Version 100 of Google Chrome will launch within the next few weeks, but even after all of this time, there’s still some room for speeding up the browser. As Google announced today, version 99 of Chrome on macOS manages to score 300 points on the Speedometer benchmark, which was originally developed by Apple’s WebKit team. This, Google points out, is the fastest performance of any browser yet.
Speedometer 2.0 tests for responsiveness, which makes it a good proxy for user experience. It’s been a while since competition in the browser market focused on speed, especially now that most vendors bet on the same Chromium codebase to build their browsers (with the exception of Mozilla’s Firefox and Apple’s WebKit-based Safari). But that doesn’t mean that the various development teams stopped thinking about how to speed up the user experience. As with a lot of mature technologies, we’re just not seeing major breakthroughs these days. That doesn’t mean the rivalry between the different vendors has stopped, even as they are now getting together as part of Interop 2022 to better align their browsers with web standards.
When a new chip comes along, though, there’s always room for optimization. Originally, Chrome on Apple’s M1 chips had passable performance, but 15 months after the launch of these Arm-based chips, Chrome now runs 43% faster on them, Google also noted today, and also stressed that its browser’s graphics performance now beats Safari’s by 15%, thanks to a couple of new techniques in this area, too. That’s on top of a number of general JavaScript optimizations Google already announced last year.
While there’s no news for Windows users today, Google did note that Chrome on Android will also see some improvements. Loading a page should now be 15% faster, the company says, thanks to some navigation optimizations that prioritize “critical navigation moments on the browser user interface thread.”
Are you going to notice any of this? A modern browser on a fast connection renders virtually any page within the blink of an eye. But it doesn’t take much to make software feel more responsive, so the 43% on M1 Macs will surely make you feel more productive as you browse TikTok (or manage your Jira tickets — whatever works for you).
FAQs
Chrome is slightly faster than Safari
As it's built by Apple itself, Safari is optimized to work best across iOS and Mac so that it achieves optimal hardware-software integration—it's also great for conserving battery life on your devices.
Why is Chrome so laggy on Mac? ›
There are a number of reasons for Chrome running slow on Mac: You have extensions installed that are consuming lots of system resources. You have extensions installed that are out of date. You're not running the most recent version of Chrome.
Which browser is faster on Mac? ›
Chrome is the fastest browser on Mac, closely followed by Edge. Which Is the Best Browser to Use on Mac? The best browser to use on Mac is Vivaldi. It's great for both power and non-power users, has great data security and offers a seamless browsing experience across synced devices.
Why is Chrome faster? ›
Google Chrome has a feature called 'Hardware Acceleration' that makes web pages load faster and increases the overall responsiveness of the browser. Here's how to enable it. Google Chrome is one of the fastest and most popular internet browsers available right now.
Why is Safari so slow in Mac? ›
It could be that Safari is hogging system resources like memory. Or it could be that you have an extension installed that is causing it to slow down. Or it could even be your internet connection.
Why you should use Chrome instead of Safari? ›
Device Compatibility: Chrome
Chrome works on all major platforms including Android, Linux, iOS, macOS, and Windows. So, whether you're all-in on Apple products or prefer to mix things up, you can access your Chrome information across devices. Safari is limited to iOS and macOS devices.
Is Chrome bad for my Mac? ›
Chrome is notorious for eating up all your RAM, which can be a major problem. If you care about keeping your Mac running at its best, you should definitely consider switching to a different Web browser. The same applies to those looking to extend their notebook's battery life.
Does Chrome run well on Mac? ›
Benefits of using Chrome for Mac
Faster web browsing: Chrome's one of the fastest web browsers. That means you can load web pages quickly, stream content easily, and chat or game with less lag. Lots of extensions: Chrome is compatible with over 150,000 extensions.
How do I improve Chrome performance on Mac? ›
Tips:
- Avoid running multiple apps at the same time.
- Reset Chrome settings to default so it runs like it did when it was first installed.
- Learn how to manually remove malicious programs from your Mac.
- Learn how to personalize Chrome performance on your computer.
For most Mac users, especially if you're embedded in the Apple universe, Safari is definitely the most convenient one. But if you have a Google account and use lots of Google services, the opposite is true. The obvious solution is to keep both on your Mac and try them both for yourself.
Safari is the best way to experience the internet on all your Apple devices.
Why is Safari so slow? ›
The native browser from Apple — Safari — is not immune to performance issues; let's take a look at some of the possible causes: Outdated software. Corrupt plug-ins. Overload of cache and cookies.
Is Chrome really the fastest? ›
Our verdict. Chrome is the fastest and best web browser on Microsoft Windows and an excellent alternative to Safari on a Mac in terms of speed. However, you agree to Google's excessive data collection in exchange for speed and convenience.
Is there a faster browser than Chrome? ›
It's hard to pin down how accurate this exact stat is, but plenty of users around the web have run their own tests and come to the same conclusion: Edge is faster than Chrome. For example, Avast tested many browsers and found Edge to run faster than Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Vivaldi.
Do I need to update Google Chrome? ›
To make sure you're protected by the latest security updates, Google Chrome can automatically update when a new version of the browser is available on your device. With these updates, you might sometimes notice that your browser looks different.
Why is Safari so slow compared to other browsers? ›
However, the performance of Safari compared to other WebKit-based browsers can be influenced by several factors, including hardware and software differences, user configurations, and the complexity of the websites being rendered.
How do I make Safari run faster on Mac? ›
10 Safari Mac Browser Tips to Boost Speed and Performance
- Update and Restart Your Mac. ...
- Close Unneeded Tabs. ...
- Clear the Cache and Temporary Files. ...
- Disable Thirsty Extensions. ...
- Restrict Plug-Ins and Website Access. ...
- Upgrade macOS. ...
- Identify Dodgy Websites and Crashed Tabs. ...
- Make Sure You Have Enough Free Space.
Google notes that it ran its tests on a 14-inch MacBook Pro with a 10-core M1 Max chip and 64 GB of RAM. Repeating it on my 13-inch M1-powered MacBook Pro with 16 GB of RAM, I got an even bigger performance delta: Chrome scored 252 runs per minute, plus or minus 8.6, and Safari got 185, plus or minus 46.
