Share this article
Improve this guide
32-bit Browsers - Top 8 Tools for Safe Browsing on Older Systems
14 min. read
Updated onJune 14, 2024
updated onJune 14, 2024
Share this article
Improve this guide
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more
Are you looking for the best 32-bitbrowsers?
After thorough research and testing, I identified eight apps that offer a speedy and safe browsing experience with low memory usage.
Read on for detailed overviews with their pros and cons!
8 Best 32-bit Browsers
Check out these amazing tools:
1.UR Browser– Privacy Suite with Built-in VPN and Ninja Mode
Think ofUR Browseras alighter version of Chrome for your 32-bit system. This browser uses limited resources and offers the same benefits as Safari and Chrome but with better security and some innovations.
UR Brower supportsthree privacy suiteswith different types of protection:
In my case, I tested the High Privacy Level suite, which consequently blocked 2 trackers, 28 ads, and 59 cookies.
Additionally, theNinja modefeature of the High Privacy Level suite allows you tobrowse privately. In this mode, all your browser history, search history, and store cookies get erased as soon as you close the tabs.
However, itkeepsthe bookmarks and the downloadedfilesafter quitting the tabs.
This isn’t a new feature since all popular browsers offer an incognito mode. However, UR Browser permits you touse the private or Ninja mode and the normal mode within the same window, which is quite impressive!
It also comes with abuilt-in VPNthat hides your IP address and spoofs your location to protect your online privacy.
This browser also has its ownDownload Manager, which separately organizes images, videos, audio, and documents. Specifically, in terms of downloading files, it utilizesadvanced parallel technology. It results in a4x faster downloadspeed than usual.
Moreover, UR Browser also allows you tosearch for specific downloaded fileswithin the Manager.
Notably, every time you download something from the internet, it undergoes thebuilt-in virus scannerand is verified for threats. If UR Brower finds the file suspicious, it flags it and generates an alert for the dangerous file. The same goes for browsing websites.
To protect your privacy even more, itdisables text prediction on web searches, automatic updates, and password filling. Other than this, you can use itsSettingswindow, the same that Chrome supports, and tweak the options.
Pros:
Cons:
Get UR Browser
2.SlimBrowser– Lightweight and Speedy
Looking for a lightning-fast 32-bit browser? Try SlimBrowser!
Ituses the Gecko engine, which is why it quickly loads pages even on older machines. It also includes aTurbocharged Download Managerwhich boosts download speed and efficiently organizes all of your files.
Moreover, SlimBrowser supports abuilt-in ad blockerthat filters out andremoves obstructive ad imageswithin the web pages.
Also, when you watch YouTube videos, itautomaticallyblocks video ads. I personally tested this feature and found it quite impressive!
Furthermore, it embeds aDownload Videobutton behind the title of each video. This permits you to download the currently played YouTube video indifferent formats.
Additionally, you candrag your favorite items into the toolbar or overflow menu.
Itintegrates different extensions and themesas add-ons, which you can add with a single click.
Last but not least, SlimBrowser also offers various tools, such asLanguage File Manager,Eyedropper,Responsive Design Mode, and more.
Pros:
Cons:
Get SlimBrowser
3.Falkon– Privacy-Focused and Simple Interface
Falkon, formerly known asQupZilla, is aKDE web browser, based on QtWebEngine. It was originally designed for education purposes only.
The service has asimple user interfaceand consumes minimal memory. It utilizesDuckDuckGoas the default search engine and offers other options such as Google, Wikipedia, and StartPage.
Moreover, its Manage Search Engines feature allows you to add, edit, remove, or set a desired default search engine.
Similar to Opera, Falkon has aSpeed Dial. Itdoesn’t auto-add pagesto the home page, so you’ll have to manually pin them.
Both the Standard and Portable versions contain essential features you’d expect from a typical web browser. For instance, it has aSession Manager,Bookmarks,History,Tabs, and more.
Overall, Falkon is prettycustomizable. It lets youtweak different optionsin thePreferences. For instance, you canset yourthemetoMac,Windows, orChromeand apply changes immediately.
As you scroll down, through the left-side panel of the Preferences window, you may find built-in Extensions, such as:
From here, you can simply mark the checkbox of the Extension which you need to use.
Besides this, theonline repositoryof Falkon contains17 extensionsand4 themesto date.
