Last updated: · Author: Daniel Rozin
How We Test & Score Web Browsers
This page describes every attribute, data source, and editorial decision behind the browser comparison guide.
1. Scoring dimensions
| Attribute | What we measure | Primary source type |
|---|---|---|
| Engine / renderer | Rendering engine, JavaScript engine | Vendor developer docs / Chromium blog / MDN |
| Version (current stable) | Stable channel version number | Vendor release notes (official blog or changelog) |
| Platforms | OS and mobile coverage | Vendor system-requirements or download page |
| Market share | Desktop + mobile % share | StatCounter GlobalStats (gs.statcounter.com), monthly |
| Privacy posture | Telemetry defaults, tracker blocking, fingerprinting protection | Vendor privacy whitepaper or policy |
| Extension ecosystem | Store availability, estimated item count | Official extension store front page (dated snapshot) |
| Memory usage | RAM under standardized tab load | Methodology-disclosed independent benchmark (browserbench.org / Tom's Hardware) |
| Standards compliance | Web Platform Tests pass rate, Acid3 score | wpt.fyi dashboard (permalink snapshot) |
| Pricing / license | Cost to end-user, open-source status | Vendor download page + GitHub license file |
2. Data sources
- Tier 1: Vendor official documentation, release notes, or privacy whitepaper — cited with URL and access date.
- Tier 1: StatCounter GlobalStats for market share — monthly CSV download, methodology publicly disclosed at gs.statcounter.com/methodology.
- Tier 1: web-platform-tests.org (wpt.fyi) for standards compliance — open public dataset.
- Tier 2: Methodology-disclosed benchmark publications (Tom's Hardware, PCMag) for memory/performance data.
- Disallowed: SimilarWeb (panel bias, methodology undisclosed), G2/Capterra user scores, our own pages.
- Wikipedia and any Wikipedia mirror/fork — never a cite-worthy source for a cell value. The
about.sameAsWikipedia link (schema §1) is an entity reference only, never a citation. This prevents circular sourcing (WP:CIRCULAR).
3. Recency policy
Market share figures carry “as of [YYYY-MM]” labels referencing the StatCounter monthly data release. Version numbers are updated when a new stable channel release is announced. The page dateModified stamp reflects the last real-content edit.
4. Conflict-of-interest disclosure
A Versus B has no paid relationships with any browser vendor. No browser vendor reviewed or approved this guide before publication. Affiliate links, if present, are clearly labeled and do not influence any data or ranking.
5. Correction policy
Errors can be reported to contact@aversusb.net. Please include the specific claim, your correction, and a primary source. We aim to respond within 48 hours and publish corrections with a visible notice and updated dateModified.
CC-BY-4.0 covers aversusb.net editorial text and table layout; vendor names, logos, and marks remain the property of their owners.
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