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Web browser used for exploring the internet

Web browser used for exploring the internet

Vote: (861 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Google

Version: 120.0.6099.234

Works under: Mac

Also available for Windows Android

Vote:

Program license

(861 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

Google

120.0.6099.234

Works under:

Also available for

Mac

Windows Android

Pros

  • A very quick and lightweight browser
  • Has a ton of free plugins and extensions
  • The ideal compatible browser to use with other Google tech options
  • Pages load very quickly

Cons

  • This version only works on Intel-based Macs
  • Might have to manually download Flash

One of the world’s lightest and most powerful web browsers, that’s entirely free to download and will work on most any machine

An Overview of Chrome

Since the days of dialup Internet with painfully slow MSN and IE browsers in their infancy, we have come a very long way. There are dozens of web browsers out there now, competing for your attention by each new company creating something faster, lighter and more stable. Though perhaps no web browser in recent memory has had quite the impact of Google Chrome.

Chrome, as it’s simply known, is a high-speed browser option created by Google that’s free to download and use forever. One of its best selling points is that it plugged up all of those memory links that Firefox made famous, so you get a browser that’s much more stable and capable of running a lot more tabs and plugins without bogging down and crashing.

This browser is so popular and pervasive that it can work on practically any OS platform under the sun, whether for mobile or full-sized computing. However, this download option in particular deals only with the Chrome browser for the Mac OS. The Mac version will not be compatible with Windows, or vice versa.

What Chrome Is and What It Does

Google Chrome is a web browser, of course, but it can also be described as so much more than that. Since it’s a piece of Google tech, it was the ideal browser to use for running things like Hangout rooms for live streaming, gaming, etc. It also runs with a very light footprint. In a side-by-side comparison, with the same links open in the same tabs, Chrome used far less RAM than competition like Mozilla and it still wins out today in a wide range of competitive categories.

Even essential video players like Flash run better with fewer problems on Chrome. It manages to keep better track of web downloads, has a lot more plugins users can take advantage of, and now has the distinction of being one of the most-used browsers in the world, since a version of Chrome is available for almost every computing device sold. Chrome’s market share is enormous.

Of course, just because it’s popular doesn’t make it good. What makes Chrome a solid browser is everything that it provides, like a lighter, faster user experience with far less bugs, and hardly any forced updates, like you find with Firefox.

Features of Chrome

One of the first features people will notice about Chrome is that it uses tabbed browsing. This spreads out your open pages while using a lot less memory. Another cool feature is its “Favorites” feature. Instead of shoving them into a folder that’s a pain to access, Chrome pins the links right at the top of the browser, so you can easily see them and arrange them per your liking.

Chrome also has a wide catalog of extensions and plugins, like pop-up ad blockers, video downloaders, and so much more. Most of these extensions are free to download and use. Even something that used to be as memory-intensive as JavaScript runs smoother on Chrome, and you won’t have to waste time granting your browser special permissions to operate. It’s a reliable, quick, light browser that boasts a lot more features than many others out there.

Pros and Cons of Chrome

Pros

  • A very quick and lightweight browser
  • Has a ton of free plugins and extensions
  • The ideal compatible browser to use with other Google tech options
  • Pages load very quickly

Cons

  • This version only works on Intel-based Macs
  • Might have to manually download Flash

Other software to consider