Are browsers on macOS getting better at JavaScript?
JavaScript is a key element of the functionality of most websites. But browsers have not yet incorporated it fully.
I’ve been testing browsers on Mac for their JavaScript incorporation since 2017. Here are my findings.
BRAVE
MacBook Air M1; Jetstream 2
2025
Brave 1.77.101 — 354 points, on 2025-04-29
Brave 1.76.74 — 356 points, on 2025-03-12
Brave 1.73.104 — 323 points, on 2025-01-03
2024
Brave 1.71.121 — 330 points, on 2024-11-01
Note. The above update asked to surveil all the devices on my network. This is profoundly the opposite of privacy, which is the stated mission of the browser. FAIL
Brave 1.68.134 — 332 points, on 2024-08-06
Brave 1.67.123 — 325 points, on 2024-06-27
Brave 1.66.118 — 324 points, on 2024-06-01
Brave 1.65.132 — 320 points, on 2024-05-11
Brave 1.64.113 — 317 points, on 2024-04-15
Note. The above update deleted all my bookmarks. FAIL
Brave 1.64.109 — 311 points, on 2024-03-23
Brave 1.63.174 — 315 points, on 2024-03-13
Brave 1.63.162 — 313 points, on 2024-02-24
Brave 1.62.156 — 310 points, on 2024-02-02
2023
Brave 1.61.109 — 307 points, on 2023-12-21
Brave 1.59.120 — 303 points, on 2023-10-20
Brave 1.57.53 — 178 points, on 2023-08-24
Brave 1.57.47 — 288 points, on 2023-08-17
2022
Brave 1.46.138 — 270 points, on 2022-12-08
Brave 1.44.112 — 168 points, on 2022-10-22
Brave 1.37.116 — 225 points, on 2022-04-16
Brave 1.35.100 — 149 points, on 2022-02-09
Brave 1.34.80 — 136 points, on 2022-01-21
2021
Brave 1.32.115 — 141 points, on 2021-12-13
Brave 1.31.91 — 129 points, on 2021-11-15
Brave 1.30.89 — 193 points, on 2021-10-13
Brave 1.28.106 — 200 points, on 2021-08-28
Brave 1.27.109 — 184 points, on 2021-08-16
Brave 1.26.74 — 200 points, on 2021-07-12
Brave 1.26.67 — 183 points, on 2021-06-22
Brave 1.25.73 — 202 points, on 2021-06-17
Brave 1.25.68 — 180 points, on 2021-05-28
Brave 1.22.82 — 187 points, on 2021-05-06
Brave 1.22.75 — 187 points, on 2021-04-29
Brave 1.22.73 — 157 points, on 2021-04-23
Brave 1.22.71 — 170 points, on 2021-04-05
Brave 1.21.77 — 166 points, on 2021-03-19
Brave 1.21.74 — 185 points, on 2021-03-11
Brave 1.21.73 — 167 points, on 2021-03-05
Brave 1.20.103 — 186 points, on 2021-02-18
Brave 1.19.90 — 98 points, on 2021-02-04
Brave 1.19.86 — 95 points, on 2021-01-21
Brave 1.18.78 — 103 points, on 2021-01-16
2020
Brave 1.18.77 — 101 points, on 2020-12-31
Brave 1.18.75 — 101 points, on 2020-12-18
Brave 1.18.70 — 98 points, on 2020-12-10
Brave 1.17.75 — 94 points, on 2020-12-07
MacBook Air 2017; Jetstream 2
2020
Brave 1.17.75 — 76 points, on 2020-12-04
Brave 1.17.73 — 79 points, on 2020-11-21
Brave 1.16.72 — 77 points, on 2020-11-16
Brave 1.16.72 — 80 points, on 2020-11-05
Brave 1.16.68 — 82 points, on 2020-10-29
Brave 1.15.75 — 77 points, on 2020-10-19
Brave 1.15.72 — 82 points, on 2020-10-12
NOTES
Note 1. I am not committed to testing the Brave browser. That is because the Brave browser is Non-Consentual Software. Brave forces updates to the browser without user consent. It withholds any way for a user to switch to manual updates. That is user-hostile. Plus it destroys bandwidth when tethering from a smartphone. FAIL
CHROME
MacBook Air M1; Jetstream 2
2025
Chrome 138 — 382 points, on 2025-06-30
Chrome 136 — 363 points, on 2025-04-29
Chrome 135 — 355 points, on 2025-04-05
Chrome 134 — 364 points, on 2025-03-12
Chrome 133 — 349 points, on 2025-02-06
Chrome 131 — Fail, on 2025-01-07
Note. The browser above was unable to load the test page. No other browser had that difficulty.
