Falkon

Falkon, previously known as QupZilla, is based on the KDE web browser and offers free-to-use services. The open-source and lightweight utility embedded with QtWebEngine offers a fast and fluid browsing experience. It was started as an educational web browser, but later it has become a feature-rich utility for Windows PCs.

The innovative app offers two main versions: standard and portable, for the ease of users to select according to their preferences. It offers services similar to any modern web browser, allowing users to add, remove, and manage their bookmarks, select search engines, and maintain history.

What is Falkon?

Falkon Browser, developed by the Falkon Team, falls under the Internet category and is freeware software. It is the latest version of QupZilla and is based on QtWebEngine that used for implementing Chromium’s API in Qt. It is an open-source, lightweight, and free-to-use utility to offer cross-platform compatibility.

The innovative app based on the KDE project makes your digital life organized, enabling you to manage your browsing history and downloads. Similar to other browsers, you will also find a built-in ad blocker, speed dial start page, session management, and so on. 

Falkon Features

User Interface

The user interface, with emphasized simplicity, offers a clean and intuitive workflow. The minimalist design offers quick navigation to multiple core features, such as password manager, RSS reader, PDF viewer, and lot of others. All the tabs are neatly organized at the top, and a dedicated toolbar and menu are available to make all the essential functionality quickly accessible. It is integrated into both Windows and Linux operating systems, proving the best alternative to mainstream browsers. 

Built-in Ad Blocker

The availability of a built-in ad blocker activated by default eliminates the need to switch to an additional tool for the purpose. Compared to other web browsers, it loads pages with banners quickly. It is possible only for advanced users can access the configuration settings and manage whitelisting as well as blacklisting while creating custom rules for the purpose. 

Multiple Search Engine Support

Moreover, searches are conducted through the DuckDuckGo search engine, and also possible to change it according to your preferences. No need to click buttons to test multiple search engines, as the app helps you assign shortcuts to select any of your favorite search engines, such as setting “g” if you want to set the shortcut for Google Search. You only need to type “g” in the address bar and hit the “Enter” key. 

Smooth Performance

For Windows users, you will find it a smooth and convenient option in different scenarios, such as video streaming, online shopping, reading articles, and so on. It allows you to open multiple tabs simultaneously, ensuring fast startup times and minimal RAM usage with the help of a lightweight footprint. However, it can slow down performance while working with multitasking operations or web-based applications. But it proves to be the best and most convenient browser for troubleshooting or casual use.

Speed Dial & Session Manager

The app offers a familiar graphical set of icons to blend in with the Windows environment, and also supports a Mac theme as well. Similar to Opera, it also offers “Speed Dial” to open new tabs and access recently opened websites while viewing their thumbnails. In addition, it also offers a session manager to manage your current browsing sessions. It allows you to start new session while setting the current session aside, and return to it any time you want. It avoids cluttering the windows, allowing you to manage multiple navigational purposes at once. 

Customization Options

Similar to other such utilities, you will also find basic customization options, such as controlling cookies, session data, and cache more reliably. You will also find a huge variety of themes to enhance the appearance. Simple toggles are available to enable/disable JavaScript and images. You can also view secure connections using the innovative certificate manager option. All the stunning functionality sticks to a minimalist purpose without adding complexity. 

Private browsing

You can also make your online browsing completely private while opening the private window, as it prevents Falkon from recording your browsing. You will find built-in managers to manage downloads and cookies, and also organize the bookmarks to make your favorite content easily accessible. You can also view and clear your history, take screenshots, and launch your default email client by sending links. 

Unified Library

No need to switch to multiple windows; instead, a unified and well-organized library is available to manage bookmarks, history, and an RSS reader in one place. The support for an RSS reader enables users to reliably get updates of any of their favorite sites. It also makes possible the importing to bookmarks from other browsers. Moreover, a built-in password manager and HTML5 permissions are available. You can also allow OSD notifications and activate the spellchecker from the settings menu. No doubt, it has multiple plugins, but you can load more extensions as well.

Pros

• Lightweight, free to use, and cross-platform utility
• Built-in ad blocker to avoid irritating advertisements
• Browse privately and anonymously
• Offers a unified library to manage bookmarks, history, and an RSS reader
• Customizable user-friendly interface
• Offers speed dial, password manager, session and download managers

Cons

• Offers slow performance compared to Chromium-based browsers
• Extension support is limited
• Lack of advanced functionality