I used Opera as my default browser a long time ago. When Opera dumped the Blink engine and switched to Chromium, I began the search for another default browser. When I found out the folks who developed Opera had started Vivaldi, I made the switch and it became my default browser. It still is. And I use it for mail without a problem. I also have Brave since occasionally Vivaldi still chokes on some websites that Brave handles successfully. I also have the Mullvad browser when I want even more enhanced security. I have NordVPN on my system but with Proton VPN now integrated into Vivaldi I don't know how much I'll be using Nord. And, just for fun, Vivaldi includes Vivaldia, an arcade style video game. I haven't played it much, but when I need to turn my brain off for a few minutes, it's a nice break. I appreciate your thorough review and, like you, I think there's a place for multiple browser on one system.
Yes, I understand that. I was just stating why I did not prefer it, though I would like too. I am not very “techy” so I’ll just keep to the 2nd best one!
Thanks Jason, interesting post. Sounds like some good features for specific uses. I recently converted to Brave, thanks to you, and have been very happy with it.
I think I’ve been using Brave for about four years now. Before that, I was on Firefox, but I wanted something lightweight with stronger privacy features, especially solid ad/tracker blocking.
When I first jumped to Brave, the sync features were rough, lots of duplications and weirdness. But they’ve improved massively since then. Now? I couldn’t imagine switching to anything else. It’s clean, fast, and simple to use without needing to spend ages tweaking settings. Solid breakdown, though. Really appreciate the comparison.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Brave. That is why I love it and recommend it to so many people. It’s easy for people who are just switching over to a privacy focused browser for the first time.
I use Vivaldi and love it. I have two workspaces-for work, I use vivaldi email and calendar because it keeps me organized. never have had a problem. my second workspace is for personal and I have it set up as a whole Proton landscape. So with one click I can go back and forth.
Hey Jason. This is my first time heard about Vivaldi and thanks for covering it. I'm actually one of the people who are locked with Chrome huhu but i will definitely check out Vivaldi out of curiosity. And about Brave, i did try but maybe because I'm used to Chrome already. Either way, this is a good post! Thanks 👍🏻
I've used Vivaldi off and on and it's still my primary Chromium backup browser. But I find that I enjoy using Firefox more than Chromium-based browsers (CBBs). Firefox has a better screen capture capabilities, the PDF tool is better developed, uBlock Origin was designed to work with Firefox better than CBBs, and I honestly don't like the Vivaldi forums.
I feel like I've had some unpleasant experiences there and it's hard not to carry over those feelings to the browser proper. I've commented on or made some requests and someone always jumps in to either make me feel crappy about it or suggests something that isn't what I've asked for. I've also seen some "true believers" that rubbed me the wrong way. Not to say that doesn't happen with other browser proponents, but I wasn't on the receiving end of them.
It does feel like Vivaldi's email client is half-baked and needs more time in development. I've had a lot of annoying little issues. I also think the ad blocker needs more development. It's.... fine, but definitely not as robust as others out there.
Oooooh, I feel like Vivaldi is right up my ally with all of the customizations. I've heard of it, but never checked it out, and now I'm going to. Thank you!!
Have you used impervious.ai browser with DID built in? It seems to stop YouTube from recognizing me. I'd be interested in your assessment of that one. That's free too
I tries Vivaldi a few months ago, was ok overall. I think it was a but slow, glitchy and not the best with search results if I recall correctly as I was trying a bunch of other browsers too. Currently using Brave.
"In theory, Vivaldi wants to replace all of it with built-in, local-first alternatives—which, from a privacy standpoint, is kind of a dream."
Isn't that a bit 'all of your eggs in one basket'? I prefer to compartmentalise my services, I can see the benefits of a single solution but it's a bit too Google for me.
Cant use it on my PC. I'm still running W7 64 bit and unlike brave, chrome or Firefox Vivaldi doesn't look like it supports old windows. Yes I hear you about W7, but my rig is run tighter than a seized bolt. Plus I'm sick of being dictated to by software providers that everything must be run on the latest version OS.