2024
Chrome 130 — 330 points, on 2024-10-30
Chrome 129 — 331 points, on 2024-09-27
Chrome 127 — 329 points, on 2024-07-30
Chrome 126 — 329 points, on 2024-06-18
Chrome 125 — 325 points, on 2024-05-18
Chrome 124 — 321 points, on 2024-04-20
Chrome 123 — 313 points, on 2024-03-23
Chrome 122 — 318 points, on 2024-03-13
Chrome 121 — 310 points, on 2024-02-02
2023
Chrome 120 — 311 points, on 2023-12-14
Chrome 119 — 309 points, on 2023-11-27
Chrome 118 — 305 points, on 2023-10-14
Chrome 117 — 305 points, on 2023-09-14
Chrome 116 — 293 points, on 2023-08-17
Chrome 114 — 180 points, on 2023-06-03
Chrome 112 — 274 points, on 2023-04-05
Chrome 111 — 275 points, on 2023-03-23
Chrome 110 — 275 points, on 2023-02-16
2022
Chrome 108 — 270 points, on 2022-11-30
Chrome 107 — 272 points, on 2022-11-15
Chrome 106 — 265 points, on 2022-09-29
Chrome 104 — 221 points, on 2022-09-03
Chrome 104 — 209 points, on 2022-08-09
Chrome 103 — 223 points, on 2022-06-21
Chrome 101 — 250 points, on 2022-04-27
Chrome 99 — 216 points, on 2022-03-28
Chrome 98 — 154 points, on 2022-02-03
Chrome 97 — 136 points, on 2022-01-04
2021
Chrome 96 — 146 points, on 2021-11-15
Chrome 95 — 186 points, on 2021-10-29
Chrome 94 — 223 points, on 2021-09-21
Chrome 93 — 185 points, on 2021-09-01
Chrome 91 — 174 points, on 2021-05-28
Chrome 90 — 157 points, on 2021-04-15
Chrome 89 — 162 points, on 2021-03-05
Chrome 88 — 164 points, on 2021-01-20
2020
Chrome 87 — 162 points, on 2020-12-07
MacBook Air 2017; Jetstream 2
2020
Chrome 87 — 84 points, on 2020-11-17
Chrome 86 — 82 points, on 2020-10-21
Chrome 85 — 82 points, on 2020-08-26
Chrome 83 — 83 points, on 2020-05-19
Chrome 81 — 80 points, on 2020-04-04
2019
Chrome 79 — 83 points, on 2019-12-11
Chrome 78 — 87 points, on 2019-11-21
Chrome 76 — 84 points, on 2019-07-31
Chrome 75 — 83 points, on 2019-06-13
Chrome 74 — 84 points, on 2019-04-29
Chrome 73 — 81 points, on 2019-03-12
MacBook Air 2017; Jetstream 1
2019
Chrome 73 — 146 points, on 2019-03-12
Chrome 72 — 143 points, on 2019-02-01
2018
Chrome 71 — 136 points, on 2018-12-05
MacBook Air mid-2013; Jetstream 1
2018
Chrome 70 — 140 points, on 2018-10-10
Chrome 69 — 140 points, on 2018-09-04
Chrome 68 — 137 points, on 2018-08-02
Chrome 67 — 130 points, on 2018-06-01
Chrome 66 — 142 points, on 2018-04-18
2017
Chrome 62 — 141 points, on 2017-11-08
Chrome 60 — 133 points, on 2017-07-26
Chrome 59 — 121 points, on 2017-07-06
Chrome 58 — 159 points, on 2017-04-26
NOTES
Note 1. I am only testing the major versions. That is because the version numbers are so long that an ordinary person would not bother to compare minor version numbers.
