Google Chrome is "fastest web browser"

Browser table

According to Gomez Real-User Monitoring, Chrome is the fastest browser in real-world tests

Chrome has been crowned the fastest web browser by Gomez, the benchmarks division of Compuware. Rather than relying on a battery of lab-based tests, its performance tables are based on 'real world' desktop usage on broadband connections. According to a report by TechCrunch, the data was collected over a period of a month, capturing 1.86billion measurements over 200 websites.

Each of the tested browsers has two sets of average readings, one each for 'page load time' and 'perceived render time'. The latter refers to how rapidly visible portions of the page load, as opposed to all data.

For page load time, Chrome (3.43 seconds) was about a half-second faster than its nearest rival, Firefox, with Safari and IE another half-second behind. (Opera was not included in the results; Chrome 12 was tested, despite version 13 now being the latest.)

For perceived time, Firefox (2.18 seconds) edged ahead of Chrome, with IE third and Safari some way behind. That said, it's worth noting that the entire range in both 'page load' and 'perceived render time' tables was about a second, and results for previous versions of browsers show Safari and IE rapidly closing the download-speed gap.

Some aspects of the Gomez benchmark strategy have been called into question, however, with critics noting that broadband is extremely variable and download speeds for any one site can dramatically vary depending on load, the time they are accessed and myriad other factors.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq.