A Web Browser is an application software running on a client machine designed to retrieve, interpret, and display content from the World Wide Web. It initiates HTTP/HTTPS requests to web servers using Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), receives HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files, and renders them into human-readable interactive graphical user interfaces.
| Browser | Developer / Owner | Rendering Engine | JavaScript Engine | Primary Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Chrome | Google LLC | Blink (Fork of WebKit) | V8 Engine | Fast multi-process architecture, highest market share (>65%) |
| Microsoft Edge | Microsoft Corp. | Blink (Chromium core) | V8 Engine | Native Windows integration, enterprise security & Copilot AI |
| Mozilla Firefox | Mozilla Foundation | Gecko | SpiderMonkey | Independent open-source engine, strict privacy controls |
| Apple Safari | Apple Inc. | WebKit | JavaScriptCore (Nitro) | Default iOS/macOS browser, highest hardware battery efficiency |
| Brave Browser | Brave Software | Blink (Chromium core) | V8 Engine | Built-in ad & tracker blocking, privacy-first crypto token engine |
Chrome is a Browser (client software). Google is a Search Engine (web service/website). They are completely different!
V8 is Chrome's JavaScript compiler engine. Blink is the rendering engine that paints HTML/CSS.
WorldWideWeb (later Nexus) was created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990. Mosaic (1993) was the first graphical browser for general public.