Rated: Security and Privacy for the Most Popular Web Browsers in 2023
In a world obsessed with lists, where even the most trivial things get counted, scored, and ranked, let’s rank something that actually matters for a change: which web browsers best protect your security and privacy?
The contestants
First, we took on the goliaths: Chrome, the runaway leader in market share; Internet Explorer, the former champion; Edge, the upstart heir to Explorer at Microsoft; Safari, the popular choice for Apple users; and Firefox, the only major open-source browser.
Next, we dug a little deeper to assess the less popular but nonetheless powerful browsers that claim to prioritize your security and privacy. We’ll cover Brave, Chromium, Opera, and Tor Browser.
Let’s see how these nine browsers stack up against one another.
How we picked a winner
To decide which web browser is best for security and privacy, we evaluated them against three criteria: the weeks between version updates (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, etc.); the available security features; and the built-in privacy tools.
Each browser is awarded between one and five stars per component, giving a total possible score out of 15.
9. Microsoft Internet Explorer
Before Chrome came along, and despite loyal followings for Firefox and Safari, Microsoft Internet Explorer once held a near-monopoly on browser market share. Now the company actively tells people not to use IE.
Weeks between updates: N/A — no more updates. Now that Microsoft has introduced Edge as its new browser, it is planning no further major updates for Internet Explorer. Microsoft still issues security updates for its former flagship browser, but they arrive fairly irregularly, with the most recent release almost two months old at the time of writing. Internet Explorer is no longer a priority for Microsoft. 0 stars
Security: IE’s checkered legacy will always place it among the least secure browsers available. Internet Explorer currently warns users when they visit a potentially malicious site or download something that might be harmful. The browser also has adjustable security levels that let users strengthen their online protection, and in one study it outperformed all other browsers at detecting social-engineering malware. Still, these features lag well behind the competition. 2.5 stars
Privacy: Like Chrome, Internet Explorer lets you toggle pop-up blocking and send a “Do Not Track” request both to the sites you visit and to the third parties whose content is hosted on those sites. That request, however, does not have to be honored, and it does not guarantee your traffic stays private. IE does include a “Tracking Protection” feature that lets you subscribe to tracking-protection lists. The browser will then prevent listed sites from dropping cookies into your browser. However, IE is also closed-source, so there’s no telling what other kinds of surveillance widgets might be packaged into the browser itself. 2 stars
Total: 5.5 / 15
8. Microsoft Edge
Microsoft is keen to make Edge its new and improved browser for Windows users. Available only to those running Windows 10, this browser has an edge on its predecessor in page-loading speed. But how does it improve on Internet Explorer’s security and privacy?
Weeks between version updates: 26. Microsoft Edge is updated only twice a year, which is far less frequent than its more popular competitors. While it is better than Internet Explorer in an era of advanced malware and internet attacks, update frequency can make a huge difference. 2.5 stars
Security: The Edge browser runs in a sandbox, which means browser processes are contained. It retained Internet Explorer’s SmartScreen filter, which blocks suspicious sites and anything that might contain malicious code. Edge also limits extension support, which restricts the number of potentially dangerous extensions you could accidentally download. Like its predecessor, though, Edge has steadily racked up a porous security record, with recent exploits uncovered by Google last year. 2.5 stars
Privacy: Oddly, Edge dropped Internet Explorer’s anti-tracking feature, which would have stopped sites from sharing information about your browsing. Tracking protection is also missing from Edge’s private-browsing mode. If you want to browse privately, Edge is not for you. 2 stars
Total: 7 / 15
7. Opera
Håkon Wium Lie, the creator of the CSS web standard, developed Opera in 1995. The browser has since adopted much of Chromium’s code into its software and is now considered one of the more popular privacy-oriented browsers.
