Are browsers on macOS getting faster?
I’ve been testing the speed of major browsers on Mac since 2021. Here are my findings.
BRAVE
MacBook Air M1; Speedometer 3.1
2025
Brave 1.77.101 — 31.0 points, on 2025-04-29
Brave 1.76.74 — 27.9 points, on 2025-03-12
Brave 1.73.104 — 25.3 points, on 2025-01-03
MacBook Air M1; Speedometer 3.0
2024
Brave 1.71.121 — 24.4 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 — 26.6 points, on 2024-08-06
Brave 1.67.123 — 24.9 points, on 2024-06-27
Brave 1.66.118 — 25.3 points, on 2024-06-01
Brave 1.65.132 — 19.2 points, on 2024-05-11
Brave 1.64.113 — 17.4 points, on 2024-04-15
Note. The above update deleted all my bookmarks. FAIL
Brave 1.64.109 — 17.9 points, on 2024-03-23
Brave 1.63.174 — 23.6 points, on 2024-03-13
MacBook Air M1; Speedometer 2.1 or previous
2024
Brave 1.63.162 — 352 points, on 2024-02-24
Brave 1.62.156 — 341 points, on 2024-02-02
2023
Brave 1.61.109 — 317 points, on 2023-12-21
Brave 1.59.120 — 356 points, on 2023-10-20
Brave 1.57.53 — 264 points, on 2023-08-24
Brave 1.57.47 — 368 points, on 2023-08-17
2022
Brave 1.46.138 — 318 points, on 2022-12-08
Brave 1.44.112 — 247 points, on 2022-10-22
Brave 1.37.116 — 304 points, on 2022-04-16
Brave 1.35 — 165 points, on 2022-02-09
Brave 1.34.80 — 165 points, on 2022-01-21
2021
Brave 1.32.115 — 163 points, on 2021-12-13
Brave 1.31.91 — 155 points, on 2021-11-15
Brave 1.30.89 — 230 points, on 2021-10-13
Brave 1.28.106 — 216 points, on 2021-08-28
Brave 1.27.109 — 218 points, on 2021-08-16
Brave 1.26.74 — 215 points, on 2021-07-12
Brave 1.26.67 — 214 points, on 2021-06-22
Brave 1.25.73 — 219 points, on 2021-06-17
Brave 1.25.68 — 213 points, on 2021-05-28
Brave 1.22.82 — 199 points, on 2021-05-06
Brave 1.22.75 — 199 points, on 2021-04-29
Brave 1.22.73 — 196 points, on 2021-04-23
Brave 1.22.71 — 198 points, on 2021-04-05
Brave 1.21.77 — 199 points, on 2021-03-21
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; Speedometer 3.1
2025
Chrome 138 — 30.7 points, on 2025-06-30
Chrome 136 — 30.0 points, on 2025-04-29
Chrome 135 — 33.0 points, on 2025-04-05
MacBook Air M1; Speedometer 3.0
2025
Chrome 134 — 30.1 points, on 2025-03-12
Chrome 133 — 29.2 points, on 2025-02-06
Chrome 131 — FAIL, on 2025-01-07
Note. On the test page, the browser was unable to click the “Start Test” button. No other browser had that difficulty.
2024
Chrome 130 — 28.9 points, on 2024-10-30
Chrome 129 — 28.6 points, on 2024-09-27
Chrome 127 — 29.0 points, on 2024-07-30
Chrome 126 — 28.7 points, on 2024-06-18
Chrome 125 — 26.7 points, on 2024-05-18
Chrome 124 — 18.8 points, on 2024-04-20
Chrome 123 — 19.0 points, on 2024-03-23
Chrome 122 — 24.6 points, on 2024-03-13
MacBook Air M1; Speedometer 2.1 or previous
2024
Chrome 121 — 313 points, on 2024-02-02
2023
Chrome 120 — 303 points, on 2023-12-14
Chrome 119 — 309 points, on 2023-11-27
Chrome 118 — 300 points, on 2023-10-14
Chrome 117 — 372 points, on 2023-09-14
Chrome 116 — 382 points, on 2023-08-17
Chrome 114 — 245 points, on 2023-06-03
Chrome 112 — 364 points, on 2023-04-05
Chrome 111 — 369 points, on 2023-03-23
Chrome 110 — 318 points, on 2023-02-16
2022
Chrome 108 — 310 points, on 2022-11-30
Chrome 107 — 314 points, on 2022-11-15
Chrome 106 — 318 points, on 2022-09-29
Chrome 104 — 309 points, on 2022-09-03
Chrome 104 — 318 points, on 2022-08-09
Chrome 103 — 295 points, on 2022-06-21
Chrome 101 — 306 points, on 2022-04-27
Chrome 99 — 295 points, on 2022-03-28
Chrome 98 — 197 points, on 2022-02-03
Chrome 97 — 189 points, on 2022-01-04
2021
Chrome 96.0 — 187 points, on 2021-11-15