I’ve also explored other settings like managing passwords, adding bookmarks, and managing notification access. It didn’t crash and worked well on my Windows system.
Pros:
Cons:
Get Falkon
4.K-Meleon– A Lightweight Version of Mozilla Firefox
K-Meleon is asimple yet very customizableweb browser. It’sbased on the Gecko Engine, the same one that SlimBrowser and Mozilla Firefox use. To be more specific, you can consider K-Meleon as analternative to Firefox, as it offers almost the same features whileconsuming minimal system resources.
By default, it usesDuckDuckGo as a default search engine. However, you can change this setting anytime.
To use K-Meleon for web browsing, simply enter your query and click the search button. Consequently, itquickly loadsthe page or the relevant results.
What’s more, the K-Meleon team paid special attention to the user’s security. This browser automaticallyprotects you from ActiveX elements and malicious programs. Additionally, itsprivacy barprovides separate controls for Popup blockers, Cookies, JavaScript, Java, Clear Cache, Images, and Kill Flash.
To configure the other settings, click on thegear iconfrom the top right side and view a list of options in atree-like structure. From here, you can further navigate and tweak settings accordingly.
With the help of thelayers plugin, K-Meleonmanages multiple sitesyou visit during a browsing session. Moreover, theTabbed Browsingoption enables you to navigate between multiple pages and keep them open simultaneously.
One of the other standout features isimporting your desired bookmarking systemthrough related plugins. For instance, you can use your existing Opera Hotlist, Internet Explorer Favorites, or Netscape/Mozilla-style bookmarks with ease.
Furthermore, you canenable or disable the Mouse Gesture pluginto configure which specific actions it’ll perform when moving the mouse in the specified direction.
The same Preferences window also contains different options to customize theAppearance,Page Display,File Handling,History,Proxy,Cache,Themes,Skins, and other browser-related settings.
Additionally, to explore more tools of K-Meleon, such asTranslation,User Agent mode,Hotlinks,Mail And News, andError Console, click on the gear icon from the address bar.
Overall, K-Meleon is one of the best 32-bit browsersfor old or configurationally weak systems.
Pros:
Cons:
Get K-Meleon
5.Pale Moon– Fast and Efficient for Both New and Old Systems
Pale Moonis a popular browser that’swell-optimized for both newer and older systems. Itloads pages quicklyand offers an efficient web browsing experience. Moreover, its stable and portable versions are specially designed toconsume few system resources.
The homepage of Pale Moon grants youquick accessto frequently visited websites, news feeds, and other useful resources. In addition, it supports different search engine options, such as:
Pale Browser allows you to open a new browser window in aprivate mode. In such a case, it won’tsave temporary files, cookies, passwords, and other datafrom the visited websites.
It has also maintainedcompatibility with Mozilla Firefox add-ons. You can use different extensions to expand its functionalities, personalize it with themes, and utilize specialized external plug-ins.
Each availableadd-on categoryfurther navigates you to alist of extensions or themes. For instance, I explored the Privacy & Security section, and it has35+extensionsthat can secure your web browsing experience in different ways.
By default, Pale Moonsupports plugins forMicrosoft SharePoint and Microsoft Lync. However, you can install supported plugins through its library or using a file.
Pale Moon also handles a separatePermissions Managertoadjust individual permissionsfor the visited URLs. For each domain, it allows you to set permissions for these elements:
As Pale Moon isbased on theGoanna search engine, it’s updated frequently. These updates help to add or build new features, repair problems, and improve the overall quality of the browser.
Notably, Pale Moonruns pretty well on low-end or 32-bit systems.However, for modern hardware or 64-bit PCs, it uses multi-threading for optimal performance.
Pros:
Cons:
Get Pale Moon
6.SeaMonkey– All-in-One Suite with an Email Client, IRC Chat, and Composer
SeaMonkey is one of the most comprehensive 32-bit browsers I’ve encountered. For instance, you can use it as anemailcomposer,IRC chat client, newsgroup client, and more.
In SeaMonkey, you can search the web usingDuckDuckGo,Google,Google Groups,Google News, etc.
Moreover, it can open all of the search engine options in separate tabs so you can use them simultaneously.
With just one click, you canopen several pages at once. Additionally, yourhomepagecan havemultiple pagesindifferent tabs.
