Since its release in September 2008 Google Chrome has been the browser of choice for the majority of our team. In fact I’m the only one who doesn’t use it as their default browser.
I’ve installed it but I predominantly use Opera or Firefox. Everyone here cites speed as one of the major reasons for using Chrome and some recent data released by Compuware’s Gomez seems to confirm this. Their research project aimed to determine what the fastest browser was for desktop users on broadband connections.
200 websites were measured over a month and the results are detailed in the chart above. As always you could take objection to the way in which the test was conducted and the data interpreted. But given the numerous other benchmark studies conducted this report seems to confirm a general trend – Google Chrome does appear to be the quickest browser.
So given the results will I start using it more?
Probably not. The benchmark studies I’ve seen indicate a speed difference of 5 – 10% between the major browsers. If you can perceive that difference then go with Chrome but if you can’t it’s probably best to stick with whatever you’re already using.
Speed is not the sole factor you should consider when selecting a browser. Security, familiarity, company policies (if applicable), and the availability of extensions or add-ons are just as important as speed when picking the browser you use.