Thanks to its slick operation, support for add-ons, and features like casting and voice search that rival browsers like Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge lack or just partially implement, Google’s Chrome Web browser has grown to become one of the most widely used in the world.

PROS

The best add-on support: In two ways, Chrome narrowly beats over Firefox. One, your Google account is connected to your add-ons. Therefore, if you update Chrome or install an add-on on one of your devices, Chrome will download and install those updates or add-ons automatically when you log in to your Google account on Chrome on a different device. Two, the user interface of an add-on is regularly improved in the Chrome version. For instance, the LastPass login interface looks far better in Chrome than it does in Firefox. If you use LastPass all day long and log in and out frequently, that matters.

Additionally, Chrome’s task manager (which you can reach by hitting Shift-Esc) shows you how much RAM and CPU each add-on is utilizing, allowing you to pinpoint any that might be impairing browser performance or device battery life. Firefox has various add-on performance monitoring tools, but they aren’t quite as user-friendly.

Wonderful casting support: Casting in Chrome no longer needs an add-on because it is built-in to the browser. You can open a Chrome tab on your computer and transfer it to your television if your TV has a Chromecast device and is connected to the same network as your PC. Or you might cast the embedded streaming video in that tab. This is helpful for giving presentations or watching videos on a large screen. In comparison, only the Android version of Firefox supports streaming, it doesn’t support as many video formats, and you can’t cast a tab.

Voice search: The search area on Google.com in the Chrome browser has a microphone icon in it. If the microphone on your computer is turned on, click it to search using your voice. This is typically significantly quicker than typing a search query.

CONS

Memory management should be improved: Even when you only have a few tabs open that are largely static, Chrome regularly uses over a gigabyte of RAM. There are reasonable explanations for this; for instance, Chrome has to remember your recently closed tabs so they can reload quickly when needed. However, Chrome does not typically reduce its usage on machines with little RAM.

Opposition to browser extensions that download embedded videos: Google, who owns YouTube, understandably doesn’t want people to download and watch its videos without the adverts that generate revenue for the company. However, those with erratic connections or those who want to spend a lot of time offline should consider offline viewing.

With its YouTube Red membership, which costs $10 per month and allows you download films from the website while removing commercials and adding Google Play Music at no additional cost, Google has partially bridged the gap. (Conversely, YouTube Red is included for free if you subscribe to Google Play Music.) However, that is only true for YouTube. There are a couple add-ons that let you download embedded videos in Chrome if you look hard enough, but they are all in varying degrees dubious.

AT THE END

The most widely used browser option may not always be the best. However, Chrome earns its top ranking despite its RAM usage difficulties and restrictions on downloading embedded movies thanks to its quick page loads, extensive add-on support, and futuristic capabilities like casting and voice search.