I'll try it on my not often used w10 laptop and definitely on my android phone - which is now 3 year old. I like to get my moneys worth :)
Again, great comparison and analysis. Have you used the Brave drive much? Ideally I want something that will replace the need for google drive which integrates with Gmail to allow me to send large files(I’m an architect so large graphics) to others outside of the Proton ecosystem. I’ve been holding off on reinstalling Dropbox.
I use ProtonDrive. You can utilize that and send a shared link for your documents to people you work with. You can also set security with a password so even if someone else was able to get the link they would also need a password to access. I find that works very well even for people outside the proton environment.
I have Android Tab 8. I have Proton VPN and mail apps. I use Firefox for political news ,
I use Chrome for commercial websites because Firefox sometimes doest work there.
I also use Google calendar and GMail. I avoid Google search and use DuckDuckGo, Yandex, and
Swiss Cows for most searches. I tried hard to use Samsung calendar but wasn't able to synchronize it with my Galaxy phone. I switched from Apple phone and iPad to be able to directly
Load apps like Telegram and bypass Google stores. I tried Brave long ago but did not stick with it. Except for commercial needs I avoid all mainstream sites. Any comments how to simplify this set up ?
You’ve built a solid setup and it’s clear you’ve put thought into it. To simplify, you might start by using just one browser. Firefox with the right settings usually handles most sites, or you could try Mull for stronger privacy.
Proton Calendar is a great alternative if you’re ready to move away from Google Calendar. Since you’re already avoiding the Play Store, F-Droid or Aurora Store are good options for managing apps more privately.
Let me know if you want help pulling it all together.
I used for a few years Arc and totally loved it. Unfortunately the project was shut and now Arc receives just security update (Chromium’s updates). I swapped a month ago to Zen and I wish I did it before. Much faster and less system resources hungry. I use Brave on my phone.
I used Opera as my default browser a long time ago. When Opera dumped the Blink engine and switched to Chromium, I began the search for another default browser. When I found out the folks who developed Opera had started Vivaldi, I made the switch and it became my default browser. It still is. And I use it for mail without a problem. I also have Brave since occasionally Vivaldi still chokes on some websites that Brave handles successfully. I also have the Mullvad browser when I want even more enhanced security. I have NordVPN on my system but with Proton VPN now integrated into Vivaldi I don't know how much I'll be using Nord. And, just for fun, Vivaldi includes Vivaldia, an arcade style video game. I haven't played it much, but when I need to turn my brain off for a few minutes, it's a nice break. I appreciate your thorough review and, like you, I think there's a place for multiple browser on one system.
Thank you for this. I too tried Opera in the past years ago. Glad I’m in good company!
I tried it, for me it is way to complicated. Brave is much simpler, thank you for sharing the info, I appreciate it.
So I’ve uninstalled it….c’est la vie!
Yea like I said in there it’s not gonna be for everyone
Yes, I understand that. I was just stating why I did not prefer it, though I would like too. I am not very “techy” so I’ll just keep to the 2nd best one!
Thanks Jason, interesting post. Sounds like some good features for specific uses. I recently converted to Brave, thanks to you, and have been very happy with it.
I think I’ve been using Brave for about four years now. Before that, I was on Firefox, but I wanted something lightweight with stronger privacy features, especially solid ad/tracker blocking.
When I first jumped to Brave, the sync features were rough, lots of duplications and weirdness. But they’ve improved massively since then. Now? I couldn’t imagine switching to anything else. It’s clean, fast, and simple to use without needing to spend ages tweaking settings. Solid breakdown, though. Really appreciate the comparison.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Brave. That is why I love it and recommend it to so many people. It’s easy for people who are just switching over to a privacy focused browser for the first time.
I use Vivaldi and love it. I have two workspaces-for work, I use vivaldi email and calendar because it keeps me organized. never have had a problem. my second workspace is for personal and I have it set up as a whole Proton landscape. So with one click I can go back and forth.
I quit Brave because I got tired of their pop up ads. Is there a way to shut them down? Tia!
Yes you can shut them off right in the settings
Ok, I'm intrigued enough to investigate further. I have ProtonMail but don't usen it much. Damn, you push me to increase my security envelope man!