Note 2. I am no longer committed to testing the Chrome browser. That is because with version 119, the Chrome browser has become Non-Consentual Software. Google forces updates to the browser without user consent. It withholds any way for a user to switch to manual updates. That is user-hostile. Plus it destroys bandwidth when tethering from a smartphone. FAIL
DUCKDUCKGO
MacBook Air M1
2025
DuckDuckGo 1.144.0 — 339 points, on 2025-06-30
DuckDuckGo 1.137.0 — 336 points, on 2025-05-10
DuckDuckGo 1.134.0 — 338 points, on 2025-04-29
DuckDuckGo 1.132.1 — 348 points, on 2025-04-05
DuckDuckGo 1.129.0 — 337 points, on 2025-03-12
DuckDuckGo 1.121.0 — 323 points, on 2025-01-18
DuckDuckGo 1.118.1 — 327 points, on 2025-01-03
2024
DuckDuckGo 1.111.0 — 325 points, on 2024-10-30
DuckDuckGo 1.101.0 — 322 points, on 2024-08-15
Note. Apparently with version 1.101.0, a new default setting was added and pre-selected. It was to automatically download and install updates. That turns the default browser into Non-Consentual Software. DuckDuckGo forces updates to the browser without user consent. For that reason, I have stopped using the DuckDuckGo browser altogether. FAIL
DuckDuckGo 1.100.0 — 322 points, on 2024-08-06
DuckDuckGo 1.93.0 — 280 points, on 2024-06-27
DuckDuckGo 1.88.0 — 305 points, on 2024-06-01
DuckDuckGo 1.86.0 — 303 points, on 2024-05-09
DuckDuckGo 1.82.1 — 315 points, on 2024-04-15
DuckDuckGo 1.80.0 — 323 points, on 2024-03-23
DuckDuckGo 1.78.1 — 320 points, on 2024-03-13
DuckDuckGo 1.76.0 — 311 points, on 2024-03-02
DuckDuckGo 1.75.1 — 315 points, on 2024-02-24
DuckDuckGo 1.74.0 — 310 points, on 2024-02-14
DuckDuckGo 1.72.0 — 313 points, on 2024-02-02
2023
DuckDuckGo 1.68.0 — 307 points, on 2023-12-21
DuckDuckGo 1.65.2 — 295 points, on 2023-11-30
DuckDuckGo 1.60.0 — 296 points, on 2023-10-20
DuckDuckGo 1.58.3 — 298 points, on 2023-10-14
DuckDuckGo 1.58.1 — 322 points, on 2023-10-06
DuckDuckGo 1.58.1 — 301 points, on 2023-10-06
DuckDuckGo 1.56.1 — 295 points, on 2023-09-29
DuckDuckGo 1.56.0 — 274 points, on 2023-09-19
Note. To load the test above, the browser took multiple times longer than normal. FAIL.
DuckDuckGo 1.55.0 — 276 points, on 2023-09-12
DuckDuckGo 1.54.1 — 276 points, on 2023-09-09
DuckDuckGo 1.53.2 — 274 points, on 2023-09-01
DuckDuckGo 1.52.2 — 176 points, on 2023-08-24
DuckDuckGo 1.51.1 — 280 points, on 2023-08-17
DuckDuckGo 1.44.2 — 278 points, on 2023-06-28
DuckDuckGo 1.43.1 — 250 points, on 2023-06-22
NOTES
Note 1. With version 1.144.0, the DuckDuckGo browser added itself as a login item in the Mac. It did that without asking for user consent. This is NOT the behavior of an app that respects users.
