6 Best Browsers That Won’t Drain Your Mac’s Battery
7 min. read
Updated on
Share this article
Improve this guide
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial team Read more
Key notes
- Battery life efficiency is critical but often decreases with increased browser functionality.
- The Safari browser is an excellent fit for the Mac OS for power efficiency and other functions.
- You can improve battery time, by tweaking browser functions, like disabling background tabs, for example.
Here we will discuss the best browser options for Mac battery life, but before we go into details it is important to note the evolutions of browsers.
In the early 90s, most browsers were only capable of displaying static content. That meant that today’s rich data types would have been wasted on the early browsers.
However over the years, a lot has changed, and there has been great progress in the browser industry. Browsers are real powerhouses now, capable of performing incredible tasks such as video streaming and gaming.
The downside to this evolution is that they have become very resource-intensive. They now take up much more memory space and require more processing power than ever. These downsides also take a toll on the battery of your machines.
Hence to stay longer while running on battery, you must use the most battery-efficient option.
If you use an OS other than Mac OS you will be able to choose from any of the best browsers that use the least battery.
Which browser is the most battery efficient?
You must note that to a wide extent, battery efficiency depends on what tasks you are running. For example, reading text on the web will consume far more battery power than streaming.
This is because while streaming in itself is memory-consuming, it also makes use of other computer hardware, ie, your speakers.
That said, Microsofts Edge has been a great option for battery efficiency, and the good news is that you can install and use it on your Mac computers. Hence, it is about the best browser for battery life.
Does Chrome use a lot of battery on Mac?
Of course, anyone that has had to surf the internet has used Chrome at some point. At initial deployment, battery conservation may not have been its fundamental goal, but with recent updates, it is easily becoming a fast contender for the most efficient battery use.
It gives options to stop Chrome from running in the background which goes a long way to economize on battery use.
Does Firefox use more battery than Safari?
If you are using a Mac, your go-to browser should be Safari. Because it is built specifically for Apple devices, you can expect that it offers the best options for customization and efficiency. This is true even for battery use, as it offers more efficiency on Mac computers.
That said there is not much to tear the two apart and Firefox is always still an energy-efficient option on most computers.
Which browser is best for battery life on Mac?
Opera – Best overall
Opera has been running on the Chromium engine since 2013, which gives the advantage of a very expansive and complete web extension library.
Social and messaging app integration that doesn’t need extensions is among the browser’s most valuable and appealing features. Most major platforms are immediately accessible and may be accessed as required.
Compared to competing browsers like Microsoft Edge and Chrome, it claims to operate up to 35 percent longer on battery saver. This may offer you an additional hour of browsing on your Mac.
We prefer the Opera browser since it has an inbuilt VPN, allowing you to mask IP addresses when necessary.
Additional Features:
- Snapshot tools
- Workspaces
- Ad blocker
Opera
Using Opera’s power-saving mode, you can extend battery life and still get the most of performance and fast browsing.Safari – Extensive content-blocking capabilities
If you have not used another browser before, you’ll probably find other browsers too tricky to master after the Safari browser use becomes second nature. This is because it is significantly different from most browsers in design.
But we love it because it is built with power conservation in mind, especially with its more recent upgrades. It is central to the Mac experience, and on an M1 MacBook, you may get as much as 17 hours of browsing.
Thanks to features like its intelligent tracking prevention and privacy report, it is a pacesetter for privacy on the internet.
You probably will be doing more in this browser than ever before and will fulfill all kinds of tasks, ranging from work and school to entertainment. Its tabs are very compact, lightweight, and modern, and it offers Tab Groups; a whole new way to use tabs.
Additional features:
- Private browsing
- Content blocking
- Password manager
AVG Secure Browser – Encrypted browsing on MacOS
AVG is the most private browser with great compatibility for Mac devices and enhanced security features.
You can primarily use this straightforward UI browse to navigate faster online and preserve your Mac battery life.
The main features of the AVG browser contain privacy guard functionality to block ads or trackers while you navigate on any page.
Another benefit you should know about is the Privacy Cleaner which can erase browsing history and cookies data. Plus, the Hack check will always warn you about phishing threats while you’re online.
Additional features:
- One-click integration with AVG Antivirus and VPN
- Stops tracking scripts
- Mask browser traces
- HTTPS web encryption
AVG Secure Browser
Browsing on this secured engine ensure the Mac battery life optimization.Chrome – Most extensive library
Chrome is a robust Google browser that competes for battery efficiency with Internet Explorer, Safari, and other modern browsers.
To ensure the browser does not hug the battery, you should keep it updated. It also comes with power-saving options, and you will be able to stop it from running in the background if you need more battery time.
Chrome is our favorite browser because it has a simple interface, has robust security features, is fast, and adheres to industry standards. However, it isn’t the fastest browser and may not have some features that some competition provides.
Additional features:
- Visual Browser History
- Browser memory use
- Website tabs manager
Microsoft Edge – Most efficient 3rd party browser
Yes, you are right to think that this is a for Windows browser. It, however, offers seamless compatibility across platforms, including the Mac.
It’s the default Microsoft browser but also one of the most efficient with battery usage. We love it because its efficiency does not come at the cost of speed, as it also is one of the fastest available browsers.
It is a secure and safe browser and will allow you to perform sensitive tasks like financial transactions confidently.
Additionally, you will be able to get the best out of it even when you run into bugs because the browser is regularly updated. This is also a plus for dev teams who will be able to test the most recent browser features.
Additional features:
- Browser sync
- Sleeping tabs
- Tracking prevention
Brave – Most secure
This is a very new browser that takes a different philosophy to the Internet. The browser automatically disables all trackers, allowing you to surf at lightning speed.
Its’ Shields eliminate trackers and every unsolicited advert while giving you a choice to see certain ads via an opt-in method that keeps your data safe.
Compared to Chrome and many other browsers, it outperforms and may extend use on your Mac by an hour on battery in terms of energy usage.
Additional features:
- Custom backgrounds
- Sync/password sync
- Speed reader
There you have it, our list of the best browsers for Mac battery life. Please note that this list has not been made in any particular order, and we expect that your final choice will come down to personal preferences.
That said, Safari is the go-to Mac browser. Still, if you want to experiment with different browsers on its OS, our recommendation will be Opera because of its flexibility and easy integrations.
We hope you find this helpful article. Please drop us your comments and let us know your preferred browser option. Also, most of these are among the best browser choices for Mac M1.
Note that Windows users may also use the Safari browser, and in a few easy steps, they will get solutions if Safari is not working on Windows.
