10 Best Lightweight Browsers for Windows [low RAM Usage]
A lightweight browser can keep you PC resources under control
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Key notes
- An ideal lightweight browser should be able to use little resources regarding RAM and CPU power.
- There are many, lesser-known browser that are pretty light on your resources.
There are many excellent web browsers on the market, but what if you need a lightweight browser? We’re happy to inform you that you can use a wide array of alternative Windows browsers.
How we tested the lightest browser for Windows?
First, we checked our inventory, and found a Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15IGL7 laptop, which is not bad, but neither a rocket. After updating its Windows 10 system, we started installing the browser from our list and tested them in different situations. We did the following:
– Opened 30+ tabs
– Opened 20+ only Google Drive sheets and docs
– Downloaded 2 GB files
– Opened simultaneously 5 browser games
– Opened 10 movie tabs on different streaming platforms
Once checked and noted down the resource consumption, we put the average score and arranged the list. Opera One was by far the fastest, UR Browser was the second, even though if you turn on the adblocker it release some RAM usage. The third is K-Meleon, which is so simple that it runs fast. The rest of the list can be seen below.
Due to their low resource consumption, these are also great browsers for older PCs, and some of them run even on the old good Windows XP. Sounds good already? Let’s get started and see what alternative browsers are available.
What is the lightest browser for Windows PCs?
Opera One – New AI browser tool
Opera One is one of the best light browsers for Windows, offering an unprecedented number of features and customization tools. Make sure to download the latest browser version or install the latest updates to enjoy the best features available.
Opera One uses very few computer resources allowing you to free up more RAM. The browser does not hog your CPU or RAM, and this will make your computer visibly faster.
Even if you install many extensions, Opera One won’t tax your computer as much as other popular browsers.
This browsing solution has a few aces up its sleeve that allow it to speed up web browsing without draining your PC’s resources. For example, the turbo mode compresses website data for faster loading.
The built-in ad blocker and tracker blocker remove the ad and tracking scripts off web pages, resulting in faster loading times.
It offers advanced privacy protection features such as a built-in VPN to keep prying eyes away. Download this excellent search engine by clicking the link below and enjoy all the benefits.
Moreover, Opera One has a redesigned interface with tab islands to ease the users’ multitasking situations.
Other best features:
- Redesigned interface
- Tab islands
- Built-in VPN and ad blocker
- AI-integrated browser
Opera One
Get this redesigned browser with RAM/CPU limiters to use less memory while browsing!UR Browser – Safe & private browsing
UR Browser is one lightweight browser you can install on your device, even though it is not the most lite browser for Windows. It’s fast, doesn’t load unnecessary ad and tracking scripts, and protects your data privacy.
UR Browser doesn’t put a strain on your computer resources. This makes it perfect for limited hardware configuration systems and old computers.
This Chromium-based browser is an all-in-one browser. It comes equipped with a built-in VPN, an integrated virus scanner, and a privacy-focused search engine.
It is worth mentioning that you can download files four times faster with UR Browser.
The files you want to download on your computer are split into smaller chunks and then downloaded simultaneously.
Other great features:
- Lightweight
- Focused on user privacy
- Built on Chromium engine
- Built-in VPN
UR Browser
Surf the web and benefit from the great speed and advanced security features with an excellent browser!K-Meleon – Simplest interface
If you need a lightweight browser for Windows, then K-Melon might be a perfect choice. The software is open-source, and it’s designed for the Windows operating system.
Regarding the engine, K-Melon uses the Goanna engine based on Mozilla’s Gecko engine. The lightweight browser is perfect for older computers that can’t handle modern browsers.
As for the functionality, this is a pretty basic web browser, and it comes with customizable toolbars and context menus.
You can also create macros to automate specific tasks and save valuable time. Advanced search is also available, allowing you to easily search for bookmarks or perform a Google search.
Overall, this is a perfect browser for older computers since it requires only 100MB of memory and 20MB of RAM to run, but unfortunately, it lacks many features that modern browsers have.
Other great features:
- Popup blocking
- Mouse gestures
- Multiple bookmarking systems
- Extremely lightweight
⇒ Get K-Meleon
Lunascape Orion – Basic features & low resource consumption
Can’t decide between Firefox, Chrome, IE, or Safari? Well, what if we tell you that you can have all four within one program with this lightweight browser for PC.
That’s exactly what Lunascape Orion is all about – having Trident (Internet Explorer), Gecko (Firefox), or WebKit (Safari and formerly Chrome) all bundled into a single browser.
You can set one engine to be used every time you open Lunascape Orion, but you can also switch engines any time, simply by pressing a button.
This could be extremely useful if a certain web page is not supported in one browser, so you can always switch to another engine, and access the page.
It can be very practical, but some say that its performance can suffer because of that.
The browser appears to have a very poor performance on some computers, and that’s basically its biggest problem.
