why are non-Safari web browsers so huge (hundreds of MB)?

[xmach]

I just noticed (running macOS 12.1) that not only are several independent web browsers larger (in terms of consumed storage space) than Safari, the difference is very substantial.

- Apple Safari (version 15.2) is 14.5 MB

meanwhile:

- Mozilla Firefox (version 96.x) is 360 MB
- Microsoft Edge (version 97.x) is 679.4 MB
- Google Chrome (version 97.x) is 967.5 MB

What explains the huge file sizes of these 3rd-party web browser applications?
(small note: Get Info indicates that all apps are Universal binaries)

 

[yitwail]

Interestingly enough, Safari Technology Preview is similar to Firefox in size

 

[Nermal]

The main reason is because Safari is part of the OS. The .app that you look at is just a 'shell' around the system-provided browser engine (i.e. the bulk of Safari is somewhere in /System, not in Safari.app).

The other browsers are self-contained and therefore all their supporting files are within the .app.

 

[xmach]

The main reason is because Safari is part of the OS. The .app that you look at is just a 'shell' around the system-provided browser engine (i.e. the bulk of Safari is somewhere in /System, not in Safari.app).

The other browsers are self-contained and therefore all their supporting files are within the .app.

that makes some sense, especially along with the prior comment from @yitwail that the Safari Technology Preview is similar in size to Firefox.

But then how to explain why the sizes of Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome are several multiples of Firefox's? There's gotta be something else going on...?

Separately, if the bulk of Safari is in /System/, is there a way to get an accounting (at least roughly) of how large all those collective supporting files are (in order to make fair comparisons to the 3rd party browsers)?

 

[brucewayne]

Do you have all of the web browsers pointed to the same content?

Safari vs Chrome with one tab open sitting on the google home page. Not that different on my laptop...

 

[Nermal]

Do you have all of the web browsers pointed to the same content?

Safari vs Chrome with one tab open sitting on the google home page. Not that different on my laptop...

That's memory usage, which isn't what's being asked about here.

Separately, if the bulk of Safari is in /System/, is there a way to get an accounting (at least roughly) of how large all those collective supporting files are (in order to make fair comparisons to the 3rd party browsers)?

You could poke around in the package and see where all the files go.

 

[brucewayne]

That's memory usage, which isn't what's being asked about here.


You could poke around in the package and see where all the files go.

You are right, I misread the question. Agree with you that the safari app itself is smaller since is part of the OS.