I’m a software developer. I build things for the web. I write code.
I understand how browsers work.

And yet, somehow, choosing a default browser nearly broke me.

It wasn’t supposed to be this complicated. It’s just a browser.
A glorified tab holder. A tool to open Stack Overflow, forget why I opened it, and then open another tab instead.

But the moment I tried to pick the one—the browser that would rule them all—I descended into a personal crisis so deep I started questioning reality itself.

Round 1: The iPhone Problem (Or: Apple’s WebKit Prison)

I thought I had a choice.

I really did.

I believed I could just install Chrome or Firefox on my iPhone and live a normal life.

What a fool I was.

Because Apple, in its infinite wisdom, doesn’t actually let you use a real browser on iOS.
No matter what I install—Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Edge, Vivaldi, Opera, or a browser hand-coded by an underground group of free software rebels—they’re all WebKit underneath.

Which means every browser on iPhone is just Safari wearing a cheap disguise.

  • Chrome? Safari with Google Sync.
  • Firefox? Safari with different branding.
  • Brave? Safari with a tinfoil hat.

There is no escape. Safari is the law.

I tried resisting. I tried using Chrome on my iPhone, convincing myself it was different.
It wasn’t.

The pages loaded the same. The bugs were the same.
The only difference? A Google logo and more tracking.

At some point, I accepted my fate. If everything is WebKit, I might as well use the original.

Fine. Safari wins on iPhone.
Not because I love it, but because Apple made sure that fighting it would be a slow, battery-draining death.

Round 2: The Windows Browser Crisis (Or: Where Every Browser is the Same Anyway)

On Windows, the situation should be better. No WebKit dictatorship. No artificial restrictions. Freedom.

Or so I thought.

In reality, every Windows browser is just Chromium with different personality issues.

  • Chrome – The original Chromium overlord. Fast, powerful, but eats RAM like it’s a competitive sport and makes you sign into a Google account just to exist.
  • Brave – Chrome, but constantly reminding you that it’s better than Chrome. Also, why does it keep asking me about crypto?
  • Vivaldi – For people who think customizing a browser is a personality trait.
  • Opera – Who even uses Opera? Who are you people? Reveal yourselves.
  • Firefox – The only non-Chromium option, so I wanted to love it. But somehow, it makes every website feel slightly off, and the font rendering gives me trust issues.

At this point, I realized something horrifying.

Every time I tried a new browser, I ended up back in Chrome’s arms.

Not because I wanted to, but because the entire web is optimized for Chromium.

I wanted to love Firefox. I even tried convincing myself that the slightly-off fonts were a feature.
But in the end, it just made me feel like I was in an alternate universe where everything was almost right… but not quite.

So, I gave up. If I had to use Chromium, I might as well use the version that’s optimized for Windows and doesn’t aggressively push Google services on me.

And that’s how Edge won by default.

Round 3: The Syncing Nightmare (Or: How I Glued This Mess Together)

So now I had:

  • Safari on iPhone (because Apple won’t let me have nice things).
  • Edge on Windows (because all Chromium browsers are the same, and Edge just integrates better).

But now came the real problem.

How do I sync bookmarks between two browsers that don’t want to talk to each other?

  • Google wants me to use Chrome on everything like some kind of cross-platform cult.
  • Apple wants me to use Safari on everything because I made the mistake of owning an iPhone.
  • Microsoft wants me to embrace Edge fully and probably switch to Bing while I’m at it.

I refused to let any of them win.

So I hacked my way out with iCloud Bookmarks Extension for Edge.

  • Now Safari and Edge share bookmarks like two kids forced to get along.
  • I don’t need Google.
  • I don’t need third-party syncing tools.
  • And best of all, I can finally stop switching browsers every two weeks.

Final Thoughts: The Browser Wars Were a Lie

After all this research, testing, and questioning my life choices, I have one conclusion:

All browsers are terrible.

  • Some track you aggressively.
  • Some drain your battery.
  • Some crash randomly.
  • Some make you feel guilty for using them.

But in the end? A browser is just a tool.

The best one is the one that gets in your way the least.

For me, that means:

✔ Safari on iPhone (because fighting Apple is exhausting).
✔ Edge on Windows (because if all Chromium browsers are the same, I might as well pick the one with better Windows integration).
✔ iCloud Sync (because I refuse to let Google own my bookmarks).

Is it perfect? No.
Is it better than switching browsers every week? Yes.
Will I probably change my mind in six months? Also yes.

Because let’s be real—the moment you finally settle on a setup, something new comes along to break everything.