Maxthon is in my view the best alternative to Internet Explorer. Firefox and Opera are doing a great job (both in product and buzz) but they just don’t catch up with Maxthon.
Founded by the very young and brilliant Jeff Chen in 2003 in China (under MyIE name), Maxthon became very quickly popular in Asia (awarded last year in Red Herring Asia ) and all over the world. The big difference with other browsers is that Maxthon is based on IE code which makes the software very familiar from the beginning but with a few twists. Unlike IE, it is very fast, safe and very stable and brings a unique browsing experience as it enables you to customize nearly any part of the software. Like Firefox, Maxthon brings tab browsing, embedded RSS and podcast reader (a very cool one), search bar… but without necessity to add any extension.
The key strength of Maxthon is that it enables you to customize totally your browsing experience with extreme simplicity. A few examples: URL shortcuts. Instead of typing a URL or clicking a bookmark (ok it takes less than 2 sec but still) you can set up a URL alias (”2″ for instance) and type directly in the URL bar which will lead you to the URL of your choice (eg: your flickr page). You can change easily skins, a wide choice is offered. Mouse gesture is also great just like super drag and drop features to save an image or initiate a search on a given word within web page.
There are too many features to cover them all here. I believe you should play with it first (tip: use your right click nearly anywhere). All those I know who tried it loved it. It sounds maybe too much like FireFox in some way but again it is not. To better understand the pros of Maxthon read this article from Internet Week.
Maxthon 2.0 exclusive screenshots
We could get exclusive intial screenshots and news on next 2.0 version to come up soon. I believe Maxthon will become even better. They are building right now a better interface with greater possibilities of customization, data sharing, multi window browsing, cool blogging features and many other things kept secret for now.
Great quality leads to great popularity and Maxthon just passed 50 million downloads (announced on their blog but also on Daily OM)
Beyond a good product and critical size, Maxthon has great assets for success: first a great team including Netanel Jacobsson as SVP Bus. Development (ex AOL/ICQ guy). Second, strong shareholders including Morten Lund (a Skype early stage investor) and WI Harper.
Maxthon is not yet very popular in the US, but i bet it’ll change soon.
Now let’s see if this post can generate a debate just as hot as the one from the original post in TechCrunch France 
The only problem is that this browser is just a wrapper for IE’s rendering engine – which means you still have all the problems that IE has with security and standards. I can appreciate the features it has, but honestly I can get all I need (and more) with Opera – without the risk.
I had used Maxthon until I was subjected to silent installs infecting fully-patched machines – several times from normal sites. So now the only browser I use is -truly- a better browser, not just good window dressing on a bad one.
To quote Tyler Durden: Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken. Unfortunately for Maxthon, the same is true in the browser market – Playing dress-up does not make you a safe, standards-compliant browser
What about extensions like in Firefox?
it doesn’t mater if it’s IE you use as your main browser or a browser built with the IE core, its not the websites you visit that cause the problems to your computer such as spyware, viruses, trojans, etc…
it’s the user that uses the computer is what causes the problem.
These browser discussions are endless. There are many browsers out there doing a good job. Weather one likes it or not is strictly of personal matter.
I have given up telling Internet users why they should such or such browser. At the end of the day you select a browser that suits YOUR needs, enhances YOUR experience and makes YOU a happy user…
In terms of security and compliance, I believe that any company working towards these issues is worth having its product on the market. Again, if you don’t go to dodgy websites, download anything suspicious, you can use IE and never catch anything that will harm your machine…
Browser providers like Microsoft, Opera, Mozilla, Maxthon and the like should indeed focus on the user experience (interface, security, compliance etc.). However, I believe their main objective (and challenge) is to develop users’ awareness of the risks users exposed to on the web.
Happy Browsing!
IMHO, the fact that Maxthon is based on IE’s code is a fault, rather than a selling point: I use Maxthon instead of IE, but only when it’s strictly required.
I’d never choose an Internet Explorer shell over standard-compliant, full-featured and safe browsers like Firefox or Opera (even without extensions, it comes with an amazing set of features: tabs, RSS reader, email client, download manager, aliases, flexible privacy/security srttings, session saver, magic wand, IRC client, spell checker… and [really] more), not to mention the great communities behind these tools.
To be honest, I can’t see in which field Opera and FF just don’t catch up with Maxthon.
Does Maxthon run in a different ‘instance’ of IE so it is not running as the the logged on user with elevated privileges?
Uhm, you are aware of the fact that this is exactly like the “Keyword” field in the Firefox bookmark manager, right? Which by the way does not require an extension either.
