How to use multiple browsers at the same time to work better and more securely

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Use multiple browsers at the same time It might sound like a geeky obsession, but it's making more and more sense: security, productivity, technical testing, and even managing multiple accounts simultaneously. If you spend all day in front of your computer, organizing what you do in each browser can make a huge difference in convenience and control.

Furthermore, modern browsers have become the central tool for remote workEmail, cloud-based office applications, SaaS control panels, banking, social media—it all lives in the browser. That's precisely why dividing tasks across multiple browsers, strengthening their security, and knowing how to test your website on different search engines is no longer just for advanced users, but highly recommended if you don't want to waste time or expose yourself unnecessarily.

Why it makes sense to use multiple browsers at the same time

A very widespread strategy is to separate sensitive navigation and "battle" navigationFor example, use a clean, extension-free browser just for online banking, dealings with government agencies, insurance, or any transaction involving your real data; and use a different browser for social media, shopping, forums, links sent to you via messaging, and new websites you want to explore.

This separation by uses provides an additional layer of practical securityEven if you end up installing a problematic extension or visiting a malicious website in your "battle" browser, the impact on your bank accounts or more private documents is reduced, because those sessions live in another browser, with other cookies and another profile.

It's also a good way to combat unruly eyelashes. Instead of having 40 mixed eyelashes For work, leisure, documentation, and technical testing all in the same browser, you can divide it up: one for work, another for personal use, and, if needed, a third for research, reading, or testing.

In professional environments, especially after the rise of remote work, this organization helps IT administrators to better manage the security of the browser fleetsince each employee usually has their favorite (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, etc.) with very different extensions and settings that need to be controlled.

How to organize your digital life with multiple browsers

The key is not just installing many browsers, but give each person a clear roleA typical and very practical scenario is to work with three:

• Professional browser: focused on productivity and work tools.
• Personal browser: leisure, social media, shopping, streaming, etc.
• Reading/research browser: news, blogs, documentation, technical tests.

By distributing your tasks this way, each browser only accumulates Cookies, histories, and sessions related to a specific areaIt's easier to find what you're looking for, you reduce distractions, and incidentally, you compartmentalize security risks.

However, before you start dividing everything, you should solve two key pieces: Password management and bookmark managementOtherwise, you'll end up going crazy trying to figure out which login or favorites are in each browser.

Unify passwords across different browsers

To make using multiple browsers convenient, it's best to use a cross-platform password managerOptions such as Proton Pass, 1Password, or Bitwarden allow you to save logins, cards, and secure notes, and access them all from extensions installed in each browser.

This way you can have Chrome, Firefox, Vivaldi, and Brave installed and still... Fill in your credentials with one click without worrying about which browser you saved each specific username or password in.

Centralize bookmarks so you don't get lost

Something similar happens with bookmarks: if you rely solely on each browser's built-in favorites, you'll end up with three or four disconnected collections Tools like Raindrop.io allow you to create collections of bookmarks (work, leisure, research, etc.) that are synchronized across browsers and devices.

This is how you can save a link from Chrome at work and retrieve it from Vivaldi or Firefox at home thanks to the real time synchronizationwithout depending on the ecosystem of a single browser.

Recommended browsers and what each one is good for

Each browser has its strengths. If you're going to use several at the same time, it's smart. take advantage of each one's particular strengths for the role you assign them and review a full comparison to make a better choice.

Vivaldi: the "all-terrain" vehicle full of tools

Vivaldi stands out for coming standard with a lot of advanced features which, in other browsers, you would have to cover with extensions: integrated email manager, RSS feed reader, screenshot tool, free VPN based on Proton and side web panels where you can pin social networks, chats or websites that you often consult.

Thanks to these utilities you can use Vivaldi as communications and reading centerThere you have your emails, your news sources, your reference websites and, if you want, an additional layer of privacy with the VPN for more sensitive searches or queries.

In addition, it supports mouse gestures, dual-window views, and a panel system that makes it very convenient for those who manage View multiple pages simultaneously without relying on a thousand extensionsFor many users, it easily becomes their primary browser, both on Windows and Linux.

