How BrowserPedia works

Methodology and editorial policies

BrowserPedia is a decision tool built from versioned, first-party structured records. We publish attributes and recommendations instead of a subjective aggregate score.

Sections:Definitions Source hierarchy Freshness Benchmarks Corrections No-affiliate

Definitions

Controlled vocabulary used across all browser profiles, comparisons, and guides:

Built inNative: The browser includes the capability in its documented product.
Available by extensionAdd-on: The capability requires an add-on or separate customization.
UnavailableNone: No supported capability is documented for the record's scope.
UnknownUnverified: We do not have enough evidence to make the claim and do not infer it from browser ancestry.
Partial availabilityConditional: Availability exists, but is limited by platform, release, distributor, or access conditions.

How the charts count

The browser map and the capability shapes plot counts, not ratings. Each area counts its documented capabilities: a documented one adds 1, a partial or opt-in one adds a half, and one that is not offered or not verified adds nothing. "Not verified" is always reported next to the count, because a low position can mean undocumented rather than absent. Telemetry is not counted, since its value records that telemetry exists; mobile fields are not counted yet, because most of them are still undocumented across the directory.

Worked example: Brave, privacy

Field	Record says	Adds
Blocks trackers by default	documented by the vendor	1
Anti-fingerprinting	documented by the vendor	1
Native content blocking	documented by the vendor	1
Built-in VPN or proxy	documented by the vendor	1
Privacy protections		4/4

PrivacyExtensionsWorkflowAIPlatforms

Privacy: 4/4
Extensions: 2.5/4
Workflow: 8.5/11
AI: 8.5/9
Platforms: 5/5

What each area counts

Privacy protections out of 4: Blocks trackers by default, Anti-fingerprinting, Native content blocking, Built-in VPN or proxy
Extension support out of 4: Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, Manifest V3, Manifest V2
Workflow features out of 11: Vertical tabs, Tab trees, Workspaces, Profiles, Split view, Sidebar, Reader mode, Command palette, Sync, Translation, Web app installs
AI features out of 9: Assistant, Summarisation, Acts on pages, AI answer engine, Generation, Model choice, AI privacy controls, Cross-tab context, Voice or image input
Official platforms out of 5: macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS

See every browser on the map

Source hierarchy

Evidence is strictly prioritized in rank order to prevent unsupported marketing claims:

#1Highest Authority
Official Documentation
Official documentation, release notes, app-store listings, repositories, and security advisories.
#2Public Methodology
Primary Test Suites
Primary test suites with public methods, such as PrivacyTests.org and Speedometer 3, when their scope matches the claim.
#3Specialized Scope
Named Independent Analysis
Named independent analysis, only for claims not documented elsewhere and clearly labelled as independent testing.

Excluded Sources

Search snippets, anonymous forums, and marketing copy are not proof of privacy or performance claims.

Freshness policy

Our automated cadence ensures browser specifications and feature states remain accurate:

1
Active browser profiles are reverified every 90 days.
2
Experimental, maintenance-mode, and high-change privacy or AI features are reverified every 30 days.
3
A major upstream release, discontinuation, or reported correction triggers an immediate recheck.

Last-verified dates are shown publicly. Overdue critical profiles receive a freshness warning and are removed from featured recommendations until checked.

Benchmark stance

We do not rank browsers by speed, memory, battery, or privacy-test results at launch. A future benchmark must publish hardware, browser versions, clean-profile procedure, raw runs, aggregation, limitations, and a retest schedule before comparative claims are made.

Corrections and updates

BrowserPedia separates factual browser specifications from editorial recommendations. Use the corresponding channel below so your report reaches the right review workflow:

Factual records

Public dataset

Open Browser Index

Browser attributes, including rendering engine, platform support, extension compatibility, and privacy controls, are public and versioned in Open Browser Index. Submit factual corrections with public evidence (Tier 1 official docs or Tier 2 test suites).

Submit factual correction View repository

Editorial desk

BrowserPedia

Recommendations & guides

Feedback regarding decision trade-offs, category selections, comparative guides, or recommendation rationale stays with the BrowserPedia editorial desk. Report the affected page and the specific recommendation context.

Contact editorial desk

Turnaround commitment: Submissions are triaged within five business days. A factual-record update triggers review of every affected comparison table, feature matrix, and guide; BrowserPedia publishes any resulting editorial updates together.

No-affiliate policy

BrowserPedia has no affiliate or sponsored placement in the first release. Editorial ordering is not paid placement. If monetization is introduced later, it must be separated from editorial ranking and disclosed on every affected page.

What we do not claim

A tracker blocker is not anonymity, a private window is not network privacy, and engine ancestry does not prove feature support. BrowserPedia does not test every browser, publish a universal winner, or replace reading a product's current documentation.