Note 2. Also with version 1.144.0, the DuckDuckGo browser added an inescapeable dialogue box which presented only two possibilities: (a) add to dock; or (b) ask later. The app withheld an answer of NO. Again, this s NOT the behavior of an app that respects users.
EDGE
MacBook Air M1
2024
Edge 120 — 311 points, on 2024-02-02
2023
Edge 120 — 309 points, on 2023-11-30
Edge 119 — 305 points, on 2023-11-30
Edge 118 — 302 points, on 2023-10-20
Edge 117 — 290 points, on 2023-09-21
Edge 116 — 179 points, on 2023-08-24
Edge 114 — 273 points, on 2023-06-14
Edge 111 — 270 Points, on 2023-03-22
Edge 110 — 268 points, on 2023-02-23
2022
Edge 108 — 260 points, on 2022-12-09
Edge 107 — 261 points, on 2022-12-02
Edge 103 — 219 points, on 2022-06-30
Edge 101 — 219 points, on 2022-04-28
Edge 100 — 239 points, on 2022-04-01
Edge 99 — 212 points, on 2022-03-08
Edge 98 — 150 points, on 2022-02-04
Edge 97 — 134 points, on 2022-01-06
2021
Edge 96 — 133 points, on 2021-12-02
Edge 93 — 205 points, on 2021-09-03
Edge 92 — 170 points, on 2021-08-11
NOTES
Note 1. Prior to version 92, I had not allowed the Edge browser on my Mac. That was because the Edge browser was Non-Consentual Software. Microsoft forced updates to the browser without user consent. It withheld any way for a user to switch to manual updates. That was user-hostile. Plus it destroyed bandwidth when tethering from a smartphone. FAIL
Note 2. I am only testing the major versions. That is because the version numbers are so long that an ordinary person would not bother to compare minor version numbers.
Note 3. Starting in version 114, Microsoft removed the “reset sync” button that deletes your data from Microsoft Servers. Now there is no way to remove your Edge browsing data from Microsoft’s cloud. This is a privacy nightmare. For that reason I will not use the Edge browser. I do not expect to test it with any regularity. FAIL
Note 4. I am no longer committed to testing the Edge browser. That is because the Edge browser is Non-Consentual Software. Microsoft forces updates to the browser without user consent. It withholds any way for a user to switch to manual updates. That is user-hostile. Plus it destroys bandwidth when tethering from a smartphone. FAIL
Note 5. As of February 2024, I no longer use, nor even test, the Edge browser. That is because with version 120, the Edge browser includes an AI function called Copilot. It slurps up your every inquire and action into itself, with no option to opt-out. This is a privacy nightmare. The only possibility is to turn off the displaying of the Copilot button. However, that does not deactivate the Copilot AI. The AI is still running behind the scenes, harvesting telemetry and violating your privacy. FAIL
