Common questions

Which browser is best for privacy?
Depends how far you want to go. Tor Browser and Mullvad Browser are built for anonymity but break some sites; LibreWolf and Brave harden a lot while staying usable every day. The quiz weighs how much breakage you'll tolerate before ranking them.
What are the serious alternatives to Chrome?
Keeping the engine and your extensions: Brave, Vivaldi, Thorium or ungoogled-chromium. Leaving Google's engine entirely: Firefox, LibreWolf or Zen.
What's the lightest browser?
On old desktop hardware, NetSurf, Dillo and Falkon stay comfortable where Chrome gives up. In a terminal, Lynx and w3m run on anything with a prompt.
Why do all iPhone browsers feel the same?
Apple requires every iOS browser to use its WebKit engine, so on an iPhone they differ in features and sync — not in speed or site compatibility.
How does the ranking work?
Your answers set weights across 22 criteria; every browser carries a 0–3 score on each. Multiply, sum, sort. Your devices are the only hard filter, and nobody pays for placement.

What could you want from a browser?

Every feature worth wanting, and the browsers that have it. Click a name for details.

Who begat whom

Almost every browser is a fork of something. Trace the lineages — drag to look around, click any browser for details.

Every browser we know

Mainstream, hardened, hackable, half-forgotten — the whole catalogue.

ELinks

The comfortable terminal browser.

ELinks (own) open source TerminalLinuxmacOSWindows

The most 'full-featured' of the text browsers: menus, tabs, colors, forms, background downloads, and Lua scripting — all in your terminal.

Why it shines

  • Tabs and menus in a TUI
  • Color rendering and mouse support
  • Lua/Guile scripting

Worth knowing

  • No JavaScript (or extremely limited)
  • Development moves slowly

Origins

ELinks belongs to The independents — descended from Own engines.

Does well

Alternatives

Lynx

The eldest browser still breathing.

Lynx (own) open source

w3m

The terminal browser that renders tables.

w3m (own) open source

NetSurf

A featherweight with its very own engine.

NetSurf (own) open source

Dillo

Runs on a potato.

Dillo (own) open source

Is it the right one for you? The quiz will tell you.

Take the quiz → Visit ELinks