Chrome 95.0 — 257 points, on 2021-10-29
Chrome 94.0 — 263 points, on 2021-09-21
Chrome 93 — 268 points, on 2021-09-01
Chrome 91.0 — 235 points, on 2021-05-28
Chrome 90.0 — 221 points, on 2021-04-15
Chrome 89.0 — 217 points, on 2021-03-21
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; Speedometer 3.1
2025
DuckDuckGo 1.144.0 — 26.7 points, on 2025-06-30
DuckDuckGo 1.137.0 — 25.6 points, on 2025-05-10
DuckDuckGo 1.134.0 — 25.6 points, on 2025-04-29
DuckDuckGo 1.132.1 — 23.4 points, on 2025-04-05
MacBook Air M1; Speedometer 3.0
2025
DuckDuckGo 1.129.0 — 22.0 points, on 2025-03-12
DuckDuckGo 1.121.0 — 26.3 points, on 2025-01-18
DuckDuckGo 1.118.1 — 26.4 points, on 2025-01-03
2024
DuckDuckGo 1.111.0 — 25.7 points, on 2024-10-30
DuckDuckGo 1.101.0 — 23.5 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 — 23.4 points, on 2024-08-06
DuckDuckGo 1.93.0 — 23.8 points, on 2024-06-27
DuckDuckGo 1.88.0 — 23.1 points, on 2024-06-01
DuckDuckGo 1.86.0 — 23.1 points, on 2024-05-09
DuckDuckGo 1.82.1 — 21.5 points, on 2024-04-15
DuckDuckGo 1.80.0 — 21.5 points, on 2024-03-23
DuckDuckGo 1.78.1 — 21.3 points, on 2024-03-13
MacBook Air M1; Speedometer 2.1 or previous
2024
DuckDuckGo 1.76.0 — 374 points, on 2024-03-02
DuckDuckGo 1.75.1 — 373 points, on 2024-02-24
DuckDuckGo 1.74.0 — 370 points, on 2024-02-14
DuckDuckGo 1.72.0 — 346 points, on 2024-02-02
2023
DuckDuckGo 1.68.0 — 331 points, on 2023-12-21
DuckDuckGo 1.65.2 — 320 points, on 2023-11-30
DuckDuckGo 1.60.0 — 316 points, on 2023-10-20
DuckDuckGo 1.58.3 — 319 points, on 2023-10-14
DuckDuckGo 1.51.1 — 309 points, on 2023-09-29
DuckDuckGo 1.56.0 — 315 points, on 2023-09-19
DuckDuckGo 1.55.0 — 316 points, on 2023-09-12
DuckDuckGo 1.54.1 — 311 points, on 2023-09-09
DuckDuckGo 1.53.2 — 309 points, on 2023-09-01
DuckDuckGo 1.52.2 — 219 points, on 2023-08-24
DuckDuckGo 1.51.1 — 304 points, on 2023-08-17
DuckDuckGo 1.44.2 — 308 points, on 2023-06-28
DuckDuckGo 1.43.1 — 306 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; Speedometer 2.1 or previous
2024
Edge 121 — 303 points, on 2024-02-02
2023
Edge 120 — 308 points, on 2023-11-30
Edge 119 — 291 points, on 2023-11-30
Edge 118 — 318 points, on 2023-10-20
Edge 117 — 241 points, on 2023-09-21
Edge 116 — 248 points, on 2023-08-24
Edge 114 — 288 points, on 2023-06-14
Edge 111 — 268 points, on 2023-03-22
Edge 110 — 275 points, on 2023-02-23
2022
Edge 108 — 274 points, on 2022-12-09
Edge 107 — 274 points, on 2022-12-02
Edge 103 — 276 points, on 2022-06-30
Edge 101 — 255 points, on 2022-04-28
Edge 100 — 255 points, on 2022-04-01
Edge 99 — 248 points, on 2022-03-08
Edge 98 — 172 points, on 2022-02-04
Edge 97 — 165 points, on 2022-01-06
2021
Edge 96 — 162 points, on 2021-12-02
Edge 93 — 221 points, on 2021-09-03
Edge 92 — 215 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 was only testing the major versions. That was because the version numbers were so long that an ordinary person would not bother to compare minor version numbers.
Note 3. Starting in version 114, I stopped using (and testing) the Edge browser altogether. That was for two reasons:
- Microsoft removed the “reset sync” button that deletes your data from Microsoft Servers. With that, there was no way to remove your Edge browsing data from Microsoft’s cloud. This was a privacy nightmare. FAIL.
- 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 4. As of February 2024, I no longer have the Edge browser on my Mac. 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 yet another 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 privacy. FAIL.
