Input needed: best web browser for MAC

before someone goes and says "search function, blah blah blah, topic has already been done blah blah blah" - I searched, i read. i still want input from CURRENT active members of this board. in the world of computers, what was good in 2010, may not be the preference in 2011.

I have a macbook pro and have just been using the Safari it came with, but I am wondering what is the general consensus here about which web browser is best. and please leave in your response WHY you think it is best, and if you can compare it to other browsers, even better. and please keep it in layman's terms if possible.

i have had no problems with Safari so far, I am just wondering if there is a better browser all around - security, functionality, etc.

and if you are anti-MAC, please save those comments for an appropriate topic... you aren;t going to talk me out of my computer, i just want some web browser input.

im not a mac user i dont hate mac's i just prefer a pc because its easier and cheaper to upgrade..let alone not paying twice the price for same parts.....also i like mac's os i want it on a pc...now that thats out of the way....


im not sure if Google Chrome will run on a mac but i find it better then firefox and i dont use safari...but i find google chrome fast and light weight...it doesnt really use alot of the system resources its based off the google search engine so it works fairly quick and well.....

it does what i want it to and it does it fast....it doesnt use that garbage bing from microsoft or anything if your looking for a page type what you think it might be in the address bar and it will bring up google search with results which i find helpful if my brains farting.....

just my input

google chrome, don't look back.
I've only used safari to go to the chrome web page since getting my first mac 4 months ago!
But I've been using chrome (pc) since people over the age of 25 started catching on to firefox...

reply to post by highpriestess


Chrome is great for simple function. I personally like Firefox for the plugins and I can customize everything, such as where buttons go, tool bars, etc. Then again, I'm a web-dev, and am probably just comfortable using it to debug my sites.

Safari works fine as well, and even with all the issues people have viewing certain sites, that will be a thing of the past if iPad/iOS keeps market-share. Every site I build needs to work flawless in IE 6 and 7+, Firefox, and Safari.

I use Firefox on a pc, but I'm sure it will work the same on a mac.

I like Firefox because it was designed from the beginning to be secure and web standards compliant. You can add skins for a custom look and there's a huge library of addons that add useful functions.

One drawback is that using a lot of addons can increase memory usage significantly. The other is that they have gone into rapid release mode lately, putting out updated versions every few months and the addons you use can sometimes become incompatible until the author updates them.

Overall, though, I highly recommend it.

that is what my concern has been about using firefox. i had firefox on my pc and i had a LOT of problem with the add ons and extensions. that .net thing about killed me. and it seemed that i was at the mozilla forums at least once a month trying to figure out how to fix some glitch.

does anyone here have a MAC with firefox and what problems have you had, if any?