Apple customers is usually a fairly loyal bunch, usually sticking to Apple-branded {hardware} and apps whereas giving third-party options the chilly shoulder. However generally it’s price wanting exterior the walled backyard. For instance, Google Chrome is immensely standard, taking the lion’s share of the worldwide browser market and dominating the competitors. That’s not with out good motive, and for those who’ve faithfully caught with Safari over time, you is perhaps inquisitive about what Chrome has to supply.
The reply, it seems, is quite a bit. From an in depth arsenal of extensions to speedy safety updates, there are many the explanation why Safari customers ought to contemplate switching to Google’s browser:
Chrome has higher extension help
Extensions are the lifeblood of an internet browser, serving to to boost its capabilities in methods far past the same old capabilities. If there’s some form of additional performance you need to add to your browser, likelihood is there’s an extension that may assist you get it.
Chrome’s market dominance in PCs means it’s the primary browser that extension builders construct their net instruments for. In response to Chrome-Stats.com, there have been virtually 156,000 extensions within the Chrome Internet Retailer as of April, and whereas Apple doesn’t publicly disclose the variety of Safari extensions in existence, the quantity is prone to be a lot decrease as a result of smaller market share Safari has versus Chrome. You’ll be able to simply take a look at the respective shops and see that you just’re spoiled with choices in Chrome in comparison with different browsers.
After all, you don’t precisely want all 156,000 of these extensions to be operating in your Chrome browser directly, however the sheer variety of choices means there’s a larger probability of discovering the extension that modifications your shopping life.
Chrome syncs throughout all units and platforms
Top-of-the-line elements of proudly owning Apple units is the way in which all of them combine seamlessly with one another by way of iCloud. That’s mirrored within the Safari browser, which shares tabs and bookmarks throughout your units. For example, for those who’re studying a web page in Safari in your iPhone, an icon will pop up in your Mac’s Dock that permits you to open that tab in your laptop.
Chrome doesn’t supply that performance but, however it arguably has one thing higher: cross-platform syncing. It doesn’t matter for those who’re utilizing iOS, Android, macOS, Home windows, Linux, or anything – so long as you’ve acquired Chrome put in in your units and check in together with your Google account, you may sync your tabs, bookmarks, and extra throughout them.
That makes Chrome way more versatile for individuals who aren’t completely all-in on the Apple ecosystem. So, for those who’re operating a Home windows PC at work however shopping Chrome on an iPhone at residence, or need to ship a tab out of your Android system to your Mac, Chrome enables you to do it with ease.
Dave Parrack / Foundry
Chrome is built-in with Google’s different providers
It ought to come as no shock that Chrome works extraordinarily nicely with Google’s different services, providing you with a fast and simple method to make use of web sites like Google Drive, YouTube and Google Search with out a lot effort.
Register to Chrome and it’ll sync all of your bookmarks and tabs for you. It’ll additionally robotically signal you in to Google’s different providers, making it a bit of simpler to get began with them. In addition to that, for those who allow the Internet & App Exercise choice in Chrome’s settings, it’ll use your Chrome historical past to personalize what you get elsewhere, together with content material suggestions and tailor-made search outcomes primarily based on what Google has discovered about you.
This will likely be extra interesting to you for those who use numerous Google providers. For those who do, Chrome could make the expertise a bit of smoother.
Chrome will get quicker updates
On the subject of patches and bug fixes, Google works in a short time. It’s common to discover a new replace has been launched each few days, and these are essential to repair bugs and safety vulnerabilities that would trigger issues in the event that they’re exploited.
In addition to that, Chrome can be commonly up to date with new options all year long. So you may count on a gradual stream of latest instruments that make Chrome higher.
Apple takes a extra measured strategy with Safari. Whereas it’s additionally fast to launch safety updates, they’re tied to bigger macOS updates, so recognized vulnerabilities can persist for weeks earlier than they’re patched. And new options arrive on a a lot slower cadence. Most new additions come yearly at Apple’s Worldwide Builders Convention, with solely very occasional new options arriving all year long. And people, too, are tied to common macOS updates and don’t arrive as rapidly.
Chrome’s reminiscence administration isn’t all dangerous
Chrome may need a nasty repute as a reminiscence hog, however it’s gotten lots higher lately. For one, reminiscence use isn’t as a lot of a difficulty now that every one new Macs run Apple silicon chips and begin at 16GB of RAM, however even when you have an older machine, Chrome affords a number of instruments to maintain valuable RAM assets free.
Over within the Chrome settings, there’s a characteristic known as Reminiscence Saver that provides you management over background tabs. There are three choices—Reasonable, Balanced, and Most—with essentially the most excessive shutting down exercise after a shorter time period. You can even monitor your reminiscence utilization for every tab and whitelist sure websites in order that they’ll all the time be allowed to remain energetic.
Chrome has extra customization choices
Over time, Apple has been slowly including customization options to Safari, together with the choice for a number of profiles and permitting modifications to the format of tabs and different interface parts. However regardless of these advances, Chrome nonetheless has the sting right here.
Google’s browser affords all types of themes and color choices to select from. Higher but, these are constructed into the browser, so there’s no want to seek out and obtain them elsewhere. After all, you may obtain themes from exterior the browser as nicely, for those who like.
Safari enables you to transfer the tab bar round, show the Standing Bar, and extra, however it’s nothing near what you get with Chrome. For some individuals, which may not matter, however Chrome positively provides you way more freedom to make the browser your individual.
Chrome is extra personal than you suppose
OK, that is going to be a contentious one, as Chrome doesn’t precisely have a stellar report in relation to privateness (I truly use Firefox as my primary browser, largely as a result of privateness is most vital to me). However whereas Chrome definitely lags behind the likes of Safari and Firefox in relation to defending your knowledge, it’s not a complete write-off.
There are just a few methods you may enhance the state of affairs. For instance, there are many privacy-preserving extensions accessible in Chrome, equivalent to uBlock Origin Lite, Ghostery, Privateness Badger, and extra. These can block the adverts and trackers that Chrome lets by way of by default.
Joel Lee / Foundry
What in regards to the knowledge that Chrome itself collects on you? In spite of everything, it’s Google’s enterprise mannequin to promote knowledge on its prospects to advertisers. Right here, Chrome has some privateness settings that may assist you rein issues in. Contained in the Chrome settings, you’ll discover toggles to show off issues like advert subjects and adverts measurement that may restrict (in principle) how a lot knowledge Chrome can acquire. You can even take a tour of the choices within the Privateness Information part of Chrome’s settings.Granted, you’re by no means going to have the ability to get the type of pro-privacy expertise that you’ll from Safari, so for those who’re involved about your knowledge, you must persist with Safari or Firefox, which supply way more built-in protections. That stated, you’ve acquired just a few choices if you wish to persist with Google’s providing.
Chrome will get an superior Safari characteristic in iOS 26
iOS 26 isn’t coming till the autumn, however it brings a serious characteristic that was beforehand solely accessible to Safari customers: autofilling safety codes. Safari customers know the comfort nicely: When a web site asks for a multi-factor authentication code, the browser robotically grabs it from Mail or Messages and fills it in with a click on. In iOS 26, that may now not be restricted to Apple’s browser—it’s coming to Chrome and different third-party browsers too. And what’s extra, you may even get codes from the Gmail app now, too.
