Short answer: if every device you own is made by Apple, Safari is the easy choice. It is built in, Apple says it gets more battery life out of a MacBook than Chrome does, and it syncs through iCloud. If you also use a Windows PC or an Android phone, choose Chrome, because Safari only runs on Apple devices and Chrome keeps your bookmarks, passwords and tabs in step everywhere. You can also keep both and use each where it suits you.
Get Chrome for Mac or for iPhone and iPad. Both pages link to the official downloads.
Battery and speed on a Mac
Apple’s Safari page makes two claims, both from Apple’s own tests on a 15-inch MacBook Air: Safari loaded frequently visited sites faster on average than Chrome, and it streamed video for up to 5 hours longer on battery. These are Apple’s tests on hardware Apple chose; your results will depend on your Mac and on how many tabs you keep open.
If you use Chrome on a laptop, turn on its battery tools. Google’s performance settings help explains both:
- Energy Saver works when your Mac is unplugged or the battery is low. It stops eligible CPU-heavy background tabs; tabs playing audio or running a video call aren’t affected.
- Memory Saver deactivates tabs you aren’t using and reloads them when you go back.
Both are in Chrome under Settings > Performance.
Privacy
Safari has Intelligent Tracking Prevention built in, which Apple says uses on-device intelligence to help stop cross-site tracking and stops known trackers from using your IP address. Its Privacy Report shows which trackers it has stopped on the site you’re viewing.
Chrome leaves more to you. You choose whether sites can use third-party cookies in Settings > Privacy and security > Third-party cookies; in Incognito they’re blocked by default, according to Google’s cookie help. Chrome’s Safe Browsing warns about dangerous sites, downloads and extensions, and is on by default. Our guide to Chrome’s privacy settings walks through the rest.
Sync and passwords
- Safari syncs Tab Groups, iCloud Tabs and other data across your Apple devices. iCloud Keychain stores your passwords and passkeys, and Apple says its passkeys work on non-Apple devices too.
- Chrome syncs through your Google Account, so when you sign in to Chrome, your bookmarks, passwords and more are on your Mac, iPhone, Windows PC and Android phone alike. See how to sync Chrome between devices.
Extensions
Safari extensions come from the App Store, which has a dedicated Safari category. Chrome extensions come from the Chrome Web Store. If an extension you depend on has no Safari version, that settles it.
Tabs and profiles
Both browsers have tab groups and profiles. Safari Profiles keep history, extensions, Tab Groups and cookies separate, for example for Personal and Work, and Safari lets you share a Tab Group with other people. In Chrome, tab groups sync to your other devices when you’re signed in and syncing.
Moving your bookmarks from Safari to Chrome
Google’s import help says to export your bookmarks from Safari as an HTML file first, then in Chrome on your Mac:
- Select the three-dot More menu > Bookmarks and lists > Import bookmarks and settings.
- Select Choose file, pick the HTML file and select Open, then Done.
To make Chrome open your links, see how to set Chrome as your default browser.
Choosing between more than two browsers? See Chrome vs Safari vs Firefox vs Edge.