Avast Secure Browser vs Chrome: In-depth comparison
Privacy-oriented browser vs Performance-oriented browser
- Avast Secure Browser or Chrome, which is a better browser? This guide will tell you everything you need to know.
- Google Chrome offers the latest features and standards, and it’s a browser of choice for many.
- Avast Secure Browser offers similar features to Chrome, but with an extra focus on user security and privacy protection.
- If you’re concerned that Avast Secure Browser is a virus, keep reading this guide to find out everything you need to know on this topic.
Google Chrome is currently the world’s most popular web browser, but there are many other browsers that are quite similar to Chrome, with some unique features. So let’s see which of the two, Avast Secure Browser vs Chrome, outperforms the others.
Chrome is somewhat minimalistic in terms of features, but browsers such as Avast Secure Browser are trying to change that.
In today’s guide, we’re going to take a closer look at Avast Secure Browser and see how it compares to Google Chrome and tell you which is the better browser for your needs.
Avast Secure Browser vs Chrome, which one is better for you?
A short history lesson
Avast Secure Browser: A more secure version of Chrome
Avast Secure Browser was first released as Avast Safezone Browser in 2016, and it was a part of the paid version of Avast Antivirus.
The browser was rebranded in 2018 as Avast Secure Browser, and it’s now available separately, for free. Regarding availability, this browser is available on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
Chrome: Browsing veteran from Google
Google Chrome was first released in 2008, and since its release, it became a dominant browser on the market.
Currently, Chrome has 66% of the market share, and it’s a dominant web browser on desktop and mobile alike.
Regarding availability, Chrome is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
Quick Tip:
A decent browser simplifies your daily web use, that’s why it is essential that the browser is user-friendly and includes the necessary pre-installed features to ensure a smoother experience.
Opera One is a Chromium-based browser that includes several amazing features out of the box, like an advanced ad-blocker, VPN integration, native AI and built-in WhatsApp and Twitter apps.
Opera One
Get the best out of your online experience with Opera One browser!User interface
Avast Secure Browser: A clone of Chrome
When you first start Avast Secure Browser, the first thing you’ll notice is how much it looks like Chrome, which is no surprise since both are using the Chromium engine.
The home page has the search bar along with the website shortcuts. If needed, you can easily add any website shortcut to the home tab.
Some basic customization options are available, allowing you to switch to the dark mode right from the home tab.
The browser also comes with a couple of icons in the toolbar that let you block ads or activate other browser features.
Overall, the interface is simple and clean and not much different than Chrome.
Google Chrome: As minimalistic as it can be
Google Chrome is known for its simple but highly effective user interface. The main tab comes with a search bar and a list of website shortcuts. Of course, you can add new shortcuts or rearrange your shortcuts any way you want.
The interface can be customized, and you can show the most visited websites instead of shortcuts, or you can hide the whole section if you choose to do so.
Chrome also supports various backgrounds, and you can even add your own from your PC. Regarding the color themes, that are several themes available, but you can also choose a custom-colored theme.
Features
Avast Secure Browser: Chromium-based, optimized for security
Although Avast Secure Browser is similar to Chrome when it comes to features, the browser also focuses heavily on user security and privacy.
The first feature that you’ll notice when you start the browser is its built-in adblocker. By blocking ads, the pages you visit will load faster, plus you’ll be able to browse the web without any distractions.
You can enable the adblocker from the toolbar with just a couple of clicks. Once you enable it, you can see how many ads were blocked on a specific page with ease.
If needed, you can pause the Adblock on a specific website or on all websites, and for better control over the ads, you can access the advanced settings with a single click.
The Adblock feature is based on uBlock, and we have to admit that is highly effective. There are three presets available: Essential, Balanced, and Strict, and you can use any of them.
Each will block different types of ads, and although the Strict preset offers the best protection, it might cause certain websites not to load properly, so keep that in mind while using it.
If needed, you can also add websites to the exclusion list if you want to see ads on that one page, or if the page has trouble rendering after using the Adblock feature.
The browser also has anti-fingerprinting, anti-phishing, and anti-tracking features, so you can rest assured that websites aren’t tracking you or trying to steal your login credentials.
We also have to mention that the browser has an extension guard that will block any harmful extensions that you try to install.
Lastly, there’s a webcam protection feature that will make sure that websites don’t have access to your webcam.
Avast Secure Browser also has a Hack Check tool that can scan your email and check if any online accounts that you’ve signed up to with that email have been hacked.
All of these features are available from the Security & Privacy Center and you can access them at any time with just a single click on your toolbar.
Some features such as antivirus, Bank Mode, and VPN are also available, but to use them, you need to download the additional software from Avast.
Overall, Avast Secure Browser offers some great features, and we’re pleasantly surprised by how effective its Adblocker is. As for other security features, they make a great addition, and they will surely improve your online security.
