Which browser uses the least RAM?
A huge number of different web browsers poses questions to the user: how to choose not only a functional, but also a lightweight browser that will not “eat up” a large amount of RAM? This article will try to answer the question of which browser is the least resource-consuming.
Any program running on a computer consumes a certain amount of resources necessary for its full operation. In the case of a browser, the amount of RAM consumed depends on several factors:
- Browser optimizations. A browser that is not optimized by developers will consume a large amount of RAM, which is especially critical if the user’s computer (laptop) is equipped with only 2-4 GB;
- Open tabs. Each site opened in the browser is allocated additional RAM. The more of them are open in the browser, the more voracious the web browser becomes;
- Additions. Today it is difficult to imagine using a browser without installed add-ons that allow you to change the IP address, block ads, download files to your computer and perform many other useful functions. And, naturally, if a fairly large number of add-ons are installed in the browser, the browser begins to consume computer resources many times more.
- Viruses. Viral activity affects the operation of the operating system and programs, in particular browsers, disrupting their correct operation.
If we take into account all the above factors, then it is rational to consider browsers that are completely empty, that is, without add-ons and with the same number of tabs. Only in this way can we more accurately determine which of them consumes less resources.
Comparison of RAM consumption in different browsers
Below we will provide a comparison of RAM consumption for such popular browsers as Google Chrome, Yandex Browser, Opera and Mozilla Firefox.
When opening one tab
Below in the graph you can see the amount of RAM consumed by browsers when the Freeprograms.me website is open. From the graph it becomes clear that the most consumed browser is Mozilla Firefox, and the lightest is Opera.
When opening three tabs
Let's change the situation by opening three identical tabs in each browser. And this time the results remained the same. It is only worth noting that Chrome has become a little more power-hungry, almost catching up with Firefox.
When you open ten tabs
Many users can't cope with working with two or three tabs, so it's rational to see how browsers will behave with ten open tabs. Here, Opera still remains the least RAM-consuming browser, which cannot be said about other web browsers: Yandex Browser and Google Chrome have moved up significantly, eating up quite a lot of RAM, while Mozilla Firefox has come very close to Opera in terms of results .
After unloading nine tabs
Immediately after this, we closed 9 tabs in each browser and checked for changes in RAM consumption. Actually, everything is back to normal - Opera is in first place in terms of efficiency, and Firefox is again in last place.
Summing up
From our research, it becomes clear that the most effective browser at all stages of testing was the Opera browser. At the same time, it is worth noting that Mozilla Firefox behaves well with a large number of open tabs, which cannot be said about Google Chrome and Yandex Browser, which greatly increase the amount of RAM consumed with each new tab.
At the same time, I would like to note that each of the presented candidates is a powerful and functional web browser that behaves well with a large number of open tabs.
What browser do you use? Write your answers in the comments.