FIREFOX
MacBook Air M1; Jetstream 2
2025
Firefox 140.0.2 — 240 points, on 2025-06-30
Firefox 138.0 — 327 points, on 2025-04-29
Firefox 137.0 — 227 points, on 2025-04-05
Firefox 136.0.1 — 231 points, on 2025-03-12
Firefox 135.0 — 229 points, on 2025-02-06
Firefox 134.0 — 227 points, on 2025-01-07
2024
Firefox 132.0 — 220 points, on 2024-10-30
Firefox 131.0 — 226 points, on 2024-10-05
Firefox 130.0.1 — 227 points, on 2024-09-27
Firefox 129.0.1 — 224 points, on 2024-08-15
Firefox 128.0 — 221 points, on 2024-07-09
Firefox 127.0.2 — 218 points, on 2024-06-27
Firefox 127.0 — 224 points, on 2024-06-18
Firefox 126.0.1 — 218 points, on 2024-05-28
Firefox 125.0.1 — 220 points, on 2024-04-20
Firefox 124.0.1 — 213 points, on 2024-03-23
Firefox 123.0 — 212 points, on 2024-03-13
Firefox 123.0 — 211 points, on 2024-02-24
Firefox 122.0 — 206 points, on 2024-02-02
Firefox 121.0.1 — 200 points, on 2024-01-11
2023
Firefox 121.0 — 202 points, on 2023-12-19
Firefox 120.0.1 — 202 points, on 2023-11-30
Firefox 120.0 — 204 points, on 2023-11-27
Firefox 119.0.1 — 201 points, on 2023-11-08
Firefox 118.0.2 — 192 points, on 2023-10-14
Firefox 118.0.1 — 191 points, on 2023-09-29
Firefox 117.0.1 — 188 points, on 2023-09-12
Firefox 117.0 — 187 points, on 2023-09-01
Note. Loading the test page usually takes just a few seconds. But in the above test, the browser was insufferably slow. It required nearly a minute to load the test page. FAIL
Firefox 116.0.3 — 186 points, on 2023-08-17
Firefox 116.0.2 — 184 points, on 2023-08-08
Firefox 116.0.1 — 184 points, on 2023-08-05
Firefox 116.0 — 174 points, on 2023-08-01
Firefox 115.0.3 — 177 points, on 2023-07-28
Firefox 115.0.2 — 177 points, on 2023-07-12
Firefox 115.0.1 — 179 points, on 2023-07-09
Firefox 115.0 — 180 points, on 2023-07-06
Firefox 114.0.2 — 177 points, on 2023-06-20
Firefox 114.0.1 — 176 points, on 2023-06-14
Firefox 114.0 — 174 points, on 2023-06-07
Firefox 113.0.1 — 178 points, on 2023-05-13
Firefox 112.0.2 — 174 points, on 2023-04-30
Firefox 112.0.1 — 175 points, on 2023-04-17
Firefox 112.0 — 174 points, on 2023-04-15
Firefox 111.0 — 172 Points, on 2023-03-14
Firefox 110.0 — 170 points, on 2023-02-16
Firefox 109.0 — 169 points, on 2023-01-19
Firefox 108.0.2 — 165 points, on 2023-01-08
2022
Firefox 108.0 — 166 points, on 2022-12-13
Firefox 107.0.1 — 160 points, on 2022-11-30
Firefox 107.0 — 162 points, on 2022-11-15
Firefox 106.0.1 — 100 points, on 2022-10-22
Firefox 105.0.3 — 158 points, on 2022-10-10
Firefox 105.0.1 — 158 points, on 2022-09-23
Firefox 105 — 159 points, on 2022-09-20
Firefox 104.0.2 — 160 points, on 2022-09-06
Firefox 104.0.1 — 136 points, on 2022-08-30.