Google Chrome: A web browsing giant
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Google Chrome comes with a versatile address bar that is powered by Google and it can provide you with certain information at a glance.
For example, you can check the weather in your city, do simple calculations, or currency conversions right from your address bar. This is a small feature, but it might come in handy to some.
Chrome puts a great focus on synchronization, and once you sign up with your Google account, you can have your bookmarks, passwords, and browsing history available on all other devices.
Tab grouping is one more feature that is extremely useful if you’re multitasking since it allows you to group tabs and minimize them to organize open tabs better.
To make tab navigating easier, Chrome has the Search Tabs feature, so you can easily find any open tab, simply by entering its title in the search field.
Chrome offers multimedia features as well, and you can easily control the multimedia playback from the toolbar. Of course, integration with Chromecast and Stadia is also there.
Regarding security, this browser offers great security to its users, and you can always perform a quick Safety check and make sure that your browser isn’t compromised.
Chrome also has a Safe Browsing feature that will protect you against dangerous websites and downloads.
You can customize this feature, but keep in mind that some settings require you to send your browsing data to Google for analysis.
The browser also has a built-in ad blocker, but it’s not enabled by default, and it blocks only intrusive or misleading ads. However, the feature is located deep into settings, so it will take you a couple of clicks to access it.
Chrome and Avast Secure Browser share many features since they are both based on Chromium, but Avast offers better protection features and ad blocker that is faster and easier to access.
Security comparison
Google Chrome is already a secure web browser, but Avast Secure Browser manages to enhance your security with a couple of unique features.
The built-in Adblock is a great addition since it allows you to modify your settings, and with strict blocking mode enabled, you’ll block even the toughest ads.
On the other hand, Chrome’s ad-blocking feature is primitive and buried in the settings, so it’s rather likely that users won’t ever find it or use it.
Avast Secure Browser has all the security and privacy features right in the toolbar, and with just a single click you can enable all these features in a matter of moments.
Both browsers are secure since they share the same engine, but if we had to pick, we’d go for Avast Secure Browser since it has better privacy options and a reliable ad blocker right at your fingertips.
Performance
During our testing, we had no issues with Avast Secure Browser. We tested the browser with five open tabs and full HD video buffering in the background and got around 75% CPU and 424MB RAM usage on a low-end PC.
While being idle on a home page we got about 1.5% CPU usage and around 160MB RAM usage.
We repeated the same test in Chrome, with five tabs and full HD video buffering in the background and we got up to 85% CPU usage and 414MB RAM usage.
While being idle on the home page, Chrome used almost no CPU and up to 100MB of RAM.
Since both browsers are running on the same engine, we weren’t surprised to see that both are using roughly the same amount of resources.
Keep in mind that in some instances Avast can use a bit more memory compared to Chrome, but that’s nothing to worry about.
We experienced no slowdowns or any other issues with both browsers, so in terms of performance, we can say that they are almost the same, with Chrome having just a bit less memory usage at times.
Conclusion
Google Chrome is a great browser overall, with great security, but it’s not oriented toward user privacy as Avast Secure Browser. Almost all features from Chrome are available in Avast Secure Browser, so it’s just as safe.
Google Chrome: A web browsing standard
- Pros
- Made by Google
- Offers the latest features
- Secure
- Low memory usage
- Tab searching
- Cons
- Ad blocking feature could be better
Chrome’s minimalistic interface and unique features make it one of the best browsers on the market, and it’s perfectly safe to use.
Unfortunately, the browser doesn’t have too many privacy features, and if you’re extremely worried about your online privacy, Chrome might not be the best choice for you.
Avast Secure Browser: Chrome with extra security features
- Pros
- Secure
- Privacy protection features
- Great adblocker
- Works great with other Avast products
- Based on Chromium
- Cons
- Uses bit more memory than Chrome
On the other hand, Avast Browser also has a couple of unique features of its own, and a great ad blocker combined with privacy features that are available at your fingertips makes this a great browser.
Almost all features from Google Chrome can be found in Avast Secure Browser, with an exception of Tab Searching and a few others.
What is the safest browser to use?
While there is no dearth of browsers, none offer all the security features required from one. After reading the comparative study of Google Chrome vs Avast Secure Browser, you must have realized that both options are good but lack certain aspects.
If we look at the available options, Opera, undoubtedly, is the safest browser right now. It comes with a built-in tracker blocker that prevents websites from keeping a record of your online activity.
Meanwhile, the ad blocker feature keeps intrusive ads that cover a large part of the screen at bay. Besides, Opera comes with a built-in VPN to reroute your connection, a feature missing in some of the most popular options.
If you were to choose between Avast Secure Browser vs Chrome, both browsers are more or less safe. But if you want a reliable browser that has all the latest features, Chrome is the better option.
On the other hand, if you want a browser that is free from ads and that offers great security and privacy protection, be sure to give Avast Secure Browser a try.
What is your take on Avast Browser vs Chrome? Let us know in the comments section below.
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