Google Chrome: the king of the Google ecosystem and productivity

Chrome remains the dominant browser worldwide, with a market share close to two-thirdsIts biggest strength is its integration with the entire Google ecosystem: Workspace, Drive, Docs, Meet, Calendar, etc. If you work for companies that heavily use these services, Chrome is usually the most stable and compatible option.

Their extension shop is huge: you can add productivity tools, automation, document signing, task management and practically anything you can imagine. Furthermore, the synchronization of history, bookmarks, and extensions between mobile, tablet, and computer is one of its biggest selling points.

On the other hand, it's not exactly a champion of privacy. That's why it makes perfect sense to relegate it to Primarily professional useEspecially when you rely heavily on Gmail, Drive, or Google-based business applications, and leave personal browsing and leisure to other browsers that are more discreet with your data.

Brave and Firefox: privacy and control for everyday use

If you're concerned about the digital footprint you leave while browsing, Brave and Firefox are two very powerful options. Brave blocks cookies by default. trackers, invasive cookies, and aggressive adsIt also has its own rewards system. It's ideal as a browser for private browsing, shopping, testing extensions, or opening links you don't fully trust.

Firefox, for its part, has an approach open source and highly customizableWith advanced tracking protection, permission management, and a good collection of privacy-focused extensions, Firefox is a perfect fit if you like to customize your browser and have fine control over what runs or is blocked.

Both are very suitable as personal browsersSocial networks, leisure activities, shopping, forums, etc. This way you don't compromise your most sensitive data, which can be restricted to one of the browsers you use most carefully.

GhostBrowser: playing with many accounts and sessions at the same time

A typical problem with modern browsers is that They share the same session across all their tabs and windowsIf you log into a service with one account and then want to open another tab for the same website but with different credentials, the juggling begins: incognito mode, another browser, log out, Chrome users, etc.

GhostBrowser precisely addresses that problem: it allows you to create groups of eyelashes isolated from each otherEach group has its own set of cookies and sessions. Each group is assigned a color, and tabs of that color share a session, while those of other colors are completely separate.

This is pure gold for community managers, testers, developers, or anyone who has to manage multiple accounts on the same platform at the same time: multiple Twitter users, several accounts for the same SaaS app, different profiles on an administration panel, etc.

Furthermore, GhostBrowser is built on Chromium, so is compatible with Chrome extensionsThe free version allows up to three simultaneous sessions, and the paid version increases that limit (to 15, with plans to raise it further). It is available for Windows and macOS, with future plans for Linux.

When you need many physical windows at once

There are extreme cases where you not only need a lot of eyelashes, but 16 or 24 independent windows at the same timeFor example, to monitor an internal control panel, dashboards, or embedded cameras on an intranet. In these situations, the biggest problem isn't so much the browser, but the system's resources and how improve the performance of your PC.

When testing with browsers such as Chrome, Epic Privacy Browser, SRWare Iron, SlimBrowser, Brave, Comodo Dragon, Firefox, Avast Secure, or Vivaldi, some users find that Epic handles multiple windows better.Although it still consumes considerable memory and CPU, ultimately, what matters most is the computer's power, interface optimization (for example, disabling animations, unnecessary extensions, or conflicting acceleration features), and, if possible, using multiple monitors to better organize windows.

Although everyone acknowledges that this It's not an ideal setup And keeping 16+ windows open is a maintenance nightmare; sometimes it's imposed by the way the system to be monitored is designed, and there's no other option than to use a browser and a powerful machine.

Security and centralized management when many people use many browsers

In companies with remote staff, the browser has become the single point of access to almost everythingA Gartner survey showed that nearly three-quarters of companies have moved at least a significant portion of their staff to remote work. With the rise of SaaS apps, many tasks can be accomplished with little more than a browser and a good internet connection.

The problem is that each user has their favorite browser and customizes it to their liking: different extensions, different versions, various configurationsFor IT administrators, applying a uniform security policy in this chaos is complicated if they don't have the right tools.

Browser Security Plus: centralized security for multiple browsers

For organizations that need to control Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and even Internet Explorer, a dedicated solution like Browser Security Plus It allows you to manage everything from a centralized console.

With these types of tools, IT teams obtain visibility into how many browsers are deployedThis includes knowing which versions are installed, which extensions and add-ons people use, and what security settings each browser has. This information is vital for implementing consistent policies and closing vulnerabilities.

