Which browser uses less data on PC?
Using the internet is great, except when you must deal with slow-loading pages. Many modern websites can load many images and videos, which ultimately slow down the loading speed and consume a lot of data when you are on mobile.
You can implement several measures to reduce the data you spend on these webpages, whether you use mobile or PC. Many factors determine website loading times, such as server optimization and your network speeds. Even though you cannot control the website optimization, you can opt for browsers that demand fewer data and load pages faster.
You can rely on several internet browsing options that do not use much data. However, our research finds the best option as the Opera Desktop Browser. There are other options as well, which we will explore in this article.
Table of Contents
Which browser uses less data on PC?
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Opera Browser
Among web browsers, Opera is the most well-known when looking for a bandwidth-saving option, even on mobile devices. It is among the first browsers to implement page compression in both mobile (Opera Mini) and desktop browser versions. It also includes Opera Max, an Android app that compresses media across other apps on your phone.
In the PC desktop version, it includes useful built-in features such as messenger apps on the edges, allowing you to browse the internet and chat at the same time. You can customize the browser using its dark and light themes, as well as adding keyboard shortcuts and other convenient features.
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UC Browser
Even though the UC Browser is relatively new compared to its competitors, it is very popular among mobile users, and rakes in millions of downloads. The parent company UCWeb also has a PC version that uses Chromium as its basis.
While the browser offers a reliable compression method that allows for bandwidth saving and reducing your data usage, it may not be as effective compared to other methods.
You will need to enable its Cloud Boost to benefit from it, though this is an easy task thanks to the small rocket icon on its address bar. You can click the icon and select the ‘Enable Boost Now’ button to activate it. Through the Cloud Boost feature, you can only send images to the UCWeb servers, where they undergo compression and size reduction without quality losses. As the process continues, the icon animates and gives some statistics like the page load time improvements and data savings.
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UR Browser
This is among the best browsers to use even when your bandwidth is low and works well for people in areas where internet speeds are inconsistent or have poor connection quality. It thrives in these difficult conditions while maintaining a good record of efficiency, security, and performance.
It also includes excellent ad blocker features, as well as removing trackers, ensuring the loading time of the webpages you want is faster compared to other browsers. Thanks to its tracker elimination, you will not need to worry about people monitoring your activity.
If you want a secure and safe browser that gives you high-performance quality and is user-friendly, the UR browser is a good place to start.
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Yandex Browser
The Yandex browser is another brand that uses Chromium as its basis, and this equips it with data saving measures. You will notice that its operational mode is similar to the Turbo mode you find in Opera although the difference is Yandex automatically enabling this mechanism.
This means that when you are on low bandwidth or the internet speed drops below 128 Kbit/s, the browser activates its Turbo mode and converts all JPEG images to WebP. Simultaneously, it changes HTML to Gzip and transfers everything from Yandex servers in SPDY protocols to save data.
This results in very fast performance, even in areas with low bandwidth and internet speeds. It will also deactivate its Turbo mode when it detects the internet speed as more than 512 Kbit/s.
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Firefox
You will need no introduction to Firefox as long as you use a Windows PC – it is easily among the most popular PC browsers and saves data. It even uses less bandwidth than Chrome, which is why it loads pages faster.
Its build supports DNS over HTTPS, and this also protects you from internet service providers when they want to sell your data. When comparing it to other Chromium-based browsers, it offers you an autoplay-blocking feature that blocks any video from automatically playing when you load a webpage.
Average % of data savings compared
Bandwidth-saving browsers |
Average % of data savings |
Opera browser |
57.0% |
UC browser |
13.2% |
UR browser |
4.5% |
Yandex |
11.2% |
Firefox |
9.1% |
Conclusion
All the web browsers we list in this article aim to save your data usage and block ads and trackers to reduce the burden on your CPU.
FAQs
Which browser is the lightest on memory?
Opera, for both its desktop and mobile version. Its lightweight design reduces its data and CPU power demands, which is good if you want to save data.
How can I use less data on PC?
You can do this through the Settings under the Data Usage menu.