Why is Safari more sluggish than Chrome?

[martin2345uk]

I decided I would try using Safari instead of Chrome as my main browser on my M1 Air and M2 iMac, but, while the app opens more quickly than safari, once I am using it it's more sluggish, websites take longer to load, image elements take longer to render... I always thought it was dead snappy... could it be the Adblock extension I am using with it?

 

[bogdanw]

Turn off Private Relay https://support.apple.com/102022
Turn off Hide IP address in Safari https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/sfri35610/

 

[martin2345uk]

What do those two things do exactly..?
Edit: okay I guess they’re fairly self explanatory haha, so it’s totally safe to turn them off?

 

[headlessmike]

What do those two things do exactly..?
Edit: okay I guess they’re fairly self explanatory haha, so it’s totally safe to turn them off?

They prevent (or at least make it more difficult) sites from tracking your browsing. But they can reduce performance.

 

[martin2345uk]

Thanks guys I’ll try that when I get home today.

 

[Slartibart]

to see wether any extension installed impacts the performance of Safari you can simply create a new user, login as them, and then check the performance. Personally I would not turn off HMIP and PR - but then again, if the need arises, I prefer Chromium over Chrome. 🙃

 

[ipaqrat]

I run Safari, Chrome, Edge and Firefox with script, ad and tracking blockers, but not Apple's HMIP and PR. I divide workloads up in lanes for each browser, so I can track which browsers, sites and apps leak various workstreams. None of them, or the extensions, are trustworthy in the traditional sense of the word.

There's no such thing as risk avoidance - there is only risk acceptance. Trading security layers for latency is a risk management decision. It's tricky to prove security outcomes. Maybe one was never targeted. Maybe you get pwned anyway by the next zero day. Maybe the security layers work. Human factors often make or break security precautions. Place your bets!