs instead of separate windows, and other useful features.

When Firefox and subsequently Google Chrome boomed, MyIE was forced into obscurity for a major overhaul. The total straightening brought it back with a new name, an updated set of functions and a completely different face.

Today Maxthon is more like a powerful Internet center than just a browser. Under the hood of the adventure game there are already two engines - WebKit and Trident (used in Internet Explorer). Moreover, unlike most similar solutions, Maxthon is able to independently determine pages for which the use of Trident is more preferable (as a rule, these are old sites). I specifically took one old project out of the closet, adapted for viewing in IE, and tried to view it in Maxthon. Without thinking twice, the browser immediately switched the display to retro mode and rendered the page using Trident. In addition to working with two engines simultaneously, Maxthon’s greatest strengths are its own cloud and the availability of versions for mobile platforms (Android, iOS). Your own cloud not only allows you to store various small information such as browsing history, a list of open pages and similar things, but it is also quite suitable for storing files.

For example, I was very pleased with the ability to save files from a web page to the cloud with one click. This function looks most beneficial when working on a mobile phone/tablet. The usefulness of Maxthon does not end there, but rather just begins. Among them:

• Gesture support;
• SuperDrop function, which simplifies interaction with the browser interface in the absence of a mouse;
• ad blocker;
• a completely redesigned application interface (not another Chrome clone);
• simultaneous processing of search results from several search servers;
• viewing pages in reading mode (without unnecessary information);
• saving videos from YouTube;
• mute sound on any page;
• simultaneous viewing of several tabs in one window;
• download manager;
• own extension store;
• setting an arbitrary refresh time for open pages;
• night surfing mode. When this mode is activated, Maxthon darkens the bright background of pages, thereby reducing eye strain;
• increased productivity and much more.

Verdict: Maxthon will appeal to both casual users and hardcore geeks looking for new adventures. The presence of versions for mobile platforms and a full-fledged personal cloud are two key features that allow Maxthon to surpass many competitors. Add to this good performance, numerous victories in tests for compliance with web standards, and we get an almost ideal, but little-known browser.

Extensions:

• Retro mode (page rendering using the IE engine). Plugin for Google Chrome: IE Tab ;
• Taking screenshots. Plugin for Google Chrome: Webpage ScreenShot;
• Night mode. Plugin for Google Chrome: Hacker Vision or Turn Off the Lights for comfortable viewing of videos;
• Password storage. Plugin for Google Chrome: LastPass;
• Ad blocker. Plugin for Google Chrome: AdBlock;
• Built-in notepad with the ability to store notes in the cloud. Plugin for Google Chrome: Memo Notepad;
• Resource sniffer. Plugin for Google Chrome: Web Developer.

Project audience: lovers of everything fresh

Chromium became the father of many webkit-based browsers. It forms the foundation of almost every new browser, and it is hardly possible to shake its dominant position.

So, you probably already know that it is on this project that all new products are tested before they get to Google Chrome. Support for new HTML5 features, corrections of terrible bugs, new interface features - all this is primarily received by Chromium users. Unfortunately, the frequency of updates comes at the price of stability. Major problems that prevent you from working normally with the browser are rare, but accurate.

It is quite difficult to single out some original interface features or capabilities, since they are largely the implementation of new HTML5 features and are relevant for web developers, not mere mortals.

Nevertheless, Chromium still has a number of differences that can interest the average user. For example:

• no error reporting;
• the RLZ identifier is not transferred to the company servers;
• there is no Updater hanging in the background;
• Only open and free media formats are supported;
• productivity is very high.

Verdict: A special version of Google Chrome for enthusiasts and geeks. Everything new appears here, and these user groups will definitely like it. Chromium is unlikely to be suitable for mere mortals, since this is a product primarily for testing. And there are few users eager to be the first to test, say, the Battery API.

Avant Browser

Project audience: web developers

The primary goal of the Avant Browser developers is to provide users with an easy way to combine the work of engines within one application. It would seem that the task is not easy, but looking at Avant Browser, you are convinced of the opposite. The developers were not only able to bring together all the popular engines under one wrapper, but also came up with an easy way to switch between them. Changing the rendering engine is done in a couple of mouse clicks.

This is where the super useful functions end, and what remains are typical for such solutions:

• a simple cloud storage capable of storing RSS subscriptions, favorites, passwords and other information;
• ad/popup blocker;
• creating screenshots of pages;
• simple implementation of gesture control;
• creating aliases for pages, with which you can quickly navigate to frequently visited sites;
• built-in RSS reader;
• mail client.

Verdict: Avant Browser cannot be considered as a full-fledged application for everyday use. This is more of a specialized solution that can serve web developers well, but not the average user. There are simply no other interesting features in Avant Browser.