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Browser speed comparison

Published February 10th, 2005 8:24 AM EST By Daniel Goldman

With the browser war in full swing, again, browsers are competing on many fronts; security, standards support, features and speed. Most people are aware of which major browser fails on three of these, but one of them is still open for grabs. Speed.

Many organizations and users try to claim that their browser is the fastest. Opera claims it is “The Fastest Browser on Earth!”. Mozilla claims “Firefox 1.0 empowers you to browse faster”. Apple’s Safari claims “Safari loads pages more quickly than any other Mac web browser”.

HowToCreate ran various speed tests on browsers for the Linux, Mac, and Windows platforms. The results are quiet impressive for Opera 8.0.

View complete results.

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  1. 1 vic Mar 1st, 2005 at 4:41 pm

    Good to know that Opera is the fastest, but which browser is the most stable? This would be interesting to test as well? I use Opera because of the features (v7.54), but Quite a few sites still crash or freeze Opera, so I have to back it up with IE and Firefox.

  2. 2 Anonymous Jun 26th, 2005 at 9:34 pm

    Vic, I think that (almost always) it is not Opera’s fault that the pages are messing up and/or crashing/freezing. It is the site and its coding that causes it. I found this site after downloading Opera only yesterday and browsing around a bit. I helps to explain what’s going on. Other pages go into more depth.

    I also found that study about the Browser speed comparison and after some rough comparisons myself, I’m vowing to try to use Opera as much as possible from now on. This is from an avid Firefox user… or previously avid Firefox user.

    I’ve already written to four sites (big budget corporate ones) asking them to make their sites work in Opera. That’s just today. Maybe this user-request way is the only way that web-designers will start to make Opera-compatible websites.

    We can always hope! :) Michelle

    p.s., yes, I keep Firefox as a backup to be able to see sites that have not seen the light!

  3. 3 The Practical Idealist Oct 10th, 2005 at 8:06 am

    And vic, you should probably upgrade to v8.x - Opera rocks, really!

  4. 4 wrtlprnft Jul 25th, 2006 at 1:26 am
    using Opera Opera 9.00 on Linux Linux

    I think the test got a bit unfair now :(
    Neither Firefox 1.5, nor the beta versions of Firefox 2 and IE 7 are in there, so the brand new Opera 9 is competing against a lot of old stuff
    And warm start time on Linux got far worse with Opera 9, it seems.

    From a happy user of Opera 9 who likes its features and speed :)

  5. 5 Eddie Jul 25th, 2006 at 9:26 am
    using Opera Opera 9.01 on Windows Windows XP

    wrtlprnft-

    At the end, the author states that major releases will be added eventually, but betas are not tested.

    I don’t think that’s unfair at all not to use betas

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Opera Watch, an Opera browser blog, is run by Daniel Goldman, who used to work for Opera Software as a Technical Evangelist.

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About Opera


Q: What is Opera?
A: Opera is one of the most powerful Web browsers around. A Web browser is the program that allows you to view Web pages. Opera is well known for innovation for PC browsers and bringing the full web to mobile phones and devices.

Q: Is Opera free?
A: Absolutely free.

Q: Why should I download a browser? Doesn't my computer already come with one for free?
A: It's about getting more out of the time you spend on the internet. Opera is designed to be much faster than these browsers and gives you powerful features that the default browser lacks. Default browsers like Internet Explorer are also more likely to be subjected to dangerous software such as viruses and spyware.

Q: Will Opera keep me safe from fraudulent websites and malicious hackers?
A: According to Secunia, a respected firm that tracks security in browsers, Opera has the best reputation and track record when it comes to browser security. Keeping our users safe from security vulnerabilities, fraudulent websites, and malicious hackers is a top priority for Opera. Opera is maintained by hundreds of engineers, developers and security experts who are constantly looking to make the browser even safer.

Q: Doesn't Opera copy all of their features from other browsers?
A: Absolutely not. In fact, many of the features that are popular in other browsers today were invented and pioneered by Opera a long time ago. Opera invented the precursor to tabs (in 1994), Page Zoom (1994), was the first browser to block pop-up ads (2000), first to add a Search field in the browser toolbar (2000), Sessions (1996), deleting private data (2000), Mouse Gestures (2000), User JavaScript (2005), BitTorrent support (2005), Widgets (2006), Speed Dial (2007), and much more.

Q: Does Opera support extensions, such as those found in Firefox?
A: Much of the functionality provided through Firefox extensions is already built directly into Opera, so you don't have to download additional extensions in Opera. In addition, Opera is highly customizable and supports all standard plug-ins.

Q: Can I also use Opera on my mobile phone?
A: Yes. And your Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS or almost any connected device and mobile phones. Opera Mobile oftens comes preinstalled from the manufacturers, but if it doesn't you can install Opera Mini which runs on nearly all phones.

Q: This all sounds great, so how do I download Opera?
A: -- Opera on your computer
-- Opera Mini on your phone
-- Opera Mobile on your phone
-- or learn more about Opera at www.opera.com