Besides the ability to switch between three different engines, Lunascape Orion has all the features of a standard browser. You can save bookmarks, look for URLs, and it even supports the RSS feed.
Other great features:
- Up to 25% more than other browsers
- Available for Windows and Mac
- Built-in ad blocker
- Privacy-oriented
Maxthon – Built-in ad blocker and screen capture tool
Maxthon Browser is another highly versatile lightweight browser that contains some features that you can’t even find in the major competitors.
It features a built-in ad blocker, a screen-capture tool, Night mode, Reader mode, RSS feed reader, a notepad, and several more features. It even comes with its own multi-account password manager, called Magic Fill.
Another great thing about Maxthon is that it uses its own cloud services to sync users’ data between devices.
While this isn’t an unusual sight with the major browsers, not many ‘smaller players can brag about this feature.
To make Maxthon sync your data on all devices, you need to create an account on its cloud-based service, Passport, login, and you’re good to go.
Maxthon also sports an unusual user interface for the majority of browsers. It features a toolbar placed on the left side of its window with buttons for Favorites, Downloads, RSS feeds, and notes.
Just like Lunascape, Maxthon is also a multi-engine browser, as it can use both Internet Explorer’s Trident, and Google Chrome’s Webkit engine.
Other great features:
- Built-in note-taker
- Password manager
- Ability to easily take screenshots
- Split screen view for tabs
SeaMonkey – Open-source browser
SeaMonkey is an open-source web browser, that has been around for more than 10 years.
This is probably one of the most versatile browsers you can find on the market because it offers much more than just regular web browsing.
SeaMonkey features its own built-in email client, and a built-in chat, and even allows you to develop some simple web pages with its built-in editor.
This might come in handy if you want to keep all your services in one place, run fewer tabs in your browser, and therefore save more resources.
Besides providing some basic features you would normally get in any web browser, SeaMonkey also has some additional abilities.
It provides a password manager, voice interaction, customizable toolbars, and the ability to restore sessions.
Since this is an open-source browser, basically anyone with some knowledge of coding and the will to work on the browser can do so.
Because of that, SeaMonkey doesn’t seem to be the most stable and reliable browser out there, as users might notice occasional performance issues.
But if you want to save some time by having everything you use daily in the same place, and at the same time consume less energy and memory, you should give SeaMonkey a try.
Other great features:
- Open source
- Available on all major desktop platforms
- Popup blocker
- Incredibly simple to use
⇒ Get SeaMonkey
Midori – Doesn’t collect user data
Midori is an open-source browser that should satisfy not-so-demanding users.
This browser has solid pack features, but also consumes fewer resources than some of the mainstream browsers, which can seal the deal for some people.
Some of the most important features of Midori are HTML5 support, bookmarks, RSS support, a spell checker, anonymous browsing, etc.
Speaking of HTML5, here is a list of the best editors on the market. You’ll become an expert on the matter!
It also ships with additional options, like tabbed browsing, the ability to change privacy settings, font/display settings, and startup settings.
Speaking of privacy settings, Midori uses DuckDuckGo (a search engine that doesn’t collect or share user info)as its default search engine.
Of course, you can change this later if you want to switch to a mainstream search engine.
Perhaps the most appealing thing about Midori is its simple user interface, which will delight all lovers of the minimalist approach.
The browser is very light, so it should be easy to get accustomed to it. Its user interface consists of the search bar and the bookmarks bar, while content takes up most space.
So, we can call this browser Firefox’s younger brother, even though the two browsers are unrelated.
Other great features:
- Available on all desktop platforms and Android
- Great privacy control
- Built-in ad blocker
- Productivity features
⇒ Get Midori
Falkon – Great on Linux
Another lightweight browser that deserves your attention is Falkon. The browser is built on QTWebEngine.
The browser has been present since late 2010, and it was called QupZilla, but it was rewritten in C++ using the Qt Framework, and it has since changed its name.
The browser is a part of the KDE project, so it already comes preinstalled with many Linux distributions. Of course, the software is available on multiple platforms, and you can find it on almost any platform, including Windows.
As for the features, you can find all the basic features available such as bookmarks, history, and tabs. The browser has an AdBlock plugin preinstalled, so you won’t have to deal with ads again.
Overall, this is a great browser for users who need minimalistic and lightweight software to surf the web. Since Falkon uses its browsing engine, the number of available extensions is limited, which might be a problem for some users.
Other great features:
- Minimalistic
- Available on multiple platforms
- Has only the most essential features
- Built-in adblocker
⇒ Get Falkon
Firefox – Resource efficient & very versatile
Firefox was first developed as a quicker, safer substitute for the widely used browsers of the late 1990s, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer.
It seemed to have slipped down the food chain over time, but it has since evolved and is now highly regarded for its privacy and performance.
Regarding resource efficiency, Firefox is clearly superior to Chrome since it uses less memory and is less taxing on your computer’s operating system. Additionally, very little information about you is gathered on the browser.
