If you surf the Internet and visit websites with videos, music and animation, you need a browser that can handle HTML5. We introduce you to some HTML5 browsers and show you their main differences.
This is HTML5
HTML5 is a markup language that contains the structure for displaying websites. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) published this HTML standard in 2014, which extends the previous one to include structure, video and audio tags, among other things..
For website designers there are many design options with HTML5, since in addition to HTML, CSS3 and JavaScript are used to make websites dynamic and responsive for mobile devices. Accordingly, the browser used must be able to deal with these web technologies.
Further information on HTML5 can be found in this tips + tricks article..
The most popular HTML5 browsers
The well-known browsers Google Chrome, Chromium, Firefox, Opera, Microsoft Edge and Apple Safari can all handle HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript and display HTML5 videos. They mainly differ in how quickly they display a website and in the scope of the extensions and additional functions.
Chromium : Is an open source browser on which Google Chrome is based. The HTML5 browser can be expanded to include add-ons and apps, and it scores with the fast display of websites. With the Chrome Remote Desktop extension https://www.heise.de/download/product/chrome-remote-desktop-83637 you can also control a remote computer..
Google Chrome : The Google Browser is the Google version of Chromium. It is not open source and offers a range of functions similar to Chromium.
Firefox : Mozilla's open source browser offers a huge collection of extensions. In terms of speed, however, he had to surrender his top position to Chromium in 2017. But it is interesting for users who mistrust Google when it comes to data protection.
Tor Browser : The Firefox-based browser routes traffic over the Tor network to hide your IP address. It is designed for anonymization and comes with the NoScript and HTTPS Everywhere add-ons preinstalled so that JavaScript is blocked and secure HTTPS connections are used.
Opera : The HTML5 browser from Norway offers all standard functions and comes with a VPN service. It allows you to hide your own IP address and surf securely via public WiFi hotspots.
Opera VPN : The browser for Android can also handle HTML5 and offers a VPN service for safe surfing. It is an alternative to the mobile version of Opera, which does not offer a VPN service on Android.
Vivaldi : The HTML5 browser comes with an image browser that displays EXIF data and a histogram. In addition, while surfing the notes panel, you can save small quotes and articles including a link and screenshot.
Microsoft Edge : The standard browser for Windows 10 replaces Internet Explorer and can handle the web technologies of HTML5.
Apple Safari : The HTML5 browser from Apple is the standard browser for Mac OS X or macOS and is available in a mobile version for iOS.
Brave: The Web browser Brave wants to protect the user from the tracking by advertising. An ad blocker is integrated as standard for this purpose. Like the current Edge browser, Brave is based on Chromium.
Which HTML5 browser is best for me?
In principle it is a matter of taste which of the above HTML5 browsers you use. They can all handle HTML5 pages and videos, offer private browsing, bookmarks and history. Opera has the advantage that a VPN service is built in, so you can hide your IP address and surf securely over public WiFi hotspots. And if you want to be even more private, the Tor Browser is ready for anonymous surfing.
HTML5 pages on Linux, macOS and Windows are no problem for Google Chrome, Chromium, Firefox, Vivaldi and Opera. Chromium and Google Chrome build websites faster than Firefox, which scores with many add-ons. For iOS and Android, Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera VPN and Opera are available in mobile phone versions that also understand HTML5, but offer a smaller range of functions. Apple's Safari is actually only intended for the manufacturer's own operating system, which includes the variant for mobile devices with iOS