In this article I’m hopefully going to explain how to work out what browser is right for you. Many people use Internet Explorer due to it being pre-installed on computers. Not sure if you like Internet Explorer, or want a more functional, more visually appealing browser? Here are some tips.

1. What is the most important thing to you? Design, functionality, speed, or just the basic ability to look at Web sites? Do you prefer your browser to look nice or do you want a browser that is more functional and faster than ordinary browsers? Or do you want a browser with many customizable features?

2. If design is more important to you, then you might want to check out the five main browsers (Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Mozilla’s Firefox, Google’s Chrome, Apple’s Safari, and Opera’s… er… Opera), to see which one appeals to you on an aesthetic level. Firefox may look basic at first glance, but it can be modified to any number of styles that best suit you — you can install many different themes and change its background colours.

3. If functionality is more important to you, you most probably want to have Firefox on your computer. Firefox has many plugins such as dictionaries, social networking apps, and much more. It can also be very useful at storing your long list of passwords, important Web site history, and useful bookmarks. It is also very user friendly and a lot of information and help can be found around the Internet for it.

4. Speed! If you love speedy loading and hate waiting for Web sites to load, you are looking for Google Chrome! Google Chrome uses a very simple design and is also very user friendly, but is the one of the fastest browsers out there. It is also good at storing and displaying your favourite Web sites when you load up the browser.

5. I admittedly don’t have a lot of experience with Opera or Safari at the time of this writing, but some people are very passionate about them for various reasons. Not happy with the other browsers out there? These may be worth checking out.

6. After all that, if you aren’t greatly interested in anything beyond the basic and just need something for Google searching and Facebook updating, Internet Explorer may be just fine for your needs.

Browser usage from February 2011 (according to w3schools.com):

• Internet Explorer – 26.5%
• Firefox – 42.4%
• Chrome – 24.1%
• Opera – 2.5%
• Safari – 4.1%

So, the conclusion? The best browser is whatever works best for you. It depends what you use a browser for and what you want out of your browser.

My name is Adam Jones, and I’m from Wirral (by Liverpool), UK. I’m currently studying for GCSE exams at a local grammar school in which I help run the robotics club. I am very much a computer geek and am very passionate about technology. I’m friendly and easy to get along with and when reporting information I try to be as unbiased as possible — but I do convey my opinions. I can be found on Twitter @adjon5.