SVP of business development? Whats the business model for Maxthon?
Maxthon truly rocks.
lot’s of great extensions!
but the most important and useful feature is the way that Maxthon keep all the sites in memory, that were open, if the browser suddenly collapse or if you close it by mistake.
Give it a try, it’s work just great!!
If you absolutely need Microsoft stuff (e.g. ActiveX, IE style rendering), then Maxthon is much nicer than plain old Internet Explorer. Web developers who work on 100% micorosoft shops will appreciate this software.
If you dont need any of that microsoft proprietary stuff then you might as well dump it.
Firefox is way more usable.
“Unlike IE, it is very fast, safe and very stable”
I tried using Maxthon for a while, but abandoned it after it kept freezing.
IE rendering engine? all CSS bugs? Is that what is called a good browser? the one that do not support web standards?
to hell with it.
>> Maxthon is based on IE code
maybe a stupid question, but how exactly does that work? where do they get the code from? did not know microsoft went open source…
moritz
For Maxthon’s users this this the extensions you need to install into firefox in order to use firefox as maxthon : http://www.2803...e-sous-firefox/
“it’s the user that uses the computer is what causes the problem.”
“Again, if you don’t go to dodgy websites, download anything suspicious, you can use IE and never catch anything that will harm your machine…”
Quite frequently, yes, this is the core of the problem. But it does not encompass the full extent of the issue.
I am a software developer, and as such am not a typical user ignorant of the dangers of the web. I have had machines brought to their knees with less than 10 minutes of using IEs engine at work on fully patched machines from standard sites. And I’m not the only one.
The notion that sticking to “safe” sites will keep your machine safe just doesn’t cut it anymore. It may have been true a couple years ago, but no longer.
I think it is good for a user to choose which browser suits them best, but honestly it has gotten to the point with IE where I recommend to clients I work for to disable it on their whole network. Personally, Opera works great for me – if someone wants to use Firefox or any other browser because it fits their needs, that’s fine. But IE is now where I draw the line.
I’ve been using Maxthon for a few years now and still think it’s the best out there. Firefox is getting closer but it’s still not quite there, especially out of the box.
No, Maxthon is not a browser you get your grandma set up on but I have no sympathy for the tired IE security complaint. How about installing some security software (anti-ad/spyware, firewall, registry monitor, etc.)? Plenty of free options out there and it’s good to have regardless of your browser.
The security complaint is not tired – that’s the problem. I have all those items, but it serves as scant protection these days.
How do you call a browser whose FAQ (http://faq.maxthon.com/) and plugins main page (http://maxthon.tarapages.com/) don’t even open?
I will take the Avant browser over Maxthon browser. Avant also has Orca which uses the Firefox engine.
http://www.avantbrowser.com/
“Unlike IE, it is very fast, safe and very stable”
Haha come on, all they did was put a Mink coat on a bucket of vomit and call it Platinum. Same old crap, new retarded skins.
You have got to be kidding me, right?
Maxthon *is* Internet Explorer. As others have noted, Maxthon is a user interface wrapped around the Internet Explorer rendering engine. Which means statements like this:
“Unlike IE, [Maxthon] is very fast, safe and very stable”
are outright lies. L-I-E-S.
Maxthon can’t be any safer or more stable than IE, because it is IE under the covers. Maxthon can’t change the rendering flaws, ignorance of standards, and security holes that make IE a piece of garbage.
Who are you shilling for, Ouriel?!?
The URL shortcuts thing is nothing new at all. Someone else mentioned that it is doable in Firefox. Opera does it too.
With a search string attach if you so desire.
I’ve been using Maxthon (actually a donator) for a looong time…since it was MyIE2. I use Firefox and Opera at times, but for the most features and compatibility, Maxthon can’t be beat.
My only suggestion to people is to actually use Maxthon before writing it off as another ‘IE skin’. It is indeed a ‘power user’s browser’. Few points:
1. Instead of trying to develop a ‘limping’ IE7 why Microsoft just did not buy out Maxthon ? It is a no brainer to me.
2. Google needs to make sure that Google bar works in Maxthon.
3. I haven’t seen people comment on ‘Super drag and drop’ feature, which is a one of the best little feature Maxthon.
By the way, I’m surprised this wasn’t mentioned in the original post but Maxthon can be configured to use the Gecko engine.
File -> New Tab -> Use Gecko Engine
I can’t vouch for that option but it’s there.
