At a glance
| Browser | Best for | Engine | Extensions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safari | Most people, and battery life | WebKit | Safari extensions |
| Chrome | Google apps and extensions | Chromium | Chrome Web Store |
| Brave | Privacy without setup | Chromium | Chrome Web Store |
| Zen | An Arc-style sidebar | Firefox | Firefox add-ons |
| Tabula | Many sites on screen at once | Chromium | Chrome Web Store |
All five are free. We make Tabula, so read its entry with that in mind — the drawbacks listed under it are real, and so is the order: it is fifth because it suits the fewest people, not because we ran out of praise.
01
SafariBest for most people
Safari is already on your Mac, and for most people that is reason enough. Apple builds it for its own chips, and it is consistently the easiest browser on a battery. Passwords live in iCloud Keychain, tabs follow you to your iPhone, and Apple Pay works on the web. If nothing on this list solves a problem you actually have, keep Safari.
- Easiest on a laptop battery
- Built into macOS, iCloud Keychain and your iPhone
- Blocks cross-site tracking by default
- Smaller extension catalogue
- No vertical tabs and no split view
- Some web apps are tested in Chrome first
02
ChromeBest for Google apps and extensions
Chrome is the browser the web is built against. If your day runs on Gmail, Docs and Meet, or on an extension nobody has ported, it is the safe choice, and it syncs to Windows, Linux, Android and iPhone. Since the end of 2025 it can also show two tabs side by side in Split View.
- Widest compatibility on the web
- The largest extension store
- Split View for two tabs, since Chrome 143
- The same browser on every platform
- Heavier on memory and battery than Safari
- Made by an advertising company, with the data collection that implies
03
BraveBest for privacy without setup
Brave is Chromium with the tracking taken out. Its Shields block ads and trackers from the first page you load, it runs the same extensions as Chrome, and it can put your tabs in a sidebar. Turn off the extras you do not want and it is the most private Chrome-compatible browser there is.
- Ads and trackers blocked out of the box
- Runs Chrome extensions
- Vertical tabs, on every platform
- Ships extras — crypto rewards, a wallet, an AI assistant — you may want to switch off
04
ZenBest if you miss Arc
Zen is the closest thing to Arc still being built: a sidebar, workspaces, a compact mode that hides everything but the page, and Glance for previewing links. It is free, open source and built on Firefox rather than yet another copy of Chrome. How Zen and Tabula compare.
- Arc’s layout, still actively developed
- Split View for up to four tabs
- Free and open source, with a built-in Arc importer
- Runs Firefox add-ons, not Chrome extensions
- A few web apps work best in Chromium
05
TabulaBest for seeing many sites at once
Tabula keeps a sidebar and puts an infinite canvas behind it. Every site you open is a live tile, so your inbox, your docs and the dashboard you keep checking are on screen together, and a task that spans five sites is five glances instead of five tab switches. What a spatial browser is.
- Any number of live sites on one canvas
- An Arc-style sidebar with a pinned grid
- Ad and tracker blocking built in
- No extension toolbar yet
- Mac only
- Newer than everything else on this list
Also worth a look
- Firefox — its own engine, built-in vertical tabs, and Split View since Firefox 149.
- Vivaldi — the most customisable browser there is: tab stacks, tab tiling, workspaces and tabs on any side.
- Microsoft Edge — vertical tabs and sleeping tabs that free memory from tabs you are not using.
- Dia — if you want AI in your browser. Apple Silicon only. Dia compared.
- Arc — still works, but no longer gets new features. Where to go after Arc.
Questions
- What is the best browser for Mac?
- For most people, Safari: it is built in, easiest on the battery and tied into iCloud. Chrome is better if you live in Google apps or rely on Chrome extensions, Brave if you want privacy without setup, Zen if you miss Arc, and Tabula if you work across many sites at once.
- Is Safari better than Chrome on a Mac?
- On battery life, privacy defaults and Apple integration, yes. On compatibility and extensions, Chrome wins — most web apps are tested in Chrome first, and its extension store is far larger.
- Which Mac browser uses the least battery?
- Safari, in most tests. Apple builds it for its own chips. Chromium browsers — Chrome, Brave, Vivaldi, Edge and Tabula — generally use more power than Safari on the same pages.
- Is Tabula free?
- Yes. Tabula is free to download and free to keep using, with two zones. The paid plan, $9.99 a month, adds unlimited zones, folders and sync across machines.