Which Browser Uses The Least Memory In 2023?

Most of our work these days involves being connected to the internet or some form of network. This is primarily the reason why web browsers have such newfound importance in our day to day work. The most popular browser across all platforms is google chrome, which is very reliable and secure as well.

However, you may have noticed that the browser consumes a lot of system resources. This is why on some older machines, you may see Google Chrome lagging and not displaying content correctly. This is primarily why users may want to switch to browsers that don’t use a lot of memory.

Here, let us discuss browser memory usage so that we can determine which browser uses the least memory.

Why Does Google Chrome Use So Much Memory?

Google Chrome is based on the Chromium engine. Many browsers based on the Chromium Engine separate the browser elements into different processes. Thus, each task you perform, each new tab you open, and each extension that you run starts a new process on your device.

These duplicate processes end up utilizing more RAM than necessary, and you see the browser using significantly higher system resources in this process. However, one of the biggest advantages to this is the fact that Google Chrome seldom sees a crash, as the browser is relatively stable compared to some other browser options.

Browser Using Too Much Memory

Even Google Chrome, being one of the browsers using the highest memory resources, does not cause a significant lag. Browsers, in general, are not memory hogging and utilize around 50-70% of your memory resources depending on your configuration.

If you see the browsers using too much memory, there might be something wrong with the application or the website that you see this error on. You can see the browser significantly lagging if you have too many tabs open, which can lead to pushing the architectural limitations of the application itself.

A broken extension or incompatible and heavy scripts can also lead to the browser utilizing significantly high amounts of system resources, and slowing down your computer.

Which Browser Uses The Least Memory?

Giving a definite answer to this question is quite tough actually, as the resource usage generally depends on your configurations and the hardware setup. So, we have chosen 3 low memory web browsers that our readers have recommended so that you can read the pros and cons of each before making your decision.

Microsoft Edge (Chromium)

Microsoft switched the Edge browser to use the Chromium engine in 2020 instead of the older EdgeHTML and Chakra JavaScript engine. Although the older version was quite good for casual browsing, it lacked the stability required for many modern-day websites.

The new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge contains the best of both worlds and is probably the fastest Chromium-based browser available right now. According to many benchmark tests done by various users over the internet, Edge has come a close second in terms of network speed and system resource usage behind Firefox.

You also get access to many Edge specific features, such as privacy controls and mark-up tools, which increase the functionality of the browser many folds. Edge is built into the Windows 10 Operating system, so you can use the browser in its full glory when you update to the latest version.

Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox enjoys a good second place in the list of commonly used browsers, and rightly so. For many users who wish to have more features and better resource management, Mozilla Firefox is the browser they readily switch to. Users get a bunch of additional features, and this has made Firefox one of the largest competitors to Google Chrome.

Firefox uses the Gecko engine instead of Google’s Chromium engine to render the web. While using some extensions, you may notice that Firefox is a bit slower compared to Google Chrome when loading the web results, but the browser itself consumes far fewer system resources.

You also get access to the regular features, such as incognito browsing, extension support via the Mozilla Webstore, and much more, with the added benefit of extra privacy features such as better control the data sharing and tracking.

Opera

The security concerns aside, Opera is a very capable browser that was once very popular among the users. It is a lightweight browser, also based on the Chromium engine. However, it does not create many duplicate processes, causing much less burden on the RAM and CPU.

Opera is packed with many useful features, which include the news feed, Flow for seamless sharing between devices, built-in VPN, and much more. There is also a dark mode, which is very useful while using the browser for an extended period of time.

Opera has recently come under scrutiny for being careless with user security. This is the primary reason why many users shifted away from the browser. However, if you only wish to do some casual browsing on some older devices, Opera is one of the best low memory web browsers you will find.

Wrapping Up

So there you have it. As mentioned above, it cannot be definitively said which browser uses the least memory, as the speed also depends on your system configuration. Now you know the best low memory web browsers according to the user benchmarks so that you can choose accordingly. Comment below if you found this useful, and to discuss further the same.