Risk management of add-ons and extensions

Extensions are incredibly convenient, but they can also become a source of data leaksThere are free add-ons that, behind the scenes, access sensitive user information and send it to third parties, and it's not always easy to do so. detect and remove malicious extensions.

With centralized browser management solutions, you can audit the extensions installed throughout the park, block unauthorized ones, approve whitelists of add-ons and, if necessary, remove malicious add-ons in one fell swoop from the console.

Customize and control Chrome at the enterprise level

Given that Chrome accounts for the majority of global usage, many companies are focusing on configure it correctly at a global levelWith platforms like Browser Security Plus, it's possible to set Chrome as the default browser, set the homepage, deploy standard bookmark sets, configure proxies, and remotely push that configuration to all computers.

This guarantees a homogeneous browsing experience For employees, it reduces technical support time and minimizes the risk of each person modifying critical settings as they please.

Web activity tracking and corporate filters

In the context of working from home, many organizations have tightened policies regarding corporate equipment, including monitoring browsing and blocking unauthorized sitesIt's not just about productivity, but about preventing company devices from being used for risky activities.

The tracking features allow administrators to review which websites are visited, detect dangerous patterns, and, with that information, configure web filters that restrict access to entire categories of sites (gaming, downloading dubious software, adult content, etc.). Combined with good employee training, this significantly reduces the attack surface.

Testing your website on multiple browsers: why it matters so much

Beyond security and productivity, using multiple browsers (or simulating them) is essential for Test how your website looks and works in different environments. What looks perfect in Chrome might break in Safari, Edge, or Firefox, and that can cost you sales and reputation.

The root of the problem is that each browser has its own rendering engineGecko in Firefox, Blink in Chrome and Opera, WebKit in Safari… They all follow the standards, but with nuances. Small differences in how they interpret HTML, CSS, or JavaScript can cause visual changes or functional failures.

Technical differences that generate incompatibilities

In JavaScript, although the language is standardized, the concrete implementations of the engine They vary: some modern methods may not be supported in older versions of certain browsers; a complex animation may run smoothly in Chrome and drag or fail in an outdated Internet Explorer.

The same thing happens with CSS: different browser versions support it. different levels of the standardAdvanced layout features or visual effects (e.g., certain Flexbox or Grid properties, filters, etc.) may not work the same for everyone, causing the design to break, elements to overlap, or entire parts of the page to be lost.

Direct impact on business and user experience

Ignoring these tests has a very real cost. A payment button that doesn't respond in a particular browser means lost sales and frustrated users who probably won't come back. When you scale this to thousands of visits, the losses can be significant.

Furthermore, a site that looks one way in one browser and completely different in another conveys Lack of professionalism and lack of trustPeople often associate visual failures with general unreliability, which affects brand image and long-term customer loyalty.

Which browsers to try first and how to prioritize

In an ideal world, you'd test your website on absolutely every browser and version, but that's not realistic. The most effective approach is prioritize with data: market share, device type and, above all, real statistics from your own audience.

Globally, Chrome hovers around one 66-67% market sharewith billions of users. Firefox, Safari, and Edge follow at some distance, and then a set of smaller browsers. Mobile also plays a huge role, so it's not advisable to focus solely on desktop.

How to decide where to put more testing effort.

A practical approach is to cross-reference three factors: market share, demographics, and geographyFor example, younger users may have different browser preferences than older users; in some countries certain browsers are used more than others; and if your traffic is mostly mobile, Safari (iOS) and Chrome (Android) become critical.

Furthermore, it is logical that the priority should reflect the importance of the flowThe payment or registration process, for example, should be thoroughly tested on all relevant browsers, while a little-used section can have less coverage if you're short on resources.

Basic priority matrix by browser

An indicative matrix It could look like this:

• Chrome: High quota, high priority. We need to cover many versions and devices.
• Firefox: average share, average priority, with attention to specific user niches.
• Safari: Average share, medium priority, crucial for macOS and iOS users.
• Edge: smaller but growing share, low-medium priority, monitor trends.
• Others: Very low fee, cases are tested on a case-by-case basis according to analytics.

