Many have tried to take on Google Chrome, yet the irony is that most projects rely on the same Chromium code that powers the browser they hope to defeat. Comodo Dragon, Opera, Vivaldi, and SRWare Iron are some of the most well-known examples, and now they’re joined by UR Browser, a project from the Paris-based company AdaptiveBee. What sets UR Browser apart? A customized interface, easier access to multimedia content, and a specialized download manager.
Why another Chrome alternative?
We all agree that Google Chrome has plenty of room for improvement, especially when it comes to RAM consumption, download management, proxy configuration (on Windows it still relies on the operating system’s menu), and privacy settings. Privacy, in particular, is a delicate issue for many users, who either stick with Firefox or turn to Chromium—though we should take Chromium with a grain of salt, since it isn’t stable code and its updates are manual. The market is full of Chromium-based alternatives, and even though they share Chrome’s core, that doesn’t stop them from trying something fresh. That’s how we arrive at UR Browser.
A return to the old Opera formula
In some ways, UR Browser takes us back to the old Opera—a browser that, rather than relying on extensions (don’t worry, UR Browser supports them), includes a number of extra components. The first thing UR Browser brings to the table is a high level of customization. Whether it’s themes, icons, or wallpapers, you can change these elements to your liking. Then there are "Moods," which adapt the browser to the time of day or to whatever you’re doing. The main screen is packed with widgets showing weather, general news, sports, and shortcuts to major chat services. It also offers a dedicated section for free games, and from a more technical angle, a download manager that’s more advanced than Chrome’s (which, by the way, is horrible).
The theory behind UR Browser is very interesting, and we recognize the intention to launch something "different" into the market, but in practice it falls short. All the extra elements the browser presents translate into additional processes that consume dozens of megabytes. Both Chrome and its open-source counterpart Chromium already suffer from memory issues by design, and UR Browser makes that situation even worse. On top of that, UR Browser may serve advertising suggestions to fund itself (though they can be turned off). While we understand the need, we don’t think a browser is the best venue for that. UR Browser is currently in beta, and we imagine it will receive several optimizations in the future, but patience is required. It has work ahead.
