I often get asked by my customers which internet browser should I use
I have run a series of tests relating to security, usability, compatibility and speed and the table below shows the results:-
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
|
Google Chrome |
Internet Explorer |
Firefox |
Opera
|
Microsoft Edge |
|
Version tested |
53.0.2785.116 |
11.1000.14926.0 |
49.0 |
40.0.2308.62 |
39.14926.1000.0 |
Bank supported browsers
(Banks checked = Barclays, Natwest, RBS, Lloyds, TSB, Halifax, Santander, Sainsburys, Tesco, Nationwide and HSBC) |
All banks checked support this browser |
All banks checked support this browser |
All banks checked support this browser |
Santander, Sainsburys, Nationwide, HSBC and Tesco don’t support this browser |
At the time of writing no banks have yet confirmed support for this browser |
Adobe Flash Player support - used on various websites for interactive content and videos |
YES - Built In |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES - Built In |
Java support - used on various websites for interactive content, games, 3D images and much more |
NO * |
YES |
YES |
YES |
NO |
Silverlight support - used on lots of websites to show rich multimedia content such as streaming media and animation |
NO * |
YES |
YES |
NO |
NO |
Adobe Reader support - used on websites to allow you to view PDF content online |
YES - Built In |
YES |
YES |
YES |
YES - Built In |
Block phishing links - these are links often sent in emails pretending to be your bank or other companies you deal with, trying to obtain your personal details by making you think it is the real website |
2/2 blocked |
2/2 blocked |
1/2 blocked |
0/2 blocked |
2/2 blocked |
Blocking download of dangerous files – tried to download a file containing a virus - to see if it allows you to download it or warns you that it may be unsafe |
YES |
YES |
NO |
NO |
YES |
AVG - compatibility with security features they offer |
YES |
YES |
YES |
NO |
NO |
Norton - compatibility with security features they offer |
YES |
YES |
YES |
NO |
NO |
HTML5 - compatibility with the latest standards used for creating websites - tests run from http://html5test.com/ |
499 / 555 = 90% |
312 / 555 = 56%
|
465 / 555 = 84% |
496 / 555 = 89% |
458 / 555 = 83% |
Security Tests - runs a series of security tests that measure whether the browser supports JavaScript API's that allow safe interactions between sites, and whether it follows industry best practices for blocking harmful interactions between sites - tests run from |
16 / 17 |
15 / 17
|
15 / 17 |
16 / 17 |
15 / 17 |
Speed Test - runs various tests to ascertain the speed of the browser - tests run from |
4970 |
3143 |
4960 |
4155 |
3221 |