Using your web analytics data, you can adjust this guide and build a test plan that Maximize impact without skyrocketing costs.

Tools to test your website on multiple browsers

Manually testing your site on every browser and device is unrealistic. That's why so many tools have emerged to Automate and accelerate multi-browser testingboth visual and functional.

Automated testing platforms

Services like BrowserStack, CrossBrowserTesting, or Sauce Labs allow you to launch tests in dozens of combinations browser, operating system and device, either with live interactive sessions or through automation scripts.

These types of platforms are especially useful on teams that already have CI/CD pipelinesEvery time you deploy, automated test suites are launched that validate your website in different browsers without manual intervention, detecting early regressions.

Well-organized manual tests

Even so, manual testing remains essential for detection usability problems, confusing flows, or subtle behaviors that automated tests can miss. Ideally, both approaches should be combined.

For the manual part, it helps a lot to have a clear checklistBasic navigation, forms, login, shopping cart, payments, key interactive elements, etc. And document each error with screenshots, browser version, and steps to reproduce it, so that developers can fix it without wasting time.

Main sources of incompatibility and how to resolve them

Most browser compatibility issues can be grouped into a few categories: CSS (especially Flexbox), JavaScript execution, and support for new HTML5 featuresAnalyzing thousands of error reports reveals that a very high percentage are repeated in these areas.

Flexbox, for example, is fantastic for page layout, but some older browsers interpret it differently. Some modern JavaScript events or APIs don't exist in older versions. And advanced HTML5 features may only be partially supported.

Strategies to minimize incompatibilities

There are several well-established methods for dealing with all of this. For CSS, use browser-specific prefixes when needed And having simplified alternative layouts for outdated browsers helps maintain a minimum level of consistency.

In JavaScript, we use polyfillsSmall libraries that emulate modern functions in browsers that do not yet support them, and progressive enhancement: first you build a basic version that works in almost any browser, and then you add layers of visual or interactive enhancements for more modern browsers.

Efficient cross-browser debugging

When something goes wrong only in a specific browser, integrated development tools (DevTools) are your best ally: they allow inspect the DOM, view applied styles, check the JavaScript console and reproduce the problem step by step.

In addition, online compatibility tables help you know at a glance which properties or APIs are available in each browser and version, preventing the page from breaking by using something too recent without fallback.

Advanced testing strategies: automation, visualization, and performance

In complex projects, relying solely on basic manual testing falls short. Integration is key. automation, visual regression testing, and performance monitoring It raises the quality of the final result to a professional level.

Automate key user flows

Tools like Selenium or Cypress allow you to write scripts that simulate a real user: opening the website, logging in, adding products to the cart, making a payment, etc. These scripts can be run in different browsers and versions, ensuring that the Critical flows always work.

Integrated into a CI/CD pipeline, each commit triggers a battery of tests, so that Errors are detected as soon as they are entered.not weeks later, when it becomes much more difficult to locate and correct them.

Visual regression tests

Visual regression consists of compare screenshots of the same page across different versions of the website or different browsers, to detect unexpected design changes pixel by pixel. Tools like Percy or BackstopJS are designed precisely for this purpose.

They are especially useful when you make changes to CSS or visual components: a seemingly minor adjustment can ruin the design of another section in a particular browser, and these tests detect it before the user suffers.

Performance and accessibility across all browsers

Simply proving that it “works” is not enough: you also have to measure it How fast does it charge and respond? Your site in every context. Tools like Lighthouse or WebPageTest allow you to obtain metrics such as time to first byte, time to interactive content, total resource size, etc.

In parallel, accessibility has become a core requirement. Validating with tools like Axe or WAVE helps you detect problems that affect people with disabilities (contrasts, labels, keyboard navigation, screen readers) and, incidentally, you indirectly improve your SEO and reach.

Organizing your daily routine with multiple browsers, strengthening their security with best practices and centralized tools, and relying on a robust multi-browser testing strategy allows you to take full advantage of The best of each browser without losing controlBy combining task separation, password managers, solutions like Browser Security Plus, specialized browsers like Vivaldi, Brave, or GhostBrowser, and a serious plan of functional, visual, and performance testing, you can browse and work with more peace of mind, less chaos, and a much more professional experience for your own users.