In fact, in 2014, CNET did a “Mobile Browser Showdown” between Chrome, Safari and Opera on the iPhone 5S. Since Google switched to Apple’s engine, Chrome is now just as fast as (if not faster than) Safari, crashes less, and has similar battery life expenditures. Since Apple allowed third-party browser developers to use the same WKWebView engine that powers Safari, the speed difference between Apple’s proprietary browser and Google Chrome is negligible at best. For example, a few years ago Chrome was not only significantly slower than Safari on iOS, but it ate up memory (and battery power) like there was no tomorrow. In the past, browser speed was often the deciding factor for choosing which app to use. Although Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer and a few other browsers were used, Chrome had the largest market share by far, at 54.15 percent.Ĭhrome vs Safari Chrome vs. During the same timeframe, Safari was used by 31.17 percent of mobile browser users.

According to, mobile devices running iOS made up 30.82 percent of the whole during the first two months of 2017. With Apple’s mobile market share being close to 30 percent, you would expect Safari’s market share to be similar, and you would be right. So let’s run through the differences - and similarities - between Safari and Chrome for iOS, so you can decide for yourself. And if your device runs on iOS, you’ve probably encountered Apple’s proprietary Safari browser. But with top-notch competitors like Google Chrome available on the App Store, there’s a very real question of which iOS browser is the best. Safari – Which Browser Is Best for iPhone and iPad?īrowsing the web is one of the most important functions our smartphones serve.

Does safari or chrome use more memory