Windows 11 comes with a decent browser, Microsoft Edge. It is light, fast and secure. The revamped Edge browser is easy to use, has plenty of customization options, and comes with an easy-to-understand privacy and security policy. You also have three tracking prevention modes which 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 the essentials, like privacy, speed, and performance. But, you can choose the best browser for you based on a highlight factor and your needs.

• Games: Browsers intended for gaming tend to be faster, consume less RAM and have many unique features.
• Privacy: Browsers that focus on privacy issues monitor and control ads and trackers to protect your data. Some browsers may also provide additional features to prevent malicious threats.
• The rapidity: These types of browsers are lightweight and mainly focus on fast loading web pages. These browsers are best suited for business purposes.
• Personalization: Customization-focused browsers allow for a variety of customization tools that unleash your creativity.

What is the best browser for Windows 11?

There are an overwhelming amount of browsers on the market. So we’ve narrowed our pick down to the top five to save you time. Here are some of the competing browsers you can try:

Brave – Best Browser for Privacy

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

What adds to the privacy factor is that Brave allows users to use the reputable browser engine, Tor. Brave improves your browsing experience by never serving pre-roll ads when using YouTube. Moreover, it claims to be three times faster than Chrome and consumes relatively less battery.

Another interesting feature of the Brave Browser is Brave Rewards. It is completely free and users who are part of it can earn crypto tokens for viewing certain privacy-preserving ads. On average, there is a chance that you can earn up to 4 crypto tokens per month.

Advantages:

• Selected announcements
• Tracker and ad blockers
• Crypto tokens
• The rapidity
• Improved privacy

The inconvenients:

• 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 great browser for gaming as well as other aspects, Opera GX is a good option. Opera GX has many great features and customization tools. You can choose how the browser works for you.

With the GX Control feature, you can set a limit on the amount of RAM, CPU, and network usage consumed by the browser. This will ensure that it does not become heavy for your PC.

As soon as you install Opera GX, you can also add browser sounds and background music. For easy access, you can add social media apps, like Messenger, Twitter, and Instagram to the left sidebar. The GX cleanup 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 may slow down your network connection.

Advantages:

• Less RAM usage thanks to GX Control
• Fun customization tools
• Better speed
• Quick access to social networks
• Built-in VPN

The inconvenients:

• Overwhelming UI design
• Sometimes network speed is compromised.
• Common Minor Shifts

Mozilla Firefox – Best Lightweight Browser

If you want a very lightweight browser that doesn’t use a lot of 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 in other aspects, like security, privacy, extension support, and customization options.

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

Advantages:

• Advanced Security Features
• Wide variety of extensions
• Clean UI design

The inconvenients:

• High RAM usage
• Common Download Errors
• Difficulty reading HTML5

Chrome – One of the fastest browsers

Google’s own browser, Chrome, has been around for a very long time, and yet it’s one of the most popular browsers around. It is very easy to use thanks to the Google account integration, especially if you are the most active on your Google accounts. This way, all your data is synced seamlessly.

Chrome offers a huge library of extensions through the Chrome Web Store and options to save your passwords and manage bookmarks. You can personalize Chrome as it has a ton of customization options and updated themes. Plus, you can now even use Chrome’s dark mode if you want to avoid eye strain.

Advantages:

• Better speed
• Cross-platform browser
• Unlimited options for extensions and add-ons
• Simple UI design
• Seamless integration with Google Apps

The inconvenients:

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

Vivaldi – Best Browser for Personalization

If you want a new browser that you can customize as much as possible, we recommend giving Vivaldi a try. With this browser, you can choose how your browser looks and works. You can assign the location of your tabs and address bar. You can also choose where you want browser tabs to appear.

The fun thing about Vivaldi is that you get access to exclusive and unique themes. Not only that, but you can even design your own theme, which takes the customization factor to another level.

Besides, you also get privacy-focused features like the no-track search tool in Privacy mode. Likewise, you also get additional security features like ad blocker, tracker blocker, etc.

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

Advantages:

• Wide range of customization options
• Exclusive tools and features
• Balanced UI design
• Privacy and security features

The inconvenients:

• Can consume high RAM usage
• The tab management options may seem confusing to some.

Our verdict – Which browser to choose?

We’re in love with how browsers have evolved and come a long way. But with the evolution of data security risks, our priority is the privacy factor. So our choice would be Brave. However, we also like to switch between browsers for a better experience. So, sometimes we tend to switch to Chrome or Opera GX for more customizable options.

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

What browsers should I avoid?

It is very common for hackers to use a browser as a way to attack your personal data. So it is always best to be careful when installing a new browser. First, check the reviews, find the developer team, and find the ratings.

If a browser isn’t very popular and seems to have low ratings or fewer reviews, chances are it’s malicious. One such browser that releases viruses and manipulates your data is the Wave browser. We therefore recommend that you stay away from such browsers.

How do I protect my browser against malware?

While it’s hard to guarantee that you can take certain steps to permanently protect yourself from viruses, here are some preventive measures to try:

• Do not install suspicious extensions.
• Do not click on links or contextual advertisements.
• Do not use suspicious VPNs.
• Delete saved browser passwords.
• Disable autofill passwords.
• Do not click Accept cookies for random websites.
• Regularly clear the browser cache.
• Update your browser in time.

How to change the default browser in Windows 11?

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

We use the Vivaldi Browser default for demonstration.

1. Open your new browser and navigate to the Settings Region.
2. Go to General.
3. Under the Default browser section, click Define by default.

To note: Some settings may have different names depending on the browser. However, the “Set as default” option is usually easy to find in the first settings.