Note. To run the test above, the browser took multiple times longer than normal. FAIL
Firefox 104 — 141 points, on 2022-08-24
Firefox 103.0.2 — 134 points, on 2022-08-09
Firefox 103.0.1 — 96 points, on 2022-08-06
Firefox 103.0 — 145 points, on 2022-07-27
Firefox 102.1 — 143 points, on 2022-07-07
Firefox 102.0 — 146 points, on 2022-06-28
Firefox 101.0 — 132 points, on 2022-06-07
Firefox 100.0.2 — 136 points, on 2022-05-21
Firefox 100.0 — 140 points, on 2022-05-03
Firefox 99.0.1 — 143 points, on 2022-04-16
Firefox 99.0 — 135 points, on 2022-04-05
Firefox 98.0.2 — 133 points, on 2022-03-28
Firefox 98.0.1 — 138 points, on 2022-03-16
Firefox 98.0 — 130 points, on 2022-03-08
Firefox 97.0.1 — 92 points, on 2022-02-25
Firefox 97.0 — 92 points, on 2022-02-08
Firefox 96.0.3 — 90 points, on 2022-01-29
Firefox 96.0.2 — 87 points, on 2022-01-21
Note. The above score is from the second time I ran this test. The first time I ran this test, Firefox seized. I had to force the page to reload, and then start over. FAIL
Firefox 96.0 — 90 points, on 2022-01-13
2021
Firefox 95.0.2 — 90 points, on 2021-12-27
Firefox 95.0.1 — 89 points, on 2021-12-17
Firefox 95.0 — 88 points, on 2021-12-07
Firefox 94.0.2 — 82 points, on 2021-11-23
Firefox 94.0.1 — 138 points, on 2021-11-04
Firefox 94.0 — 124 points, on 2021-11-02
Firefox 93.0 — 123 points, on 2021-10-07
Firefox 92.0.1 — 124 points, on 2021-09-26
Firefox 92.0 — 122 points, on 2021-09-09
Firefox 91.0.2 — 116 points, on 2021-08-28
Firefox 91.0 — 114 points, on 2021-08-11
Firefox 90.0.2 — 118 points, on 2021-07-28
Firefox 90.0.1 — 133 points, on 2021-07-20
Firefox 90.0 — 126 points, on 2021-07-15
Firefox 89.0.1 — 116 points, on 2021-06-17
Firefox 89.0 — 118 points, on 2021-06-01
Firefox 88.0.1 — 121 points, on 2021-05-05
Firefox 88.0 — 114 points, on 2021-04-23
Firefox 87.0 — 112 points, on 2021-03-23
Note. From version 87.0 of Firefox and previous, an annoying banner interrupted the test. It said: “A web page is slowing down your browser, what do you want to do, wait or stop it?” The banner went away after one appearance. FAIL
Firefox 86.0.1 — 117 points, on 2021-03-11
Firefox 86.0 — 129 points, on 2021-02-24
Firefox 85.0.2 — 117 points, on 2021-02-18
Firefox 85.0 — 116 points, on 2021-01-26
Firefox 84.0.2 — 118 points, on 2021-01-07
2020
Firefox 84.0 — 77 points, on 2020-12-15
Firefox 83.0 — FAILED, on 2020-12-07
Note. From version 83.0 of Firefox and previous, an annoying banner appeared every few seconds and stalled the page. It said: “A web page is slowing down your browser, what do you want to do, wait or stop it?” The banner could not be cancelled. FAIL
Because it reappeared every few seconds and stalled the page every time, Firefox was punishingly incompetent at performing this test. FAIL
MacBook Air 2017; Jetstream 2
2020
Firefox 83.0 — 49 points, on 2020-11-17
Firefox 82.0.3 — 67 points, on 2020-11-11
Firefox 82.0.2 — 66 points, on 2020-10-29
Firefox 82.0 — 64 points, on 2020-10-21
Firefox 81.0.2 — 65 points, on 2020-10-14
Firefox 81.0.1 — 66 points, on 2020-10-05
Firefox 81.0 — 64 points, on 2020-09-22
Firefox 80.0.1 — 67 points, on 2020-09-17
Firefox 80.0 — 65 points, on 2020-08-25
Firefox 79.0 — 62 points, on 2020-07-30
Firefox 78.0.2 — 66 points, on 2020-07-24
Firefox 78.0.1 — 63 points, on 2020-07-01
Firefox 77.0.1 — 66 points, on 2020-06-25
Firefox 76.0.1 — 63 points, on 2020-05-14
Firefox 76 — 61 points, on 2020-05-05
