5 Lightweight Browsers for Windows 10

What is a lightweight browser? Without getting too technical, a lightweight browser means that it can run smoothly on an old PC with very little RAM, doesn't freeze on startup, displays web pages and graphics quickly, and doesn't make the CPU fan crank up.

Here is a list of simple, lightweight browsers for Windows 10. Despite being lightweight, these browsers still ensure that they can provide you with all the basic features of a regular web browser. You will not have to sacrifice any essential functions. In particular, these browsers have been certified by many reputable antivirus platforms to ensure 100% safety, and come with effective privacy control features.

Note : In addition to Windows, all of these browsers are also available for Mac and Linux (UR Browser only has a Mac version).

Vivaldi

It's no exaggeration to say that Vivaldi is the perfect combination of features, solid security options with a clean, easy-to-use user interface that makes your PC run smoother - at least compared to Firefox and definitely Chrome!

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As a browser developed based on the Chromium platform, Vivaldi's architecture is basically not much different from Google Chrome as well as Microsoft Edge. However, advanced features that can make the browser work 'heavily' and consume more system resources will be omitted. In other words, Vivaldi can be considered a reduced version of the mainstream Chromium browsers. However, if your needs are simply to surf the web, Vivaldi can still ensure good service.

In addition to its main advantage of being less resource-intensive, Vivaldi also supports many other useful features, such as a simple, intuitive tab management system, and a note-taking feature in the side panel. Especially since Vivaldi is developed based on Chromium, you will also have access to most of Chrome's extremely rich extension repository.

In terms of user interface, Vivaldi is quite customizable, with 8 built-in themes, including the indispensable dark mode. In addition, the browser also supports the option to create your own theme. Basically, there are 18 different sections in Vivaldi's settings system, allowing you to control almost every aspect of the browser.

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Of course, Vivaldi is not without its flaws. For example, there may be occasional stutters and lags while scrolling. But overall, it is a relatively stable browser. Furthermore, Vivaldi is still an active development project, so these simple issues can be completely fixed in the future.

Conclusion: Vivaldi is a fast, simple, and secure browser. It's not the lightest on this list, but it's one of the easiest to use.

Slimjet

Slimjet is an incredibly fast Chromium web browser that excels at multitasking. Its superior compatibility with Windows 10 stems from its design built on Microsoft Trident, just like Internet Explorer.

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With Slimjet, you will notice blazing fast browsing speeds while navigating any new tabs or menu items. In fact, the browser is so responsive that it takes less than a split second to see the effect.

Compared to Chrome or Firefox, Slimjet claims to offer up to 12 times faster file download speeds and 20 times faster photo upload speeds.

The browser has some handy features like a built-in ad blocker, a screenshot tool, a screen recorder, and a powerful download manager. It also allows you to add Chrome web extensions.

Conclusion : If you are looking for an extremely lightweight desktop browser that delivers exactly what it promises, then you should not miss Slimjet.

UR Browser

Another Chromium-based browser, UR Browser also has the benefits of Slimjet with similar support for Google Chrome extensions. You can choose to install the browser's VPN and 3D Parallax Wallpaper features or keep the interface to a minimum. Files download very quickly by being split into smaller chunks and you'll notice much less lag while pages are loading.

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What sets UR Browser apart from other options is its support for advanced privacy levels. With three privacy modes of high, low, and medium, the privacy controls are very similar to the Microsoft Edge Chromium version.

Conclusion : Go for UR Browser if you are looking for a private, lightweight Chromium browser that is similar to a scaled-down version of Google Chrome.

QuteBrowser

QuteBrowser is a WebKit-based browser that runs from the command line itself. Based on Python, it has a minimal GUI and doesn't overload your system. Being a keyboard-centric browser, it takes a little getting used to. But once you get used to the Vim-style keybindings, it's no big deal.

While QuteBrowser may not be for everyone, it is not difficult to install and use this browser in Windows 10. First, you need to install the latest version of Python in your system (make sure it includes pip). The installation process should not take long.

Next, open Windows Powershell with admin rights and enter the following key.

choco install qutebrowser

Chocolatey will slowly install. Click Yat each step to proceed to the next stage of the installation. Visual Studio and other software may be installed. Please wait a moment for this process to continue.

Once QuteBrowser is approved and added, you will be asked to restart your Windows 10 PC to install the package.

Once it has successfully rebooted, you should be able to see the menu icon for QuteBrowser on your desktop. This is a browser unlike anything you may have used in the past. All options are available in the terminal. To navigate, use the arrow keys or g, h, jand k. You can simply use it oto open a new website URL.

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Conclusion : QuteBrowser's minimal aspects are ideal for programmers, but you can use it to watch videos, play online games, or do whatever you like.

Yandex

'Amazing!'. That's how one Reddit user described the Yandex browser. If you're looking for a lightweight yet powerful browser for your Windows PC, Yandex won't disappoint!

For starters, you can use the features to optimize the browser for low connection speeds. It compresses any video (which is a great customization). Yandex also has a Power Saving mode , which allows you to save energy when your battery is low, disabling video games.

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Yandex has a lot of minimal features enabled in Settings . You can choose not to show the side panel, bookmark bar, high-resolution animated backgrounds, or news and weather. There's a Protect tab , which ensures you run security checks on downloaded files, supports phishing protection for banking information, and uses encryption on public WiFi networks. You can turn off the lights for cinema mode and take screenshots.

Conclusion : Yandex is a quality browser and regularly appears among the top 10 browsers globally.

Samuel Daniel

Update 09 December 2024