Web Browser Speed Test : Google Chrome, Firefox, IE9, Opera and Safari
A certain degree of nerdiness, no doubt, drives so many publications to take the microsecond benchmarking suite approach to testing. While we certainly do not dismiss these tests as pointless, measuring the speed of the browser JavaScript engine and core rendering speeds are important metrics in the scheme of things, we don't happen to think that most users really care too much about them. What users care about, and what we have been asked to produce as a result, is a measure of the real-world speed of browsers when faced with the average online content mixture facing an average user day in and day out. This was never intended on being a lab coat wearing scientifically benchmarked exercise, so please do not berate us for that. What it is, is an at-a-glance comparison of how the leading web browser clients stack up against each other in terms of real-world application when it comes to the single metric that is speed of use.
We fully appreciate that any shoot-out of web browser clients must come with a 'your mileage may vary' warning as far as the results are concerned, what with there being so many variables to consider. Your Internet connectivity is going to be different to ours, and the computer upon which your web browser client is loaded is going to be different as well. The important thing here being that all these tests were performed using the same broadband connectivity, the same computer from the same endpoint at the same time of day. Which makes this as even a playing field as possible for all the web browser clients being put to the test. Talking of which, we used the following client versions during our testing: Apple Safari 5.0.2, Google Chrome 6.0.472.63, Internet Explorer 9 Beta 9.0.7930.16406, Mozilla Firefox 3.6.9 and Opera 10.62. each of the following tests was performed three times, with system reboots inbetween where necessary, and the average time across all three tests used.
Cold test
Each browser was setup to point at www.happygeek.com and then started from cold, immediately after the computer was rebooted in order to judge initial first use speed. In fastest order, the results were as follows:
1. Chrome 9.8 seconds
2. Opera 11.9 seconds
3. Safari 13 seconds
4. IE9 13.5 seconds
5. Firefox 18.4 seconds
Warm test
Each browser was setup to point at www.daniweb.com and then closed, but the computer was not rebooted inbetween tests, in order to judge typical loading speeds in day-to-day usage. In fastest order, the results were as follows:
1. Opera 19.4 seconds
2. Chrome 19.6 seconds
3. Safari 20.2 seconds
4. IE9 23.4 seconds
5. Firefox 24.8 seconds
Webmail test
Each browser was pointed at a webmail inbox at http://mail.google.com and the time taken from clicking on the completed login to the priority inbox being fully loaded and ready to read measured. In fastest order, the results were as follows:
1. Safari 8.5 seconds
2. Chrome 9.7 seconds
3. Firefox 10.2 seconds
4. Opera 10.9 seconds
5. IE9 11.3 seconds
Video test
Each browser was pointed at www.youtube.com and we measured how long it took to search for the 'Evolution of Dance' video and start it playing. In fastest order, the results were as follows:
1. Safari 13.3 seconds
2. Opera 14.6 seconds
3. Chrome 17.9 seconds
4. IE9 18.8 seconds
5. Firefox 19.2 seconds
News test
Each browser was pointed at www.msnbc.msn.com in order to see how a complex page full of continously updated text feeds as well as live streamed multimedia would take to be fully loaded. In fastest order, the results were as follows:
1. Safari 28.6 seconds
2. Opera 29.7 seconds
3. IE9 34.1 seconds
4. Chrome 36.2 seconds
5. Firefox 38.4 seconds
We fully appreciate that any shoot-out of web browser clients must come with a 'your mileage may vary' warning as far as the results are concerned, what with there being so many variables to consider. Your Internet connectivity is going to be different to ours, and the computer upon which your web browser client is loaded is going to be different as well. The important thing here being that all these tests were performed using the same broadband connectivity, the same computer from the same endpoint at the same time of day. Which makes this as even a playing field as possible for all the web browser clients being put to the test. Talking of which, we used the following client versions during our testing: Apple Safari 5.0.2, Google Chrome 6.0.472.63, Internet Explorer 9 Beta 9.0.7930.16406, Mozilla Firefox 3.6.9 and Opera 10.62. each of the following tests was performed three times, with system reboots inbetween where necessary, and the average time across all three tests used.
Cold test
Each browser was setup to point at www.happygeek.com and then started from cold, immediately after the computer was rebooted in order to judge initial first use speed. In fastest order, the results were as follows:
1. Chrome 9.8 seconds
2. Opera 11.9 seconds
3. Safari 13 seconds
4. IE9 13.5 seconds
5. Firefox 18.4 seconds
Warm test
Each browser was setup to point at www.daniweb.com and then closed, but the computer was not rebooted inbetween tests, in order to judge typical loading speeds in day-to-day usage. In fastest order, the results were as follows:
1. Opera 19.4 seconds
2. Chrome 19.6 seconds
3. Safari 20.2 seconds
4. IE9 23.4 seconds
5. Firefox 24.8 seconds
Webmail test
Each browser was pointed at a webmail inbox at http://mail.google.com and the time taken from clicking on the completed login to the priority inbox being fully loaded and ready to read measured. In fastest order, the results were as follows:
1. Safari 8.5 seconds
2. Chrome 9.7 seconds
3. Firefox 10.2 seconds
4. Opera 10.9 seconds
5. IE9 11.3 seconds
Video test
Each browser was pointed at www.youtube.com and we measured how long it took to search for the 'Evolution of Dance' video and start it playing. In fastest order, the results were as follows:
1. Safari 13.3 seconds
2. Opera 14.6 seconds
3. Chrome 17.9 seconds
4. IE9 18.8 seconds
5. Firefox 19.2 seconds
News test
Each browser was pointed at www.msnbc.msn.com in order to see how a complex page full of continously updated text feeds as well as live streamed multimedia would take to be fully loaded. In fastest order, the results were as follows:
1. Safari 28.6 seconds
2. Opera 29.7 seconds
3. IE9 34.1 seconds
4. Chrome 36.2 seconds
5. Firefox 38.4 seconds
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