FIREFOX
MacBook Air M1; Speedometer 3.1
2025
Firefox 140.0.2 — 28.9 points, on 2025-06-30
Firefox 138.0 — 28.8 points, on 2025-04-29
Firefox 137.0 — 29.5 points, on 2025-04-05
MacBook Air M1; Speedometer 3.0
2025
Firefox 136.0.1 — 30.2 points, on 2025-03-12
Firefox 135.0 — 28.8 points, on 2025-02-06
Firefox 134.0 — 28.2 points, on 2025-01-07
2024
Firefox 132.0 — 28.3 points, on 2024-10-30
Firefox 131.0 — 28.5 points, on 2024-10-05
Firefox 130.0.1 — 28.5 points, on 2024-09-27
Firefox 129.0.1 — 28.5 points, on 2024-08-15
Firefox 128.0 — 28.7 points, on 2024-07-09
Firefox 127.0.2 — 27.0 points, on 2024-06-27
Firefox 127.0 — 27.7 points, on 2024-06-18
Firefox 126.0.1 — 27.2 points, on 2024-05-28
Firefox 125.0.1 — 26.6 points, on 2024-04-20
Firefox 124.0.1 — 21.3 points, on 2024-03-23
Firefox 123.0 — 26.9 points, on 2024-03-13
MacBook Air M1; Speedometer 2.1 or previous
2024
Firefox 123.0 — 413 points, on 2024-02-24
Firefox 122.0 — 374 points, on 2024-02-02
Firefox 121.0.1 — 367 points, on 2024-01-11
2023
Firefox 121.0 — 348 points, on 2023-12-19
Firefox 120.0.1 — 377 points, on 2023-11-30
Firefox 120.0 — 367 points, on 2023-11-27
Firefox 119.0.1 — 370 points, on 2023-11-08
Firefox 118.0.2 — 354 points, on 2023-10-14
Firefox 118.0.1 — 347 points, on 2023-09-29
Firefox 117.0.1 — 339 points, on 2023-09-12
Firefox 117.0 — 342 points, on 2023-09-01
Firefox 116.0.3 — 334 points, on 2023-08-17
Firefox 116.0.2 — 334 points, on 2023-08-08
Firefox 116.0.1 — 345 points, on 2023-08-05
Firefox 116.0 — 337 points, on 2023-08-01
Firefox 115.0.3 — 323 points, on 2023-07-28
Firefox 115.0.2 — 329 points, on 2023-07-12
Firefox 115.0.1 — 328 points, on 2023-07-09
Firefox 115.0 — 324 points, on 2023-07-06
Firefox 114.0 — 322 points, on 2023-06-20
Firefox 114.0.1 — 319 points, on 2023-06-14
Firefox 114.0 — 322 points, on 2023-06-07
Firefox 113.0.1 — 296 points, on 2023-05-13
Firefox 112.0.2 — 287 points, on 2023-04-30
Firefox 112.0.1 — 293 points, on 2023-04-17
Firefox 112.0 — 308 points, on 2023-04-15
Firefox 111.0 — 286 Points, on 2023-03-14
Firefox 110.0 — 287 points, on 2023-02-16
Firefox 109.0 — 277 points, on 2023-01-19
Firefox 108.0.2 — 275 points, on 2023-01-08
2022
Firefox 108.0 — 267 points, on 2022-12-13
Firefox 107.0.1 — 263 points, on 2022-11-30
Firefox 107.0 — 266 points, on 2022-11-15
Firefox 106.0.1 — 179 points, on 2022-10-22
Firefox 105.0.3 — 258 points, on 2022-10-10
Firefox 105.0.1 — 260 points, on 2022-09-23
Firefox 105 — 261 points, on 2022-09-20
Firefox 104.0.2 — 259 points, on 2022-09-06
Firefox 104.0.1 — 259 points, on 2022-08-30
Firefox 104 — 262 points, on 2022-08-24
Firefox 103.0.2 — 266 points, on 2022-08-09
Firefox 103.0.1 — 172 points, on 2022-08-06
Firefox 103.0 — 241 points, on 2022-07-27
Firefox 102.1 — 236 points, on 2022-07-07
Firefox 102.0 — 236 points, on 2022-06-28
Firefox 101.0 — 242 points, on 2022-06-07
Firefox 100.0.2 — 239 points, on 2022-05-21
Firefox 99.0.1 — 237 points, on 2022-04-16
Note. During the test above, the browser failed to display the test graphic. FAIL.
Firefox 98.0.2 — 232 points, on 2022-03-28
Note. During the test above, the browser failed to display the test graphic. FAIL.
Firefox 98.0.1 — 235 points, on 2022-03-16
Note. During the test above, the browser failed to display the test graphic. FAIL.