Wow, I am amazed the emotion this post caused. Choosing a browser is not a religion or a way of life. It’s just a browser, if you like it – you use it, and if you don’t, so don’t. Not everybody likes to drive a Ferrari…Seriously, give Maxthon a fair try and forget about whether it runs on the IE kernel or not – it not more important than if your car runs on 95 or 98 Petrol. And yes, you can use the Gecko engine too..
What i like about Browsers is that when you post about them it really gets passionnate. Obviously here it is the case. My first comment would “Relax it is just about a browser!”
I think i can accept people will not agree with me or with the millions of users that just love maxthon. But i think if you have to get into Maxthon you just have to do it right and respectfully.
Maxthon is very stable very safe and very fast. It is not an opinion, it is a fact.
Many product do the same thing. It is just about user experience and little details (think about Ipod vs other mp3 players) Maxthon has many features you can find in other good browsers. It is just about how you feel it. To me Maxthon does it right and simple.
Finally i would like to say that no soft is perfect. Including FF. But i believe it is the right attitude to give respectful and constructive criticism. Maxthon and others are doing a great job. Let s encourage them to do better.
a little extension for the upper bar that i just wrote (a script for techcrunch favorite):
http://www.hevr...ts/10397588.zip
————————
open the file->extract all files->copy the file, then go to my computer->program files->Maxthon->Plugin, and place the file there.
close the browser and open it again.
screenshot:
http://img528.i...tcscreen9tb.jpg
enjoy
Ouriel, some of the commenters are having issues with the fact that you are suggesting that Maxthon is more stable, fast, or secure than IE – which isn’t possible if IE is running underneath providing the page rendering service. Same thing with Gecko (if its an option in Maxthon) – you can’t say that Maxthon is a better Gecko than Gecko itself if its actually using Gecko. Maxthon may wrap some nice tools around IE or Gecko, but the fundamental service level attributes of whatever rendering engine its using aren’t changed.
I say live and let live. There’s no point in really arguing over browser choice, since it’s like arguing over car choices.
Some people would rather drive SUVs and slowly kill our planet, and some people would rather not. You can’t convince everyone all the time, whether its cars, religion, best bookmarking services..
I used Maxthon since it was known as MyIE2 and think it is a wonderful browser. Don’t let all the “IE wrapper only” comments scare you. I didn’t have any of the security problems that people think you will get by using an IE-based browser. Most of those “security” problems have been fixed by hotfixes. Also, IE6 SP2 is a much more secure browser than previous iterations.
I tried Mozilla Phoenix and Firebird (Firefox now, but older and different versions) and didn’t like them. However, with the recent 1.5 release of Firefox, I have now switched over to it. I still have my wife using Maxthon and still keep a copy of it on my desktop/laptop and work computers. Why? There is one feature which I miss in Firefox and that is the “Groups” feature. Firefox has something like this but it pales in comparison to how Maxthon has it implemented.
My recommendation is to download it and give it a whirl. You may continue to use your current browser, but it will change your opinion of Maxthon for the better.
It looks interesting, but I don’t think it will replace Firefox for me. I haven’t seen anything that Firefox doesn’t do natively or isn’t supported with an extention. Plus I didn’t see that it was portable, which is a big selling point for me at the moment.
IE has ‘aliases’ too, but just doesn’t brag. Save a Favorite call it MyFav. Type MyFav in your address bar in IE and VOILA there it is.
Firefox is such a memory hog that I might almost give this a chance… but not quite.
I’m waiting for a lite version of firefox which can not suck up so much memory!
i don’t get the fuss…ie7 is just as good if not better.
“Maxthon is not yet very popular in the US, but i bet it’ll change soon.”
Yeah, especially after this post.
Ted, try K-meleon.
First of all: just try it.
Only fanboys judge browsers just by one post (and it seems there are a lot of FF-fanboys-that-really-need-a-life here)
@arjun: Maxthon has way more options than IE7 or almost any browser.
For people that like to customize their browser completely Maxthon is a great choice!
Can IE7 close all tabs on the left/right/from same domain/blank/error in 2 clicks?
Can you lock a tab, make a tab/favorite sticky?
Does IE7 have a content filter that can block almost all ads?
Does IE7 or FF have a system tray-icon?
Can you access webservices like translating pages from/to more than 10 pages in 2 clicks?
Does IE7 have a special toolbar with external applications that allow you to easily access those programs and give them parameters like the current URL for example?
Can you disable scripts/images/applets/flash in 2 clicks?
Can you see your current memory usage in the statusbar?
Or your current network-usage in the statusbar?
Do IE7 or FF have mouse gestures?
Well, with Maxthon you can do all that and more!
