In January 2011, About Web Browsers participated in the About.com Readers' Choice Awards. Readers were asked to nominate their favorite browsers and browser-related software in the following categories: Best Major Desktop Browser, Best Mobile Browser, Best Small Market Desktop Browser, Best Overall Add-On, Best Privacy/Security Add-On, Best Browser Theme, Best iPad Browser, Best iPhone/iPod touch Browser, Best User Script.
After a nomination period that saw a flurry of activity, five finalists were chosen in each of the aforementioned categories. From February 11 through March 8, 2011, readers cast thousands of ballots per day via our website, resulting in some very exciting races.
We would like to thank everyone for participating and are proud to present the winners of the 2011 About.com Readers' Choice Awards: Web Browsers. Click Next to see who won!
Best Major Desktop Browser - 2011
As expected, the Best Major Desktop Browser category turned out to be one of our most active; racking up a large number of votes. The winner is certainly one of the big boys on the block when it comes to market share, and has gained a passionate following over the past several years.
This year's winner got off to a slow start as the voting period commenced but made a strong push over the past couple of weeks to take the crown, despite a formidable showing by both Opera and Chrome fans.
The people have spoken, and Mozilla Firefox is the winner of this year's Best Major Desktop Browser category!
Final Voting Results
- *Mozilla Firefox - 48%
- Opera - 33%
- Google Chrome - 16%
- Internet Explorer - 0%
- Apple Safari - 0%
2010 Winner: Opera
Best Mobile (Non-iPad or iPhone) Browser - 2011
The Best Mobile (Non-iPad or iPhone) Browser category was essentially a two horse race, with supporters of the pair battling it out until the end. The victor wound up pulling away over the final 72 hours with a barrage of ballots cast in its favor.
Based in China, this free cross-platform mobile browser is available in multiple languages including English, Chinese, and Spanish. Congratulations to UC Browser, this year's winner in the Best Mobile (Non-iPad or iPhone) Browser category!
Final Voting Results
- *UC Browser - 59%
- Opera Mini - 37%
- Firefox Mobile - 2%
- Dolphin Browser - 0%
- BOLT - 0%
2010 Winner: Opera Mini
Best Small Market Desktop Browser - 2011
Not everyone uses one of the "big five" when browsing the Web, as so-called small market browsers fill out an interesting niche. The five finalists in this category included a browser centered around social networking and an old favorite of Mac users.
In the end, however, it was neither of these two that claimed victory. Maxthon, a Windows browser which has been around since 2003 and boasts over 500 million downloads worldwide, is this year's Best Small Market Desktop Browser by a virtual landslide!
Final Voting Results
- *Maxthon - 80%
- RockMelt - 10%
- Camino - 4%
- Lunascape - 2%
- Flock - 1%
2010 Winner: K-Meleon
Best Overall (Non-Security) Add-On - 2011
The Best Overall (Non-Security) Add-On category accepted nominations for any browser add-on, plug-in, or extension that wasn't related to privacy or security. The result was five finalists sporting a diverse array of features designed to take your browsing experience to the next level.
For the second year in a row Adblock Plus has won this coveted category by a wide margin, proving once again that Web surfers love to have control over advertising content.
Final Voting Results
- *Adblock Plus - 61%
- DownThemAll! - 11%
- Greasemonkey - 10%
- Surf Canyon (a.k.a. Google Assistant) - 9%
- StumbleUpon - 6%
2010 Winner: Adblock Plus
Best Privacy/Security Add-On - 2011
Privacy and security while browsing the Web is important to all of us, as evidenced by the fervent voting in this category. The five finalists featured an impressive selection of tools intended to make everday life on the Web safer.
After more than three weeks of non-stop action, the readers have made their decision. The reigning champion in the 2011 Best Privacy/Security Add-On category, for the second year in a row, is NoScript!
Final Voting Results
- *NoScript - 56%
- WOT (Web of Trust) - 33%
- BetterPrivacy - 4%
- LastPass - 3%
- FlashBlock - 2%
2010 Winner: NoScript
Best Browser Theme - 2011
The Best Browser Theme category accepted nominations for any skins or themes that altered the appearance of your browser, whether it be some simple icon changes or a completely fresh coat of paint. The five finalists ranged from a theme which sported a space shuttle motif to one that pays homage to a reggae legend.
The winner, with a whopping 82% of the final vote, has been a favorite of Opera users for quite some time now.
Congratulations to Z-1 Glass, the winner in the 2011 Best Browser Theme category.
Final Voting Results
- *Z-1 Glass - 82%
- Bob Marley Theme - 7%
- NASA Night Launch - 4%
- Late Night Chrome - 3%
- LavaFox - 2%
2010 Winner: NFL's Indianapolis Colts - Official Football Boom!
Best iPad Browser - 2011
The Best iPad Browser category accepted nominations for any Web browsers that run on the popular Apple tablet. This included the device's integrated browser as well as those available via the App Store, both free and paid.
The five finalists featured a diverse array of browsers, each bringing their own unique advantages to the iPad. In the end, iPad users chose Apple's integrated browser by a significant margin.
Congratulations to Safari, 2011's Best iPad Browser!
Final Voting Results
- *Safari - 48%
- Safe Browser - 27%
- Night Browser - 8%
- Perfect Browser - 8%
- Terra - 7%
2010 Winner: N/A
The Best iPhone/iPod touch Browser category accepted nominations for any Web browsers that run on both of these popular Apple portables. This included Apple's integrated browser as well as those available via the App Store, both free and paid.
The five finalists featured an interesting sampling of browsers, each offering its own exclusive skill set to iPhone and iPod touch users. In the end, no other app came close to this year's winner - Opera Mini!
Final Voting Results
- *Opera Mini - 88%
- Safari - 4%
- Atomic Web Browser - 3%
- iLunascape Lite - 1%
- Mercury Web Browser Pro - 0%
2010 Winner: N/A
The Best User Script category accepted nominations for any browser user scripts (Greasemonkey scripts, Google Chrome user scripts, etc.) whatsoever. This included scripts which run on multiple browsers and platforms as well as those only compatible with specific configurations.
Each of the five finalists offered its own unique modifications intended to improve upon existing websites and their default functionality.
After a hotly contested battle, Mafia Wars and FarmVille fans made their voices heard by choosing PS Wall Scrubber as 2011's Best User Script.
Final Voting Results
- *PS Wall Scrubber - 49%
- Better Facebook - 46%
- FB MafiaWars Addon - 1%
- Facebook Feed Filter - 0%
- Google Fx - 0%
2010 Winner: YouTube HD Ultimate