Hey Jason. This is my first time heard about Vivaldi and thanks for covering it. I'm actually one of the people who are locked with Chrome huhu but i will definitely check out Vivaldi out of curiosity. And about Brave, i did try but maybe because I'm used to Chrome already. Either way, this is a good post! Thanks 👍🏻
I've used Vivaldi off and on and it's still my primary Chromium backup browser. But I find that I enjoy using Firefox more than Chromium-based browsers (CBBs). Firefox has a better screen capture capabilities, the PDF tool is better developed, uBlock Origin was designed to work with Firefox better than CBBs, and I honestly don't like the Vivaldi forums.
I feel like I've had some unpleasant experiences there and it's hard not to carry over those feelings to the browser proper. I've commented on or made some requests and someone always jumps in to either make me feel crappy about it or suggests something that isn't what I've asked for. I've also seen some "true believers" that rubbed me the wrong way. Not to say that doesn't happen with other browser proponents, but I wasn't on the receiving end of them.
It does feel like Vivaldi's email client is half-baked and needs more time in development. I've had a lot of annoying little issues. I also think the ad blocker needs more development. It's.... fine, but definitely not as robust as others out there.
Oooooh, I feel like Vivaldi is right up my ally with all of the customizations. I've heard of it, but never checked it out, and now I'm going to. Thank you!!
Have you used impervious.ai browser with DID built in? It seems to stop YouTube from recognizing me. I'd be interested in your assessment of that one. That's free too
Haven’t even heard of it but will definitely look into it
I tries Vivaldi a few months ago, was ok overall. I think it was a but slow, glitchy and not the best with search results if I recall correctly as I was trying a bunch of other browsers too. Currently using Brave.
I can't spell 😅
I'll give Vivaldi a shot.
But...
"In theory, Vivaldi wants to replace all of it with built-in, local-first alternatives—which, from a privacy standpoint, is kind of a dream."
Isn't that a bit 'all of your eggs in one basket'? I prefer to compartmentalise my services, I can see the benefits of a single solution but it's a bit too Google for me.
It’s more pointing out that the data is stored locally not so much emphasis on the built it. Sorry I see how that is kind of confusing
Cant use it on my PC. I'm still running W7 64 bit and unlike brave, chrome or Firefox Vivaldi doesn't look like it supports old windows. Yes I hear you about W7, but my rig is run tighter than a seized bolt. Plus I'm sick of being dictated to by software providers that everything must be run on the latest version OS.
I'll try it on my not often used w10 laptop and definitely on my android phone - which is now 3 year old. I like to get my moneys worth :)
Noted
Again, great comparison and analysis. Have you used the Brave drive much? Ideally I want something that will replace the need for google drive which integrates with Gmail to allow me to send large files(I’m an architect so large graphics) to others outside of the Proton ecosystem. I’ve been holding off on reinstalling Dropbox.
What are your thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks
I use ProtonDrive. You can utilize that and send a shared link for your documents to people you work with. You can also set security with a password so even if someone else was able to get the link they would also need a password to access. I find that works very well even for people outside the proton environment.
I have Android Tab 8. I have Proton VPN and mail apps. I use Firefox for political news ,
I use Chrome for commercial websites because Firefox sometimes doest work there.
I also use Google calendar and GMail. I avoid Google search and use DuckDuckGo, Yandex, and
Swiss Cows for most searches. I tried hard to use Samsung calendar but wasn't able to synchronize it with my Galaxy phone. I switched from Apple phone and iPad to be able to directly
Load apps like Telegram and bypass Google stores. I tried Brave long ago but did not stick with it. Except for commercial needs I avoid all mainstream sites. Any comments how to simplify this set up ?
You’ve built a solid setup and it’s clear you’ve put thought into it. To simplify, you might start by using just one browser. Firefox with the right settings usually handles most sites, or you could try Mull for stronger privacy.
Proton Calendar is a great alternative if you’re ready to move away from Google Calendar. Since you’re already avoiding the Play Store, F-Droid or Aurora Store are good options for managing apps more privately.
Let me know if you want help pulling it all together.
I used for a few years Arc and totally loved it. Unfortunately the project was shut and now Arc receives just security update (Chromium’s updates). I swapped a month ago to Zen and I wish I did it before. Much faster and less system resources hungry. I use Brave on my phone.