Firefox 75 — 61 points, on 2020-04-07
Firefox 74 — 61 points, on 2020-03-11
Firefox 73 — FAILED, on 2020-02-16
2019
Firefox 70 — FAILED, on 2019-10-26
Firefox 69 — FAILED, on 2019-09-03
Firefox 67 — FAILED, on 2019-05-22
Firefox 66 — FAILED, on 2019-04-10
MacBook Air 2017; Jetstream 1
2019
Firefox 66 — FAILED, on 2019-03-22
Firefox 65 — 137 points, on 2019-02-01
MacBook Air mid-2013; Jetstream 1
2018
Firefox 63 — 141 points, on 2018-10-24
Firefox 62 — 141 points, on 2018-10-10
Firefox 60 — 148 points, on 2018-05-15
Firefox 58 — 150 points, on 2018-01-24
2017
Firefox 57 — FAILED, on 2017-11-14
Firefox 56 — FAILED, on 2017-11-08
Firefox 55 — 122 points, on 2017-08-09
Firefox 54 — 116 points, on 2017-07-06
Firefox 53 — 126 points, on 2017-04-26
NOTES
Note 1. Around version 129, without informing me or asking for my consent, Firefox changed an important default setting. After the change, the Firefox browser updated itself without asking me first. I only discovered this by hunting through the Settings screens. That was user-hostile. Plus it destroyed bandwidth when tethering from a smartphone. FAIL
Note 2. The Firefox browser claims to be private. However, in 2024, security researchers discovered the parent company Mozilla had secretly installed ad-tracking code in the mobile versions of the Firefox browser. Apparently they removed it after they were caught. This is a terrible violation of trust. References: Techzine Global and AdGuard. FAIL.
SAFARI
MacBook Air M1; Jetstream 2
2025
Safari 18.5 — 369 points, on 2025-06-29
2024
Safari 18.1.2 — 342 points, on 2024-12-11
Safari 18.1.1 — 336 points, on 2024-12-11
Safari 18.1 — 332 points, on 2024-10-28
Safari 18.0.1 — 335 points, on 2024-10-05
Safari 18.0 — 326 points, on 2024-09-16
Safari 17.6 — 328 points, on 2024-07-30
Safari 17.5 — 320 points, on 2024-05-18
Safari 17.4.1 — 321 points, on 2024-03-26
Safari 17.4 — 319 points, on 2024-03-07
Safari 17.3.1 — 312 points, on 2024-02-14
Safari 17.3 — 297 points, on 2024-01-21
2023
Safari 17.2.1 — 307 points, on 2023-12-19
Safari 17.2 — 309 points, on 2023-12-12
Safari 17.1.2 — 298 points, on 2023-12-01
Safari 17.1 — 306 points, on 2023-11-08
Safari 17.0 — 306 points, on 2023-09-26
Safari 16.6 — 284 points, on 2023-07-24
Safari 16.5 — 280 points, on 2023-05-18
Safari 16.4 — 283 points, on 2023-03-28
Safari 16.3 — 260 points, on 2023-01-24
2022
Safari 16.2 — 266 points, on 2022-12-13
Safari 16.1 — 266 points, on 2022-10-24
Safari 16.0 — 264 points, on 2022-09-12
Safari 15.6.1 — 204 points, on 2022-08-17
Safari 15.5 — 221 points, on 2022-05-16
Safari 15.4 — 210 points, on 2022-03-17
Safari 15.3 — 153 points, on 2022-02-04
Safari 15.1.2 — 151 points, on 2022-01-21
2021
Safari 15.1 — 204 points, on 2021-10-25
Safari 15.0 — 201 points, on 2021-09-20
Safari 14.1.2 — 187 points, on 2021-07-21
Safari 14.1.1 — 185 points, on 2021-05-24
Safari 14.1 — 181 points, on 2021-04-26
Safari 14.0.3 — 188 points, on 2021-02-28
2020
Safari 14.0.1 — 194 points, on 2020-12-07
MacBook Air 2017; Jetstream 2
2020
Safari 14.0.1 — 99 points, on 2020-11-12
Safari 14.0 — 95 points, on 2020-09-17
Safari 13.1.2 — 86 points, on 2020-08-11
Safari 13.1 — 89 points, on 2020-05-25
2019
Safari 13.0.1 — 91 points, on 2019-11-21
Safari 13.0 — 90 points, on 2019-09-20
Safari 12.1.2 — 83 points, on 2019-08-26
Safari 12.1.1 — 88 points, on 2019-07-31
Safari 12.1 — 87 points, on 2019-04-10
