Which web browser has the best font renderer?

[Regeneration]

Attached below are screenshots from the 12 most downloaded web browsers. I'm trying to compare the quality of font rendering between all of them.

Avant Browser


Brave


Google Chrome


Microsoft Edge (the new one)


Mozilla Firefox


Internet Explorer 11


Maxthon


Opera


SeaMonkey


SlimBrowser


Vivaldi


Waterfox


If you look carefully at the screenshots, font rendering changes according to the engine used by the web browser. Rendered fonts in all of WebKit-based browsers (Chromium) look exactly alike. Same goes for Gecko-based browsers (Firefox). The only exception is Internet Explorer 11 and its Trident engine.



The fonts in WebKit have some kind of Chroma subpixeling and a bit blurry.



This is what we get if we disable "Accelerated 2D canvas" in Chrome (chrome://flags) and force GDI natural in Firefox (set gfx.font_rendering.cleartype_params.rendering_mode to 2 in about:config). So far, IE 11 produced the prettiest font, Firefox next, and Chrome last. It is very disappointing that most browsers are just clones of Google Chrome - even the new Edge.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I don't understand the point of this thread. While I might see some slight differences on my monitors, who's to say which is "better" or "best"? The text was properly displayed in each, and I was able to easily read each one. None were blurry. None displayed garbled text. Each displayed graphics fine. So IMO, for this particular parameter, it is 100% subjective.

So which is best? Well Pale Moon, of course!

 

[dhklopp]

All looked the same to me.

 

[W1zzard]

Chrome is too thin and light for me. It's why I staid on IE6 for a loooong time, have been using Firefox since, and very happy.

 

[EarthDog]

Is this like the subjective thread 'what stress test is best' you started?

I don't see much of a difference in the images personally. Maybe create a spoiler showing what you see? Doesn't this thread go against forum rules that you can't just post links or images too? What do YOU see?

EDIT: I can see when you explode it to 400%....... but that isn't how I use my browser.

 

[R0H1T]

Definitely with the popular(?) sentiment above, see virtually no difference between them especially at a distance of 2 feet or more. If you're looking that hard at text rendering perhaps lower your font size or something?

 

[Regeneration]

Look how awful it looks:

 

[cucker tarlson]

Firefox for me.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Look how awful it looks:

I say, so what? I am not a webpage developer but I am pretty sure scaling text WAY WAY beyond the size in the original content is not the job of the browser. If the webpage developer expects scaling to any size, it is up to the developer - at least that's how I think it works.

 

[claes]

I’d recommend reading this (FTT, not replying to any specific comment): https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/04/a-closer-look-at-font-rendering/

 

[P4-630]

I recommend getting a better monitor.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

I dont get this obsession.

 

[Axaion]

Prefer firefox.

 

[windwhirl]

All Chrome-based browsers have that chroma pixel annoyance.

Say what you want about that, but it is the reason why I've been holding onto Office 2010. Since 2013, Office uses grayscale antialiasing that looks like shit in Word. Bah, it looks like shit everywhere unless you're using a high-DPI display, apparently.

To be fair, that kind of ClearType depends a lot on the background pixels' colors, so it has a performance penalty. But it still pisses me off that they just ditched it completely without leaving even a toggle to turn it back on.

 

[Regeneration]

I dont get this obsession.

This font distortion blur is painful to my eyes.

 

[windwhirl]

View attachment 161466

This font distortion blur is painful to my eyes.

That shouldn't be that visible, specially at that font size...

 

[R0H1T]

So you can do one of two things, move back your viewing position to the extent it doesn't affect you ask much. The other option is to lower DPI scaling, what resolution & scaling you're at right now? A photo of the screen could tell us a much better picture, literally & metaphorically speaking.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Do browsers render anything or does your cpu and graphic's do that and your monitor translates to image.
Firefox looks fine but I can only zoom to 300% so it still looks fine but way more than I usually use which is 130%

Just tried chredge too everything looked fine with it too.
So yeah I agree with a few people here get a better monitor/ cpu/ graphic's card

 

[windwhirl]

Hi,
Do browsers render anything or does your cpu and graphic's do that and your monitor translates to image.
Firefox looks fine but I can only zoom to 300% so it still looks fine but way more than I usually use which is 130%

The blur should not be that visible. The rendering as I understand it is done by the browser, and at least in Firefox there are multiple settings controlling font rendering. And if you zoom in the text, the rendering should automatically adjust the font smoothing so that it's not glaringly obvious.

 

[Regeneration]

Fonts are rendered by the browser with the DirectWrite API and can be accelerated with a GPU.

Firefox can be tweaked to show even better fonts by setting gfx.font_rendering.cleartype_params.rendering_mode to 2 in about:config.

 

[windwhirl]

Hmm, I don't see it, just tested zoom at 400% in chrome.

View attachment 161471

You're not supposed to see it. Font rendering should automatically adapt the smoothing to whatever font size or zoom level you use.

 

[P4-630]

You're not supposed to see it. Font rendering should automatically adapt the smoothing to whatever font size or zoom level you use.

Yeah, nevermind, removed my post. I don't see it the way OP does.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

View attachment 161466

This font distortion blur is painful to my eyes.

Do you have webpages at 200%!?

 

[Regeneration]

Do you have webpages at 200%!?

No. I use 100% and normal DPI. But I can see the fonts are a bit blurry and colored.

Say what you want about that, but it is the reason why I've been holding onto Office 2010. Since 2013, Office uses grayscale antialiasing that looks like shit in Word. Bah, it looks like shit everywhere unless you're using a high-DPI display, apparently.

Thanks for the warning. I use Office 2010 too but planned to update.

 

[EarthDog]

No. I use 100% and normal DPI. But I can see the fonts are a bit blurry and colored.

How big is the monitor? Resolution? How far away are you sitting from it?

I'm struggling to see any differences at 2560x1440 / 27" at arm's length (I'm tall, lol) away...