SeaMonkey also offers other tools such as:
Additionally, SeaMonkey allows you tobrowse using multiple profiles. For each profile, it saves information related to your bookmarks, preferences, settings, user items, and stored messages.
Moreover, it supports anextensive add-on librarywiththousands of extensions. You can easily add a personal touch to the overall browser look. In addition, it permits you todevelop your own extensions and share themwith the community of SeaMonkey.
On thebottom right sideof the SeaMonkey window, you’ll seetwoicons. You can use the first one toturn on or off the offline modeand the second one toview the current page info.
Similar to Pale Moon, you canset permissions for the current websitewith the second option. This includes accessing locations, installing add-ons, loading images and stylesheets, blocking pop-up windows, and more.
I also loved how little memory SeaMonkey consumes. However, its complex and outdated interface may deter users who prefer a more modern look.
Pros:
Cons:
Get SeaMonkey
7.Maxthon– Includes Unique Features Like Snapping and Maxnote
Maxthon is alight Chromium-based browserthat might not be as popular as other 32-bit browsers, but it has some unique advantages.
It supportsMaxAsk,Google,Bing,Yahoo,DuckDuckGo,Yandex, where MaxAsk is set as default. However, you can change this setting as per your preferences.
Furthermore, it contains abuilt-in notepadknown asMaxnote. You can easily open it on the left side panel or using the address bar component.
Specifically, it assists in creating notes as you navigate through web addresses, or copying information from any website.
The address bar contains quick launchers for different features such as:
Snappingis another stand-out feature which allows you to eithertake a screenshot of a screen section or the whole page. Furthermore, you candirectly crop the areabefore taking a snap.
Maxthon also supportsPasskeeper,a password managerthat lets you autosave passwords and manage private notes, account credentials, payment info, and addresses. The next time you try to log in, itautomatically fills in the details on your behalf.
In addition, the latest versions of Maxthon supportBrightVPN. When enabled, this VPN service encrypts your data to secure your browsing experience and online activities.
You can also explore different Features in theSettings, and toggle them on or off.
Pros:
Cons:
Get Maxthon
8.Avant Browser– Highly Customizable With Multiple Rendering Engines
Avant Browser is afast, stable, memory leak-free browserfor any Microsoft Windows user. It beats Mozilla Firefox at speed, Internet Explorer at features, and Opera at rendering.
You can easilycustomize all its toolbars. For instance, it allows you to select the buttons and their positions on the toolbar. You can also customize the menu bar which by default contains these buttons:
What’s more, you can choose betweenAvastFindandYahoo. It offersfour rendering engineoptions, whereIE11 Standards is stated as the best for low memory usage.
To view each option in a more detailed view, click onAvant Browser Settings. This opens a sub-window with different options related to changing its style, setting rendering engines, clearing records, opening files, and more.
For instance, I opened theBrowsing Options, which lets me block unwanted pop-up pages, disable pictures, flash animations, videos, sounds, scripts, Java Applets, and ActiveX.
By default, theAD Blockercontains a list of rulesas the Black List. You can alsoadd or import a new list or export the current one.
Within the Add-ons section, you canselect the Internet Explorer pluginsyou’d like to use in Avant Browser.
Similarly, you can explore and tweak other categories from the same Settings window.
Pros:
Cons:
Get Avant Browser
How I Chose the Best 32-bit Browsers?
During my tests, I prioritized the following qualities to choose the overall best 32-bit browsers. I picked options that:
So, now you’ve all the essential information related to these 32-bit browsers. Feel free to share which one you liked the most in the comments below! Moreover, if you need good options forbrowsing on your smart TV, I’ve got you covered.
More about the topics:browsers,Windows
Vlad Turiceanu
Windows Editor
Passionate about technology,Windows, and everything that has a power button, he spent most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world.
Coming from a solid background in PC building and software development, with a complete expertise in touch-based devices, he is constantly keeping an eye out for the latest and greatest!
User forum
0 messages
Sort by:LatestOldestMost Votes
Comment*
Name*
Email*
Commenting as.Not you?
Save information for future comments
Comment
Δ
Vlad Turiceanu
Windows Editor
Coming from a solid background in PC building and software development, he’s a Windows 11 Privacy & Security expert.
