Goodbye, Chrome: A Normal Person’s Guide to Alternative Browsers

Your browser is your gateway to the internet. It knows every website you visit, every search you make and often every form you fill out. For most people, that gateway is controlled by Google Chrome, which commands over 60% of the browser market and serves as a massive data collection tool for the world’s largest advertising company.

If you’re looking to reduce your dependence on Google’s ecosystem, switching browsers is often one of the easiest and most impactful changes you can make. In contrast to some other apps, the alternatives looked at here offer a nearly identical web-surfing experience without major compromises.

This guide covers what other browsers are out there, how to choose one and potential pitfalls to avoid.

Why Switch from Chrome?

Before diving into the alternatives, it’s worth understanding what you’re moving away from if you use Chrome as your browser:

Data collection: Chrome tracks your browsing habits, search history and online behavior to build detailed profiles for Google’s advertising business.

Integration lock-in: Chrome’s tight integration with Google services makes it harder to use alternatives to Gmail, Google Drive and other Google products.

Resource usage: Chrome is notoriously memory-hungry, often slowing down older computers or devices with limited RAM.

Google’s control: As web standards evolve, Google’s dominance means they increasingly influence how the internet works, potentially stifling innovation and competition. Which leads right into the next point…

Manifest V3: Google’s recent changes to browser extensions will limit the effectiveness of ad blockers and privacy tools - affecting all browsers that use Chrome-based extensions

The Browser Landscape: Your Options

First, let’s take a look at the two most common browsers out there besides Chrome: There is Microsoft’s Edge browser, which comes standard on all Windows PCs, and Apple’s Safari browser, which is standard on all Apple devices. Together with Chrome, these three browsers account for roughly 90% of all browser usage worldwide.

These two are modestly better than Chrome when it comes to privacy, with Safari being the most private of this data-leaking bunch. But you didn’t come here for these three. So: What else is out there?

The list of alternative browsers is rather long, so in order to narrow the playing field somewhat, I am going to limit the alternatives listed to those that are compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. Moreover, I will limit this list to browsers I have actually used. There are many more browsers out there, so if none of these are scratching that itch - fear not. Your dream browser is out there somewhere…

With that criteria in mind, here are the 5 alternative browsers we will be taking a closer look at:

• Firefox, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi and Waterfox

If this shorter list also sounds like a lot to sort through - no worries. The main thing to know is this: Anything that isn’t Chrome, Edge or Safari gets you out of the Big Tech ecosphere and is already a substantial win for data privacy. Any one of these 5 browsers will get the job done. The differences between them is mostly negligible and primarily a matter of personal preference.

Ready to make the switch? Let’s take a quick tour of your options.

Firefox

Mozilla’s open-source browser has been the primary alternative to the Big 3 (Chrome, Safari, Edge) for years, offering strong privacy features and extensive customization.

Brave

Built on Chromium but strips out Google’s tracking, Brave blocks ads and trackers by default while offering optional cryptocurrency rewards.

Opera

A long-standing browser known for being less resource-intensive than many other options while being highly customizable.

Vivaldi

A feature-rich browser created by former Opera developers, focusing on customization and power-user features.

Waterfox

A Firefox fork that emphasizes privacy, legacy extension support, and user control over their browsing experience.

Of these 5 browsers, I have extensively used Vivaldi, Brave, Firefox and Waterfox (Opera just wasn’t my thing). I could easily switch to any one of these 4 again and would not regret my choice. I currently use Waterfox as my main browser due to it being based on Firefox’s non-Chromium engine and its enhanced privacy features. It also seemed to work better on my Linux PC than some of the others I tried.

Making the Switch: A Step-by-Step Guide

Now that you have made your choice, it’s time to make the switch. Before diving in, though, here is something to keep in mind:

Phase 1: Choose and Install

1. Pick your new browser and download it from official sources - Always get browsers directly from their official websites
2. Install it alongside your previous browser initially - Keep Chrome/Edge/Safari during the transition period (and perhaps beyond - more on that further down)

Phase 2: Import Your Data

Most browsers can import your bookmarks, passwords, and browsing history from other browsers:

1. Bookmarks: All the sites you’ve saved can be automatically copied over into the new browser
2. Passwords: It is generally recommended to use an external password manager, but if you do use your browser as your password manager, don’t forget to tick this box!
3. Extensions: Depending on what your previous browser was and which one you are replacing it with, you may be able to directly copy over any browser extensions used
4. Settings: It is also often possible to copy over certain settings, such as your preferred homepage, search engine and basic privacy settings

Phase 3: Configure Privacy Settings

Each browser has different privacy options, so you’ll have to do some exploring to get your bearings at first.

1. As an initial step, change your default search engine to something other than Google.
   Further recommended steps would be:
2. Making sure the “Do Not Track” option is enabled
3. Turning on other tracking protection features

Phase 4 (optional): Setup Syncing Across Devices

If you use your browser on multiple devices (PC, phone, tablet), syncing allows you to share your settings, bookmarks and more with each device. In other words, you only need to setup one device and the others follow suit.

To enable this feature, you usually need to sign up for an account. Usually it only requires an email address and a username/password. This feature can be a real time saver for those with several devices.

Phase 5: Extensions

Install key extensions for security and functionality:

• Ad blocker: uBlock Origin, AdBlock Plus, Stands and Ghostery are all solid choices here
• Password manager: If you use an external password manager, there is usually a corresponding browser extension for it (Bitwarden, 1Password, Proton Pass, etc.)
• Other privacy tools: Consider extensions like Decentraleyes or Privacy Badger
• Customize: It’s your browser - make it your own!

Degoogle Progress Achieved!

And voila! You’ve degoogled your browser and gained some serious privacy benefits at the same time.

Want to keep that momentum going? Check out one of these articles:

• Gmail to Proton Migration Guide
• WhatsApp Alternatives
• Windows Privacy Guide

For further comparisons on browser privacy, see https://privacytests.org/