Web Browser Grand Prix VI: Firefox 6, Chrome 13, Mac OS X Lion

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Chrome 13, Firefox 6, Safari 5.1, and Mac OS X Lion (10.7) have all emerged since our last Web Browser Grand Prix. Today, we test the latest browsers on both major platforms. How do the Mac-based browsers stack up against their Windows 7 counterparts?

Analysis Tables

Windows 7 Analysis Table

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Header Cell - Column 0 WinnerStrongAcceptableWeak
Performance Benchmarks
Startup TimeOperaChrome, Internet ExplorerFirefoxSafari
Page Load TimeChromeInternet Explorer, SafariFirefox, OperaRow 2 - Cell 4
JavaScriptChromeFirefoxInternet Explorer, OperaSafari
DOMOperaFirefoxSafariChrome, Internet Explorer
CSSChromeOpera, SafariInternet ExplorerFirefox
FlashInternet ExplorerOpera, SafariChrome, FirefoxRow 6 - Cell 4
JavaFirefoxRow 7 - Cell 2 Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera, SafariRow 7 - Cell 4
SilverlightOperaChrome, FirefoxInternet ExplorerSafari
HTML5Internet ExplorerFirefoxChrome, Opera, SafariRow 9 - Cell 4
HTML5 Hardware AccelerationFirefoxInternet ExplorerRow 10 - Cell 3 Chrome, Opera, Safari
WebGLChromeFirefoxRow 11 - Cell 3 Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari
Efficiency Benchmarks
Memory Usage: LightInternet ExplorerChrome, SafariFirefox, OperaRow 13 - Cell 4
Memory Usage: HeavySafariRow 14 - Cell 2 Firefox, Internet Explorer, OperaChrome
Memory ManagementChromeInternet ExplorerFirefox, SafariOpera
Reliability Benchmarks
Proper Page LoadsOperaSafariFirefoxChrome, Internet Explorer
Conformance Benchmarks
HTML5ChromeFirefoxOpera, SafariInternet Explorer
CSS3All 5Row 20 - Cell 2 Row 20 - Cell 3 Row 20 - Cell 4
JavaScriptFirefoxInternet Explorer, ChromeSafariOpera
DOMChrome, Opera, SafariFirefox, Internet ExplorerRow 22 - Cell 3 Row 22 - Cell 4

And for OS X...

Mac OS X Lion Analysis Table

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Header Cell - Column 0 WinnerStrongAcceptableWeak
Performance Benchmarks
Startup TimeOperaRow 1 - Cell 2 Chrome, Firefox, SafariRow 1 - Cell 4
Page Load TimeChromeSafariFirefox, OperaRow 2 - Cell 4
JavaScriptChromeFirefoxSafariOpera
DOMFirefoxSafariChrome, OperaRow 4 - Cell 4
CSSChromeSafariOperaFirefox
FlashOperaChrome, Firefox, SafariRow 6 - Cell 3 Row 6 - Cell 4
JavaOperaRow 7 - Cell 2 Chrome, Firefox, SafariRow 7 - Cell 4
SilverlightFirefoxSafariSafariChrome, Opera
HTML5SafariRow 9 - Cell 2 Chrome, Firefox, OperaRow 9 - Cell 4
HTML Hardware AccelerationSafariRow 10 - Cell 2 Row 10 - Cell 3 Chrome, Firefox, Opera
WebGLFirefoxChromeRow 11 - Cell 3 Opera, Safari
Efficiency Benchmarks
Memory Usage: LightOperaRow 13 - Cell 2 Chrome, SafariFirefox
Memory Usage: HeavySafariOperaRow 14 - Cell 3 Chrome, Firefox
Memory ManagementChromeRow 15 - Cell 2 Opera, SafariFirefox
Reliability Benchmarks
Proper Page LoadsOperaRow 17 - Cell 2 FirefoxChrome, Safari
Conformance Benchmarks
HTML5ChromeFirefox, SafariOperaRow 19 - Cell 4
CSS3All 4Row 20 - Cell 2 Row 20 - Cell 3 Row 20 - Cell 4
JavaScriptFirefoxChromeSafariOpera
DOMChrome, Opera, SafariFirefoxRow 22 - Cell 3 Row 22 - Cell 4

Let's crown the champion of Web Browser Grand Prix 6.

92 Comments Comment from the forums
  • ne0nguy
    The first chart says "higher is better" for the load time
    Reply
  • adamovera
    ne0nguyThe first chart says "higher is better" for the load timethank you, workin' on it
    Reply
  • SteelCity1981
    Chrome is the best browser out there right now. While FireFox maybe more popular then Chrome is, Chrome has shown why it is the best browser out today. If you haven't used Chrome yet it's def worth a look.
    Reply
  • soccerdocks
    The reader function in safari actually looks really nice. Although I'd never use Safari on principle. I hope other browsers implement a similar function.
    Reply
  • mayankleoboy1
    why does firefox(6/8/9) performa so horribly on the IE9 maze solover test?
    chrome13 completely obliterats it.

    and firefox 8/9 are still a memory hog.
    not really surprised by poor show of ie9. moat updates it gets are "security updates".
    Reply
  • tofu2go
    Being on a Macbook with only 3GB of memory, memory is the most important factor for me. I open a LOT of tabs and I keep them open for long periods. For awhile I used Chrome, but recently switched to Firefox 6 and saw my memory utilization drop by well over 1GB. Granted with Firefox I was able to do something I am not able to do in any other browser, I could group my tabs into tab groups. I believe this allows for more efficient memory management, i.e. only the current group uses much memory. Not having done any tests, this is pure speculation. All I know is that I'm seeing MUCH lower memory usage with Firefox on OSX. Despite what this article would suggest.
    Reply
  • @soccerdocks

    Yeah? And exactly what principle would that be?
    Reply
  • andy5174
    @Google:
    Bring back the Google Dictionary, otherwise I will use Bing Search, Firefox and Facebook instead of Google Search, Chrome and G+.
    Reply
  • kartu
    Firefox 6 comes in third for both OSes, representing a major drop from Firefox 5.
    According to the graphic on "Reliability Benchmarks: Proper Page Loads" on MacOS Firefox is actually second, not third.
    Reply
  • LaloFG
    I keep Opera, more memory used and time to load pages is nothing when it load pages correctly; and the feeling in its interface is the greater.
    Reply