An Endless Search for the Right Browser
One of my ongoing hobbies is trying different browsers. I keep switching because I’m never fully satisfied with any single one.
This article is a record of the browsers I’ve used, what worked, what didn’t, and where I’ve currently landed.
Firefox
Firefox is the browser I’ve used the most, especially when I first started using the web.
It has a few features that are hard to beat. Container Tabs are genuinely useful. They let you stay logged into multiple accounts across tabs in the same browser instance without conflicts.
Another strength is how configurable it is. You can tweak things deeply throughuser.jsand make the browser behave exactly how you want.
That said, there are trade-offs. In my experience, support for newer web platform features can lag. I’ve run into cases where things like view transitions or newer APIs didn’t work at all, which can be frustrating when you’re building modern web apps.
Google Chrome
Chrome is the safest default choice. It’s widely used, stable, and has excellent support for modern web features.
Since it’s Chromium-based, everything just works. If you’re building or testing web apps, you’re unlikely to run into compatibility issues.
But it comes with downsides. There’s a lot of Google integration that feels unnecessary. The recent extension changes affecting ad blockers also make it less appealing for me.
It’s reliable, but not something I enjoy using.
Safari
I don’t enjoy using Safari!!
That said, I have noticed that video playback, especially on sites like Netflix, tends to work better here than on other browsers. Outside of that, it doesn’t fit my workflow.
Orion
Orion is an interesting idea. It tries to combine Safari’s efficiency with Chrome’s extension ecosystem. One standout feature is support for both Firefox and Chromium extensions, which sounds ideal on paper. In practice, it feels unfinished. I ran into bugs, and some of the advertised features didn’t behave reliably. It has a lot of potential, but right now the execution isn’t there.
Zen Browser
Zen is a Firefox-based browser with a different UI approach. The sidebar-focused layout makes better use of horizontal space, which is especially useful on smaller laptop screens. However, it inherits the same limitations as Firefox, and it’s still early in development. It feels more like an experiment than a stable daily driver.
Brave
Brave is another Chromium-based browser, but I never fully understood the hype.
It includes built-in ad blocking, but that alone isn’t a strong differentiator since you can achieve similar results with extensions in other browsers. It also comes with additional features, especially around crypto, that feel like unnecessary bloat to me. For my use case, it doesn’t offer enough to justify switching.
Helium
This is the browser I currently use as my daily driver. Helium stands out because of its simplicity. It has a minimal and clean interface, strong performance, and solid built-in ad blocking.
It feels fast, focused, and doesn’t get in the way. That combination matters more to me than having every possible feature.
I’ve been using it for about a year, and it’s the first browser that has stuck.
Vim-Style Browsers
I also experimented with keyboard-centric, Vim-inspired browsers like qutebrowser, vieb, and vimb.
These are fun to use and can be very efficient once you get used to them.
But they come with trade-offs in compatibility and usability. I enjoyed using them, especially vieb, but I wouldn’t consider them practical for everyday use.
Conclusion
Right now, my setup is Helium with the Vimium extension.
That combination gives me:
- Strong ad blocking
- Good performance
- Keyboard-driven navigation when I want it
It’s not perfect, but it’s the closest I’ve gotten to a setup that actually feels right.