Browser hopping - My journey through the web browsers

What is browser hopping?

I've been struggling to find a browser that fits my needs for a while now. For a long time, I used Google Chrome, and I was scared to move to another browser because all my bookmarks, extensions, and settings were there. But then I decided to take a leap of faith and try something new. And now I can't stop trying new browsers.

Browser hopping isn't an official term, but I've been calling it that for a while. It's a parallel to "distro hopping" in the Linux world, where people change their operating system frequently. That's what I do with browsers - hoping to finally find the perfect one.

On and off with Microsoft

As I mentioned before, I used Chrome a lot. But I got into a phase where I wanted to try Internet Explorer (when it was one big meme), hoping to prove it was better than people said. Well, it wasn't a success, and I quickly went back to good old Chrome. A few years passed, and then Microsoft announced their new feature in Edge - Bing Chat (later changed to Microsoft Copilot).

At the same time, I was fed up with Chrome's memory usage and all of the telemetry from Google. So I decided to give Edge a try. Of course, memory usage wasn't perfect (still Chromium in the back), and telemetry wasn't gone (I just changed who I sent all my data to), but I liked the Copilot feature. I used it for a while, but then I got bored, and it wasn't helpful all that much, so I decided to move on.

Forbidden fruit

While using Edge, I fell in love with vertical tabs. At that time, on a daily basis, I was using a small 14-inch screen laptop, so saving a good amount of top space was a big deal. So I decided to only search for browsers supporting vertical tabs. At the same time, when I was becoming more and more tired of Edge, Arc finally dropped a Windows beta version of their browser. I was hyped; I wanted to try it for some time, but it was only available on macOS. So I downloaded it, and I was amazed. It was fast, had vertical tabs, and had great working workspaces where I could have all my college stuff in one workspace and all my media like YouTube, Max, and Spotify in another. Of course, it had some bugs, but I was willing to overlook them.

Here can you see how Arc works with folders, workspaces, and Spotify integration.

Linux problem

But then, day by day, I was using more and more Linux, and I couldn't use Arc anymore. So I had to go back to Edge. Of course, I could use Firefox as it was preinstalled on my Fedora, but I didn't like it (plus by the time I was trying to use it, it didn't have vertical tabs). But Edge wasn't working well on Linux; it had some bugs related to Chromium, so I had to find something else. I decided to finally try Brave.

I heard it has a built-in ad blocker and is privacy-focused, but it was still based on Chromium. Nonetheless, I decided to give it a try. I was relieved not to have to install three extra ad blockers to even start searching the web. But not gonna lie, I was quickly bored with it. Performance was better than Edge, it had fancy privacy features, but some Chromium bugs were still there, vertical tabs were a bit clunky, so I decided to search for something else.

So what now?

I found Zen Browser; it's a browser based on Firefox, and for now, I'm loving it. It's fast, has my beloved vertical tabs, and has workspaces like Arc. Also impreves other Arc feature like split-view, where you can have two tabs open at the same time, but it allows multiple layouts, not just two tabs side by side.

It also has a theme store that allows you to change the browser's look or functionality, and that's something cool.

You can check it here: Zen Browser's Themes

I've been using it for a week now, and it's great. I need to mention that it's only an alpha release, but so far, I have not encountered any bugs. If anyone wants to try it, it's available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Why is it so hard to choose a browser?

For most people, it's not that hard. Download Chrome, or use the one built into your system, and you're good to go.

Source: StatCounter Global Stats - Browser Market Share

But if you're like me and have discovered that you need something special - not something common - it's hard. You need to find a browser that fits your needs, has the features you want, or something you didn't even know you wanted. The first step is always the hardest because it's annoying to move all your bookmarks, extensions, and settings to a new browser. But once you get used to it, I’m going to say it's liberating and fun. Just try - you can keep your old browser and always come back to it if you don't like the new one.

Conclusion

For now, I'm sticking with Zen Browser, but who knows what the future holds. I'm still looking for the perfect browser, but for now, I'm happy with what I have. I hope you enjoyed my journey through web browsers.

Happy browser hopping, and may you find the perfect one for you - at least for now!