And now I’m only talking about Maxthon 1.x, Maxthon 2.0 can do much more!!
teddy:
Firefox can do all those things with extensions. I wouldn’t want a browser that has it all built-in; this is what we call “feature bloat”. I personally can’t stand mouse gestures, but have heard of at least two competing extensions for firefox that mouse gesture lovers swear by. Looking at your list I can see only two that I’m not sure there’s a current extension for (sticky tabs, systray) – but the framework is in place for it to appear if there’s enough demand, and the users who don’t want those features don’t have them hamper their experience with clutter.
And yes, I tried maxthon back when it was “MyIE”(2?) You’ll no doubt say that it’s a changed beast and that I’d love it if i tried it now, but tell me this – does it have a web developper toolbar? Greasemonkey/Stylish equivalent? Can it show me rendered source code? Can I modify it so that it doesn’t use a plugin for PDFs but instead asks me whether to download, open or view as HTML?
And maybe most importantly – does it have AdBlock (or equivalent) with automatic updater?
I can’t help but think we are seeing some aggressive viral marketing when people say stuff like:
“Seriously, give Maxthon a fair try and forget about whether it runs on the IE kernel or not”
Forget about it running on the IE rendering engine!!!!
Say what!!!
Not to mention the security flaws of IE, as a (hobbyist) web developer, all I know is that my standards compliant pages don’t render correctly in IE 6 (patched to the max) and they work beautifully in Firefox.
The odds of my using Maxthon = 0%
not a bad browser -
unfortunately, i can’t use my netvibes start page!!!
… that put an end to usage immediately.
i’ll definately check out 2.0 however, if they fix that and whatever problems i didnt care to discover, i’ll switch for sure
Maxthon? Safe? Ha!
I respected your opinion, but not anymore.
All “shell browsers” base on IE will die when IE 7 come. They just a Shell.
The future belong to Firefox or Opera.
I’ve tried Firefox, Opera, Netscape, K-Meleon, and Avant, but Maxthon by far is the best one. Each of these browser has its own strength, but using any is just a choice. For me, any browser that serves well my need will be used. It is Maxthon for me.
I absolutly cant believe that a blog that is all about Web2.0 actually would recommend a browser that uses the IE render engine. Nuff’ said.
Maxthon sounded like a pretty good browser when I first read the article, but the IE part was a real turn off for me. Plus, Maxthon cannot be ran on anything other than Windows (I believe.. correct me if I’m wrong.) Since I use Linux for a server and (usually) desktoping (I use Windows for gaming..), I’m guessing that I will probably stick to Firefox for my browser. Of course, I’ll give Maxthon a prod, but only with a long stick
JavaScript in Maxthon is extremely slow.
I have a complex page that’s generated dynamically in JavaScript. It takes .8 seconds to render in Firefox 1.5, 1.2 seconds in IE6, and 2.8 seconds in Maxthon!
I wonder why Maxthon is so much slower than IE given that it’s the same engine?
Maxthon rocks pure and simple.
I have tried all the major browsers and this is it. Don’t listen to all the drooling IE haters here, Maxthon is the best browser around.
I am an avid web surfer and Maxthon improves the experience in ways no other browser can.
Isn’t that what it is all about instead of worrying about rendering engines?
Because it uses the core of IE the microsoft haters start spitting at the computers. Ignore them. Really try Maxthon. It is fully customisable and uses less resources. Also their forum community is totally top notch! I have never seen such helpful people in my life. I haven’t had any issues with the browser and any minor questions are answered very quickly. Also plug-in installation is a breeze.
Do I hate FF? No. But I cannot stand the slavish bleary-eyed cultists who worship it.
To them I say stick to your rotary telephones and 8-track players…for the rest of you, try Maxthon.
Rob B.
————
Firefox:Maxthon::8-track:CD
Maxthon is great.
I have an very old computer (PII 400mhz running win 98, it works, I cant afford to update or buy a new one),Have tried many differnt apps/browsers over the years, and have come to settle with maxthon. I find if your machine has little memory ram etc and dont want something hogging the system like firefox, or opera then maxthon fits the spot, it seems to run on less memory then IE itself even though its based on IE, I have no idea why? I like it, it works and helps block out some of the nasties which get on to my computer. Sometimes it does have its moements and stops working or the font goes wrong. But it works for me. Keep up the good work maxthon. superb.
Maxthon is an all around great browser. Mouse gestures are just an amazing thing. I’ve imstictivly tried using them in MacSafari, Windows Explorere and Winamp just because I’m so used to them in maxthon.
Its far and away, the best browser I’ve ever used. If your and open minded person, try this browser.