MacBook Air 2017; Jetstream 1
2019
Safari 12.1 — 180 points, on 2019-03-25
MacBook Air mid-2013; Jetstream 1
2018
Safari 12.0.1 — 197 points, on 2018-10-30
Safari 12.0 — 200 points, on 2018-09-17
Safari 11.1.2 — 186 points, on 2018-07-10
Safari 11.1.1 — 189 points, on 2018-06-01
Safari 11.1 — 185 points, on 2018-04-04
Safari 11.0.3 — 172 points, on 2018-01-24
2017
Safari 11.0.2 — 182 points, on 2017-12-06
Safari 11.0.1 — 195 points, on 2017-10-31
Safari 11.0 — 188 points, on 2017-09-25
Safari 10.1.1 — 177 points, on 2017-05-15
Safari 10.1 — 174 points, on 2017-04-26
NOTES
Note 1. For most of the years I’ve been running these tests, Apple’s default browser almost always took LAST PLACE on macOS. With the least HTML5 incorporation, Safari delivered “Worst-In-Class” HTML performance.
That was really ironic, considering it was former Apple CEO Steve Jobs who accelerated the worldwide shift to HTML5 in his famous 2010 letter called Thoughts on Flash.
As of this writing, that letter has been removed from Apple’s website. However, it is still available at Internet Archive.
Then in late 2023, the HTML5 incorporation of the Safari browser finally caught up with the Chrome browser. By my count, it took eight calendar years for Safari to achieve parity with Chrome.
NOTES
Note 1. In every case, the operating system and all apps were updated to current.
Note 2. All testing was done at BrowserBench » Jetstream.
Note 3. All scores rounded to the nearest whole number.
Note 4. These are my own test results. Your results may vary.
Note 5. In 2023 and 2024 I tested the Mullvad browser. It is a privacy-focused web browser developed in a collaboration between Mullvad VPN and the Tor Project. However, in all eleven of my speed tests, it failed. For that reason I have entirely given up on the Mullvan browser.
Note 6. In April 2019, BrowserBench updated their JavaScript test to version 2. The scores from JetStream 2 are not comparable to the scores from version 1.
Note 7. The Tor Browser is the most secure browser available. For that excellent reason, the Tor Browser does not do well in performance tests. So concerning performance, I don’t test the Tor Browser. I respect it.
Note 8. I tested the Safari Technology Preview browser from 2016 to early 2025. However, Apple made the updates to the browser far too obnoxious, with unskippable notifications and no possibility to opt-out. For that reason, I have entirely given up on the Safari Technology Preview browser.
Note 9. I was initially attracted to the Vivaldi browser due to its reputation for privacy. I began testing it in late 2024. I invested significant time and effort into getting the font size to be tolerable for my poor vision. However, no matter what I tried, the Vivaldi browser always displayed some fonts much too big and other fonts much too small. The result was illegible slop, as well as the ugliest webpages I’ve witnessed. Thus I do not use the Vivaldi browser.
RESOURCES
MAC
Are browsers on macOS getting better at HTML5?
Are browsers on macOS getting better at JavaScript?
Are browsers on macOS getting faster?
Subjective factors for browsers on macOS
iOS
Are browsers in iOS getting better at HTML5?
Are browsers in iOS getting better at JavaScript?
Are browsers on iOS getting faster?
Originally published on April 26, 2017
Last updated on June 30, 2025
TOPICS: Apple, Browsers, JavaScript, Mac,