Weeks between updates: 4–6. This Chromium-based browser lags a little behind on updates, which come out every 4–6 weeks. Ideally, updates should ship every 3–4 weeks to minimize the vulnerabilities patched in the latest Chromium release. 4 stars
Security: Opera boasts several security features that make your browsing safer. From fraud and malware protection to blocking unsafe scripts and add-ons, Opera delivers a solid, secure browsing experience. 3 stars
Privacy: As with Chrome, Opera’s default window will cache your data, while its private one will not — although you can tweak this in the settings to improve the default browser window. While Opera does provide ways to customize your privacy and security, the opt-out approach may not be appreciated by those more comfortable with browsers that offer it by default.
More troubling, however, is the free built-in VPN that Opera acquired in 2016. It’s a worrying addition to the browser, as it tracks bandwidth and usage logs, and Opera itself is owned by a company based in a country notorious for privacy violations. Browser beware. 1 star
Total: 8 / 15
6. Google Chrome
It’s been over ten years since the launch of Google Chrome, and it has since become the undisputed leader in browser market share, at almost 80%. Given its reputation for speed and the prevalence of Google services in our lives (web search, YouTube, Gmail, Google Docs, etc.), it’s no surprise Chrome has become the most widely used web browser today. But how does it perform on our chosen criteria?
Weeks between updates: 6. Chrome offers version updates regularly, practically every 42 days. That ranks fairly high among browsers, and Chrome also pushes nightly builds. Chromium browsers and newer browsers still rely on beta-testing, as Brave did during its early updates, albeit with only partial builds. 4 stars
Security: Google has long been known as a leader in browser security, and for good reason. In addition to leading the pack in update frequency and scanning for harmful downloads, Google automatically updates Chrome to the latest version, ensuring its users always enjoy the newest browsing features. Chrome boasts the highest Browserscope security-test scores, and Google itself has long encouraged hackers to find vulnerabilities in its own browser so the company can identify loopholes and improve the product.
Chrome 72 also introduced a new Web Authentication API that lets users employ security keys and Trusted Platform Modules as a verification method. All in all, Google’s leading position in browser security is undisputed. 4 stars
Privacy: This is where Chrome loses quite a few points. While the browser does offer the usual pop-up blocker and lets users send a “Do Not Track” request with their browser traffic (which, by the way, does very little to stop sites from tracking you), one simply cannot ignore the fact that Chrome belongs to a company that makes millions by knowing everything about you.
From automatically signing you into the browser to a fishy location-history policy, Google seems to be in the habit of pushing something unpopular before rolling it back in another update. Although there are ways around this, Google is still using Chrome to learn about you and then monetize that information.
Chrome also boasts an extensive library of browser extensions, which offer a range of additional functionalities but at the cost of reduced privacy. Furthermore, since Chrome is a closed-source browser, no one can crack it open to see what (if anything) is hidden in the code. That said, this is no problem if you trust Google’s stance on privacy, and there is also an open-source version of Chrome available. 1 star
Total: 9 / 15
5. Apple Safari
The Safari name may be foreign to most Windows users, but Apple’s own web browser was actually available on PC until 2012, after which it became available only on Apple devices. And although Safari is the default browser for Mac, it has largely suffered the same fate that befell Internet Explorer on Windows as Chrome’s popularity soared.
Weeks between updates: 9–47. Safari is updated at very irregular intervals, which is surprising given that the world’s largest tech company makes Safari. Compared with its competitors, Safari updates much more slowly.
While Mac users are arguably exposed to fewer internet vulnerabilities than PC users, the lower frequency is still troubling. The most recent Safari update arrived two months after the previous one, so if Apple keeps updating its browser more often, we will consider adding stars to this section. 2.5 stars
Security: Safari doesn’t update often, but it does a decent job of protecting you while you use it. Safari prevents suspicious sites from loading and alerts you to potential danger. By running web pages in a sandboxed environment, Safari also stops malicious code on one page from affecting the entire browser or accessing your data.
