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Browser speed comparison

Published July 24th, 2006 5:14 PM EDT By Daniel Goldman

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

But how fast are they really?

I’ve mentioned this site before on Opera Watch, but it has been a while, plus Opera 9 was added to the test.

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

View the test results.

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12 Comments

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  1. 1 Sohil Jul 24th, 2006 at 7:10 pm
    using Opera Opera 9.00 on Windows Windows XP

    I’d love to have seen Firefox with Fasterfox tweaks on and 1.0 version of Camino.

    Quite an interesting read.

  2. 2 fanboy Jul 24th, 2006 at 7:38 pm
    using Unknown browser

    speed is important, but so is compatibility and rendering, some sites still fail in opera horribly.

  3. 3 GT500 Jul 24th, 2006 at 8:37 pm
    using Opera Opera 9.01 on Linux Linux

    I’ve always liked their speed tests…

    I think Opera 9 scored higher than it should have, though. Unless the latest weekly build was being tested. Opera lost a bit of speed between 8.5 and 9.0 (should be seeing most of it back in 9.01).

  4. 4 breun Jul 25th, 2006 at 9:12 am
    using Opera Opera 9.00 on Mac OS Mac OS X

    They used Opera 9 preview 1 and apparently during the tests OS X Tiger was still a preview release.

    /me runs Opera 9 final on OS X Tiger final. :)

  5. 5 FataL Jul 25th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
    using Opera Opera 9.01 on Windows Windows XP

    For me all browsers (especially Opera) have reasonable speed on daily use pages and applications. I only need improved compatibility.

  6. 6 Darken Jul 25th, 2006 at 7:47 pm
    using Opera Opera 9.01 on Windows Windows XP

    Opera rocks with latest weeklies builds. Same speed under Windows and Linux.

    Nice test comparaison! :)

  7. 7 Meh Jul 26th, 2006 at 4:23 pm
    using Mozilla Mozilla 1.7.5 on Windows Windows XP

    speed is important, but so is compatibility and rendering, some sites still fail in opera horribly.

    Correction: Some sites still discriminate against Opera. Opera is plenty compatible enough.

  8. 8 Yahia Jul 29th, 2006 at 3:40 pm
    using Opera Opera 9.00 on Windows Windows XP

    If some or many websites fail on Opera, it means that they aren’t done the standards way.

    And that should in no way be Opera’s problem.

  9. 9 Wastelander Aug 13th, 2006 at 10:04 am
    using Opera Opera 9.01 on Windows Windows XP

    in Opera gmail gmal chat is not working :(

  10. 10 game Sep 11th, 2006 at 7:39 pm
    using Opera Opera 9.01 on Windows Windows XP

    Gmail chat isn’t working because of Opera, but because of Google…

  11. 11 introzip Apr 13th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
    using Opera Opera 9.10 on Windows Windows XP

    Currently i use Opera 9.10
    It has fixed Yahoo mail button compatibily such as mark as read/ unread button.
    I also like faster view of back/forward button, integrated download accelarator and IRC chat menu.
    Keep rocking, Opera !

  12. 12 IcyStorM Apr 22nd, 2007 at 6:47 am
    using Opera Opera 9.20 on Windows Windows XP

    Opera is simply the best :)

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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