You can perform address bar searches, access bookmarks, collect intelligent search recommendations and history, and do lots more using Firefox.
Additionally, you may customize the settings of the search bar to have greater control over your surfing process and automatically suggest URLs.Lastly, Firefox syncs all your devices is accessible in over 90 languages, and works with Google applications like Gmail and Docs.
Other great features:
- Privacy-oriented
- Customizable interface
- Available on all desktop and mobile platforms
- Built by a non-profit organization
⇒ Get Firefox
Microsoft Edge – The default option on Windows
If you’re using Windows 10 or 11, then you’re probably familiar with Microsoft Edge. The browser uses Chromium engine, so it’s relatively lightweight.
Since it’s built on Chromium, Edge can also support all Chrome extensions out of the box. In addition, the browser has a startup boost that will help it start faster.
There’s even a sleeping tabs feature that will put tabs that aren’t currently used to sleep in order to preserve your resources.
The browser also has useful security features, including integration with Windows Defender integration, Password Monitor, Kids Mode, and more.
Overall, if you need a reliable browser, and don’t feel like downloading a new one, give Microsoft Edge a try.
Other great features:
- Built on Chromium
- Works with Chrome extensions
- Startup boost feature for faster launching
- Tab sleeping for inactive tabs
Other useful browser options
Because we decided to include all the available browser options on the market, some didn’t make the cut for the Top 10 list when measuring the rapport between the RAM usage and the actual utilization of the software, but you can see them below:
- Vivaldi – a good browser with a friendly UI, but heavy on RAM usage
- AVG Secure Browser – Light usage compared to other browsers
- Brave – compact UI with good security options
- Pale Moon – very low impact on system resources, but quite useless for everyday tasks
- Mypal – very simple interface and easy to use
- Vivaldi – looks amazing, but considering the features in holds, its RAM consumption is too big
- WaterFox – impressionable UI with loads of good features
How do these browsers compare when it comes to RAM usage?
As you will see, the table below includes the entire list of browser recommendations from this list and the browsers in the Other useful browser options section.
This will ensure you can compare and choose a browser that will fit your needs on all counts, including the amount of RAM, CPU, engine build, and user-friendliness.
| Browser | RAM usage | CPU usage | Engine | Utility | UI friendliness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opera | 602 - 610 MB | 0.7 - 2.0 % | Chromium | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| UR Browser | 657 - 651 MB | 0.8 - 2.0 % | Blink; V8 | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| K-Meleon | 160 - 170 MB | 1.4 - 2.5 % | Goanna | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Torch | 234 MB | 1.0 % | Chromium | 3/5 | 2/5 |
| Lunascape Orion | 259 MB | 2.2 % | Gecko | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Maxthon | 290 - 336 MB | 2.2 - 3.1 % | Trident | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Comodo IceDragon | 304 MB | 1.1 % | Quantum | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| SeaMonkey | 336 - 353 MB | 2.2 - 3.1 % | Gecko | 3/5 | 2/5 |
| Midori | 355 MB | 2.4 - 3 % | Webkit | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Falkon | 387 MB | 2.3 - 3.1 % | Blink | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Firefox | 415 - 478 MB | 1.4 - 2.3 % | Quantum | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| Brave | 530 MB | 1.5 - 3.8 % | Blink; ‎V8 | 4/5 | 3/5 |
| Pale Moon | 539 MB | 1.5 - 2.9 % | Goanna | 2/5 | 1/5 |
| Mypal | 569 MB | 2.6 - 3.1 % | Goanna | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Vivaldi | 590 MB | 0.8 - 2.2 % | Chromium | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Waterfox | 610 MB | 1.4 - 1.7 % | Gecko, SpiderMonkey | 3/5 | 4/5 |
| Edge | 638MB | 1.0 - 1.4 % | Chromium | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Even if Opera One doesn’t consume less RAM than other browsers, it is by far the best option when considering the number of features, options, and integrations this software has.
Close behind, we have UR Browser, which fits into the same category as Opera One, offering too many good features not to be included in the list, even though the RAM utilization score is a bit bigger than in the case of other browsers.
How can I reduce memory and CPU usage on Chrome?
Many reported that Chrome has problems with resource usage. This can be a problem and interfere with your browsing experience.
We covered Chrome memory issues in a separate guide, so check it out. If you’re having high CPU issues, our guide on Chrome high CPU usage is a must-read.
This concludes our list of the best lightweight browsers for Windows. As you can see, each one of these programs has something unique to offer and is worth your attention.
We know you probably continue using your current web browser even after reading this article, but you can at least consider trying some of these tools.
A lightweight browser is recommended if you’re using an older computer because it can save you precious megabytes of memory. Alternatively, you can use RAM memory optimizer software and achieve similar results.
What do you think about our picks? Do you have something to add? Tell us in the comments below.