One of Safari’s newest features is a password generator and manager, aimed at discouraging users from repeatedly using old, weak passwords. Safari stores these passwords, so depending on whether you share your browser with your family, you may want to keep a separate password manager independent of your browser. 4 stars
Privacy: Safari’s latest update really did improve its privacy features, from digital-fingerprint masking to a new intelligent tracking-prevention service. The browser prevents third-party sites from leaving data in your cache by default, helping you stay anonymous online. In addition, Safari offers a range of useful extensions to safeguard your privacy. Were it not for the fact that Safari is also closed-source and that its “Do Not Track” requests do not necessarily guarantee privacy, it would have scored a perfect 5 out of 5 here. 4.5 stars
Total: 11 / 15
4. Chromium
Google Chrome is essentially open-source but ships with proprietary code specific to Google’s services. The open-source version of Google Chrome is available as Chromium and is aimed at a more privacy-conscious, open-source audience that still wants to benefit from Google’s products.
Weeks between updates: 2–3. Stable Chromium builds are updated every 14–21 days, although there are nightly builds that come out every day. Chromium’s big drawback is that it doesn’t update automatically, which leaves you vulnerable to bugs and weaknesses unless you’ve set a daily alarm to update your browser. 5 stars
Security: The Chromium browser is much like an unfinished version of Chrome, but with less of the code required to integrate third-party apps such as Flash — which reduces the complexity that comes with more code. Because it’s open-source, Chromium users can check for themselves whether vulnerabilities have been patched, which you can’t say about the more polished Chrome. As mentioned above, you’ll have to update the browser manually, so you need to stay vigilant. And be sure to download it from the source — there is plenty of malware masquerading under the Chromium name. 3.5 stars
Privacy: Neither Chrome nor Chromium lets you disable WebRTC, which leaves users vulnerable to WebRTC leaks — although you can fix this with the WebRTC Leak Prevent add-on, or a VPN.
On the plus side, Chromium gives the user more privacy than Chrome, as none of the data is sent to Google. Builds using Chromium’s open-source code are also not subject to the company’s default data collection. 4 stars
Total: 12.5 / 15
3. Brave
A relative newcomer, Brave was founded in 2016 by Brendan Eich, the former Mozilla head who also created JavaScript. As a relatively new web browser, Brave boasts unmatched speed, a privacy-focused mindset, and a minimalist design.
Weeks between updates: 8–9. Brave is still working toward version 1.0 for desktop, so beta builds come out more frequently than version builds, but it still manages to beat most competitors in this category. That’s perhaps to be expected, as the browser is rapidly maturing into a fully formed product by the time it reaches version 1.0. 4 stars
Security: Brave’s security settings let you choose what data you want to delete whenever you close the app, including data from HTTPS Everywhere, blocking fingerprinting attempts, and preventing scripts from loading. Brave’s settings provide plenty of ways to customize your browser to be as secure as you want it to be.
In December 2023, Brave fully moved to the Chromium codebase, making it easier for users to carry over their Chrome extensions — though they should be wary of what data third-party extensions collect. Among the supported add-ons are password-manager integrations for LastPass and 1Password. 5 stars
Privacy: Brave has several features that keep your internet activity private, with a default ad blocker that also stops ads from tracking your online behavior, as well as a function to secure unencrypted sites with HTTPS when necessary. Brave’s new Tor tab may be private, but it falls short of Tor’s own privacy standards with a customizable window size that could be used to fingerprint your browser.
Brave is also experimenting with its own coin, called the Basic Attention Token (or BAT), which lets users anonymously pay publishers for their content via micro-donations and earn a percentage of it back.
Brave’s ICO, however, raised a few eyebrows, not least because in the brief 30 seconds the coins were available, 40% of them ended up in the hands of a very small group of people. Inevitably, this drew suspicions that large advertising agencies had snapped up the tokens, which would seemingly defeat the purpose of BAT in the first place.
A Brave developer told ExpressVPN that 300 million BAT were placed into a user growth pool for monthly distribution to Brave users as free grants and referral rewards, though that in itself looks like a work in progress. The inclusion of a cryptocurrency in a browser is certainly novel, but it looks like it will be some time before it functions as intended. 4 stars
Total: 13 / 15
2. Mozilla Firefox
Of all the browsers featured in this ranking, Firefox is the only one developed by a nonprofit organization, Mozilla. The browser is well known for its customizability and has long been a favored alternative to its brethren from Google, Microsoft, and Apple. The newest version, Quantum, was hyped as the most privacy-oriented Firefox update yet.
Weeks between updates: 6–10. Firefox isn’t updated as frequently as Google Chrome, but it is at least updated on a regular schedule. Given that the Mozilla Foundation is a nonprofit, it’s impressive that its volunteer coders constantly work to keep Firefox loaded with the newest security and browsing features within weeks. 4 stars
Security: Firefox offers a suite of security features that any internet user will appreciate: phishing and malware protection, blocking reported attack websites/web forgeries, and warning users when a site is trying to install add-ons. Although it still lags behind Chrome in this area, the difference is almost negligible. Firefox users can take comfort in knowing their preferred browser is one of the most secure offerings around. 4.5 stars
Privacy: Firefox is relatively lightweight compared with its competitors. In keeping with the times, Firefox also features “Content Blocking,” which allows users to block all trackers the browser detects. Given the vast array of add-ons available, users are spoiled for choice when looking to further enhance their online privacy.
But most importantly, Firefox is the only widely used web browser that is open-source. Anyone can examine Firefox’s source code, making sure there are no sketchy elements (like tracking software) baked into the final product. 5 stars
Total: 13.5 / 15
1. Tor Browser
Developed by the Tor Project in 2002 and based on the Firefox browser, Tor Browser was built so users could access the internet anonymously via the Tor network. Your activity and identity are masked by Tor, which encrypts your traffic in at least three layers, “bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays” chosen from thousands of volunteer computers.
- A beginner’s guide to Tor
Weeks between updates: Around 2, anywhere from 5 to 21 days. Most Tor updates follow Firefox’s bug fixes and security patches. Updates are incredibly important so that no one can exploit bugs and vulnerabilities in older versions of Tor Browser. 5 stars
Security: Tor Browser’s privacy is very much aided by its security — no one watching your connection can track your internet activity, nor can they identify you unless you explicitly identify yourself. Additionally, Tor does not track your browsing history and clears your cookies after every session. Tor also protects users from sites that try to fingerprint browsing history with its NoScript integration. Based on tests of unique browser fingerprints, only Tor can reduce the uniqueness of your fingerprint.
Browsing doesn’t get much more secure than this. 5 stars
Privacy: The process of rerouting your data through multiple relays makes it incredibly difficult for anyone to trace you and your activity. It’s not completely foolproof, as the FBI’s takedown of the infamous Silk Road proved, but unless you’re running a high-profile and illegal operation on the Tor network, it’s unlikely that resources will be spent tracking down your browsing habits.
Bear in mind that law enforcement and ISPs can see who is using Tor, even if they don’t know what you’re doing with it. For maximum security, connect to a VPN first, then launch the browser. 4.5 stars
- Learn more about how you can combine the two here.
Total: 14.5 / 15
And the best web browser is…
Having rated these browsers, here’s how they rank:
9. Internet Explorer (5.5 / 15)
8. Microsoft Edge (7 / 15)
7. Opera (8 / 15)
6. Google Chrome (9 / 15)
5. Apple Safari (11 / 15)
4. Chromium (12.5 / 15)
3. Brave (13 / 15)
2. Firefox (13.5 / 15)
1. Tor Browser (14.5 / 15)
Of course, there are many other important factors we could have included, such as browser speed and customizability. But for privacy and security, Tor Browser is ExpressVPN’s pick out of these nine popular web browsers!
The final step to secure and private browsing
As we’ve seen, each of these browsers has its strengths and weaknesses, including potentially tracking your web traffic and selling it to third parties.
And try as they might, to give you a secure and private browser, the only way to protect all of your device’s traffic (for example, from your ISP) is to use a VPN.
Instead of fiddling with customized browser settings, all you need to do is hit “connect,” and our VPN will protect your security and privacy while you enjoy the internet, from any device.