Firefox 98.0 — 231 points, on 2022-03-08
Note. During the test above, the browser failed to display the test graphic. FAIL.
Firefox 97.0.1 — 155 points, on 2022-02-25
Note. During the test above, the browser failed to display the test graphic. FAIL.
Firefox 97.0 — 155 points, on 2022-02-08
Note. During the test above, the browser failed to display the test graphic. FAIL.
Firefox 96.0.3 — 153 points, on 2022-01-29
Note. During the test above, the browser failed to display the test graphic. FAIL.
Firefox 96.0.2 — 153 points, on 2022-01-21
Note. During the test above, the browser failed to display the test graphic. FAIL.
Firefox 96.0 — 153 points, on 2022-01-13
Note. During the test above, the browser failed to display the test graphic. FAIL.
2021
Firefox 95.0.2 — 152 points, on 2021-12-27
Firefox 95.0.1 — 156 points, on 2021-12-17
Firefox 95.0 — 157 points, on 2021-12-07
Firefox 94.0.2 — 144 points, on 2021-11-23
Firefox 94.0.1 — 218 points, on 2021-11-04
Firefox 94.0 — 212 points, on 2021-11-02
Firefox 93.0 — 214 points, on 2021-10-07
Firefox 92.0.1 — 213 points, on 2021-09-26
Firefox 92.0 — 211 points, on 2021-09-09
Firefox 91.0.2 — 208 points, on 2021-08-28
Firefox 91.0 — 213 points, on 2021-08-11
Firefox 90.0.2 — 215 points, on 2021-07-28
Firefox 90.0.1 — 217 points, on 2021-07-20
Firefox 90.0 — 211 points, on 2021-07-15
Firefox 89.0.1 — 218 points, on 2021-06-17
Firefox 89.0 — 218 points, on 2021-06-01
Firefox 88.0.1 — 209 points, on 2021-05-05
Firefox 88.0 — 210 points, on 2021-04-23
Firefox 87.0 — 203 points, on 2021-03-23
Firefox 86.0.1 — 211 points, on 2021-03-21
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; Speedometer 3.1
2025
Safari 18.5 — 26.6 points, on 2025-06-29
MacBook Air M1; Speedometer 3.0
2024
Safari 18.1.2 — 26.8 points, on 2024-12-11
Safari 18.1.1 — 27.8 points, on 2024-12-11
Safari 18.1 — 28.9 points, on 2024-10-28
Safari 18.0.1 — 27.5 points, on 2024-10-05
Safari 18.0 — 27.2 points, on 2024-09-16
Safari 17.6 — 25.0 points, on 2024-07-30
Safari 17.5 — 23.1 points, on 2024-05-18
Safari 17.4.1 — 20.7 points, on 2024-03-26
Safari 17.4 — 23.1 points, on 2024-03-13
MacBook Air M1; Speedometer 2.1 or previous
2024
Safari 17.4 — 481 points, on 2024-03-07
Safari 17.3.1 — 458 points, on 2024-02-14
Safari 17.3 — 461 points, on 2024-01-21
2023
Safari 17.2.1 — 401 points, on 2023-12-19
Safari 17.2 — 399 points, on 2023-12-12
Safari 17.1.2 — 378 points, on 2023-12-01
Safari 17.1 — 373 points, on 2023-11-08
Safari 17.0 — 431 points, on 2023-09-26
Safari 16.6 — 350 points, on 2023-07-24
Safari 16.5 — 351 points, on 2023-05-18
Safari 16.4 — 358 points, on 2023-03-28
Safari 16.3 — 348 points, on 2023-01-24
2022
Safari 16.2 — 337 points, on 2022-12-13
Safari 16.1 — 347 points, on 2022-10-24
Safari 16.0 — 341 points, on 2022-09-12
Safari 15.6.1 — 326 points, on 2022-08-17
Safari 15.5 — 320 points, on 2022-05-16
Safari 15.4 — 269 points, on 2022-03-17
Safari 15.3 — 150 points, on 2022-02-04
Safari 15.1.2 — 150 points, on 2022-01-21
2021
Safari 15.1 — 251 points, on 2021-10-25
Safari 15.0 — 243 points, on 2021-09-20
Safari 14.1.2 — 212 points, on 2021-07-21
Safari 14.1.1 — 214 points, on 2021-05-24
Safari 14.1 — 215 points, on 2021-04-26
Safari 14.0.3 — 215 points, on 2021-03-21
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 » Speedometer.
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 most of my tests, it FAIL. For that reason I have entirely given up on the Mullvan browser.
Note 6. In March 2024, Speedometer was updated to version 3.0. This was a collaboration between Apple, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Mozilla, and more.
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 March 21, 2021
Last updated on June 30, 2025
TOPICS: Apple, Browsers, Mac, Speed,