I use two main applications for work: a web browser and a text editor. I currently rotate between several, but there are benefits to streamlining.
I’d love to settle on one browser. I’m looking for three primary features:
- Stability
- Profiles
- Compatibility
Stability
Stability is the most important feature in a web browser. The app must be rock solid when rendering dozens of windows with heavy processes. (E.g., Figma.)
I’ve stress tested two browsers: Safari and Chrome. Safari on macOS isn’t very stable; I must occasionally quit and restart it to get things working again. Chrome is better, but I recently had a catastrophic failure that required a complete rebuild. So neither is perfect.
But there’s another angle to stability: the app’s market position. I prefer products with a track record and a large ecosystem. Chrome and Firefox are top, although I’m apprehensive about Mozilla’s future. Safari is also a strong contender.
Profiles
Profiles is a feature that lets you create different environments within a single browser. This means easily switching between different sets of logins, cookies, extensions, etc.
As an independent consultant who does lots of contract work, I find profiles invaluable. I use one for my own business and personal email, one for CCA, and one for each of my three long-term clients. Each profile has different logins for Google apps, Figma, Teams, Slack, etc. They use the OS’s notification framework, so I don’t miss things.
All major browsers provide profiles. But the one that does the best job is a smaller player, Arc. I’d switch to it entirely if it wasn’t for the fact it falls down in the next requirement.
Compatibility
Early on in the web’s history, compatibility was an issue. Underlying languages were evolving fast, and websites included banners specifying which browsers they supported. The web standards movement got everyone on the same page (pardon the pun,) so things are better now.
But there are still incompatibilities with complex applications. For example, until recently, Google Meet required Chrome. As the dominant browser, Chrome is the one most developers target. But it isn’t a good macOS citizen (e.g., no Shortcuts or AppleScript) and it kills my battery life. So it’s not as compatible from that perspective.
Cross-platform availability also matters. I want parity between Mac and iPad versions of the browser. Arc has no iPad browser at all. There are iPadOS versions of the other major browsers, but none support profiles.
Bottom line
Currently, Safari is the only browser that ticks all my boxes. It’s fast and compatible enough, and it supports profiles on the iPad. I occasionally fire up Arc, Chrome, or Firefox for special needs. I’m not 100% happy with this setup; I’ll revisit it if a) Safari becomes more stable or b) one of the other browsers implements profiles on the iPad.