Great Alternatives to Internet Explorer for Windows 10

I find it amazing that knowledge I take for granted is not shared as widely as I thought it was. I received an email last week from a TechJunkie reader asking for an alternative to Internet Explorer for Windows 10. This surprised me because one, Internet Explorer isn’t available on Windows 10 unless you install it and two, I thought everyone knew of the other browser out there!

It appears not, hence this quick overview of great alternatives to Internet Explorer in Windows 10.

Windows 10 comes installed with Microsoft Edge which while incomplete right now, is far superior to IE in every way. More Edge goodness is coming in the Windows 10 Creators Update but for now it is still far better to use Edge than Internet Explorer. There are lots of other options too. I’ll cover the most popular here.

There are hundreds of web browsers available for Windows. So many that I simply couldn’t cover them all here. Instead, I have picked the mainstream options so you get something better right away. You can always research more niche browsers at your own pace.

Google Chrome

Google Chrome has to be one of the most popular alternatives to Internet Explorer out there. It is fast, reliable and works very well. It has been around for years and has been steadily refined to be more stable and more secure than ever before.

It is better than Internet Explorer because it is faster and much, much more secure. It also works with hundreds of extensions and performs tasks in separate processes to maintain stability. The downside is that Google harvests your browsing data and will make money from your personal information. However, most browsers do that in one way or another except Firefox.

Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox has been around for longer than Chrome and is my personal browser of choice. It works as well as Chrome and is easily as stable. It also has the added benefit of not wanting to collect data on your every move. Firefox isn’t quite as fast as Chrome but is as stable and as secure.

Firefox is a non-profit and concentrates on usability and security. While it still has a way to go to be truly secure, it is better with your data and privacy than Chrome or Internet Explorer.

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge is the replacement for Internet Explorer. It is in a curious position as it is installed by default in Windows 10 but isn’t finished yet. The core is ready for use and works fine but things like extensions and the ability to block Flash are still yet to come. As it is built in, Edge is a fine alternative to Internet Explorer for Windows 10.

Edge is not as fully featured, as fast (in my opinion) or as flexible as Firefox or Chrome but is much better than IE. It is now a viable browser for any Windows 10 user.

Opera

Opera is another long-standing browser with a lot going for it. It is based on Chromium, which is what the Chrome browser is also built on. Therefore it shares many similarities with the architecture and look. It differs in how it is managed and maintained. It looks very similar and works in the same way but is managed by a different organization in a totally different way.

Opera supports extensions and tabbed browsing and all that good stuff like the others here but also has a neat trick up its sleeve. The new version includes a built-in VPN that can seriously enhance your security. It isn’t particularly fast but it provides a safe surfing environment for any use.

Vivaldi

Vivaldi is a new browser that was launched last year. Like Opera, it is built on Chromium but has made some improvements to the experience. It is fast, stable, plays nicely with extensions and does everything a browser should. It also uses a neat side panel that allows you to dock websites or social networks. This enables you to keep an eye on them while working in another window or hold the page for later when you have more time.

Vivaldi is still in active development but looks to have a lot of potential. The ability to take notes or fast forward or rewind web pages are enough to have me downloading it. There are lots of other tools too.

If you’re looking for alternatives to Internet Explorer for Windows 10, you now have five viable candidates to choose from. All are free and all work well. Download them all and see which suits you best. As long as you get away from Internet Explorer, it doesn’t matter which browser you use!