Best Browser For Windows 11

Windows 11 comes with a decent browser, Microsoft Edge. It is light, fast, and secure. The revamped Edge browser is easy to use, has a lot of customization options, and comes with an easy-to-understand privacy and security policy. You also get three modes of tracking prevention modes that are Basic, Balanced, and Strict. 

However, you can always switch to another browser if Edge doesn’t have what you’re looking for or you just want to try a new style. Either way, we’ve scoured the web and tried dozens of browsers to help you find the right one for you. 

So, here are some of our recommendations for the best browser for Windows 11. 

What to Look for in the Best Browser for Windows 11

The perfect browser is a combination of all essentials, like privacy, speed, and performance. But, you can choose the single best browser for you depending on one highlighting factor and your needs.

  • Gaming: Browsers for gaming purposes tend to be faster, consume less RAM, and have many unique features. 
  • Privacy: Browsers that focus on privacy concerns monitor and control ads and trackers to keep your data safe. Some browsers may also provide additional features to prevent malicious threats.
  • Speed: These types of browsers are lightweight and focus mostly on loading webpages quickly. Such browsers are best suited for work purposes. 
  • Personalization: Browsers that focus on personalization allow a variety of customization tools that unleash your creativity. 

Which is the Best Browser for Windows 11?

There is an overwhelming amount of browsers on the market. So, we’ve narrowed down our picks to the best five to save you time. Here are some of the competitive browsers you can try: 

Brave – Best Browser for Privacy 

If you want a browser that respects your privacy and also minimizes the overwhelming amount of ads on the web, Brave is for you. This Chromium-based browser helps keep your online data safe by blocking ads that can track and invade your personal data. As a result, your PC is likely to be safer from any online threats, such as malware. 
brave browser

What adds to the privacy factor is that Brave lets users use the reputed browser engine, Tor. Brave makes your surfing experience better by never playing a pre-roll ad when using YouTube. Additionally, it claims to be three times faster than Chrome and also relatively consumes less battery. 

Another compelling feature of the Brave browser is Brave Rewards. It’s completely free and users who are a part of it get to earn crypto tokens for viewing certain privacy-preserving ads. On average, there’s a chance you can earn up to 4 crypto tokens monthly. 

Pros:

  • Curated Ads 
  • Tracker and ad blockers
  • Crypto tokens
  • Speed
  • Enhanced Privacy
Cons:

  • Personalized Ad Revenue System
  • Loss for Content Creators
  • Consumes a lot of RAM
  • Some features are not yet official.

Opera GX – Best Gaming Browser 

If you want a browser that’s great for gaming as well as other aspects, Opera GX is a good option. Opera GX has many attractive features and customization tools. You can choose how the browser operates for you. 

With the GX Control feature, you can set a limit on how much RAM, CPU, and network usage the browser consumes. Doing so will make sure it doesn’t become heavy for your PC. 
GC control cleaner ad blocker

As soon as you install Opera GX, you can add browser sounds and background music as well. For easy access, you can add social media apps, like Messenger, Twitter, and Instagram to the left sidebar. The GX cleaner feature helps get rid of unnecessary files and optimizes performance. 

You also get fewer ads with the built-in ad blocker and view restricted content with the built-in VPN. However, using the VPN feature can slow down your network connection. 

Pros:

  • Less RAM usage due to GX Control
  • Fun customization tools
  • Better Speed
  • Quick access to social media 
  • Built-in VPN
Cons:

  • Overwhelming UI Design 
  • Sometimes network speed is compromised.
  • Common minor lags

Mozilla Firefox – Best Lightweight Browser 

If you want a very light browser that doesn’t take up much resources on your PC, Firefox is the best option for you. You can use this browser to boost your productivity as any website loads instantly every time. But besides that, Firefox is also good at other aspects, like security, privacy, extension support, and customization options. 

If you often use Incognito mode, Firefox is relatively a better choice since its Incognito mode is more secure than other browsers. 

Pros:

  • Advanced security features 
  • Wide variety of extensions
  • Clean UI design
Cons:

  • High RAM usage
  • Common download errors
  • Difficulty reading HTML5

Chrome – One of the Fastest Browsers

Google’s very own browser, Chrome, has been around for the longest time, and yet it is one of the most loved browsers. It’s very easy to use due to the Google Account Integration, especially if you’re most active on your Google accounts. In this way, all your data is synced seamlessly. 

Chrome offers a huge extension library due to the Chrome Web Store and options to save your passwords and manage bookmarks. You can make Chrome your own since it has a ton of customization options and updated themes. Additionally, you can now even use Chrome’s Dark Mode if you want to prevent eye strain. 

Pros:

  • Better Speed
  • Cross-Platform browser
  • Unlimited options for extensions and add-ons
  • Simple UI design
  • Seamless Integration with Google Apps
Cons:

  • Your browsing data may not be secure.
  • Considerable amount of RAM usage
  • Increased power usage

Vivaldi – Best Browser for Customization

If you want a new browser that you can customize to the fullest, we recommend trying out Vivaldi. With this browser, you get to choose how your browser looks and operates. You can assign the location of your tabs and address bar. You can also choose where you want the browser tabs to show. 

What’s fun about Vivaldi is that you get access to exclusive, unique themes. Not only that, but you can even design your own theme, which takes the personalization factor to another level. vivaldi theme editor

Besides, you also get privacy-focused features, like the non-tracking search tool in Privacy mode. Similarly, you also get additional security features, like adblocker, tracker blocker, and more. 

You can have a more productive experience browsing with Vivaldi due to the new updates, like the Break Mode, Notes, and Manager. The Web Panels feature allows you to save your frequently-visited websites in one desired location of the browser for easy, quick access.  

Pros:

  • Wide range of customization options
  • Exclusive tools and features
  • Balanced UI design
  • Privacy and Security features
Cons:

  • Might consume high RAM usage
  • Tab management options might seem confusing to some.

Our Verdict – Which Browser to Choose? 

We’re in love with how browsers have advanced and come a long way. But with the evolving risk of data safety, our priority is the privacy factor. So, our choice would be Brave. However, we also love to alternate between the browsers for a better experience. So, sometimes we tend to switch to Chrome or Opera GX for further customizable options. 

When using a new browser, we like to use premium VPNs for added security. 

Which Browsers Should I Avoid?

It’s very common for hackers to use a browser as a medium to attack your personal data. So, it’s always best to be cautious when installing a new browser. Firstly, check the reviews, research the developer team, and look for the ratings. 

If a browser is not much popular and seems to have low ratings or fewer reviews, chances are it’s malicious. One such browser that unleashes viruses and manipulates your data is the Wave browser. So, we recommend staying safe from such browsers. 

How Do I Protect My Browser From Malware?

Although it’s tricky to guarantee that you can take some actions to be safe from viruses permanently, here are some preventive measures to try: 

  • Do not install suspicious extensions. 
  • Do not click on pop-up links or ads. 
  • Do not use suspicious VPNs. 
  • Remove saved passwords from the browser. 
  • Turn off autofill passwords. 
  • Do not click on Accept Cookies for random websites. 
  • Regularly clear browser cache. 
  • Update your browser on time. 

How to Change the Default Browser in Windows 11?

If you want to make your new browser your default one, here is one of many ways to do so: 

We’re using the Vivaldi browser as default for demonstration. 

  1. Open your new browser and go to the Settings area. 
  2. Go to General
  3. Below the Default browser section, click on Set as Defaultset-default-browser

Note: Some settings may have different names depending on the browser. However, the ‘Set as Default’ option is usually easy to find under the first settings.