Apple urges Chrome users to switch to Safari, promising up to five extra hours of battery life

Apple is urging Mac users to ditch Google Chrome for Safari, claiming its browser can deliver up to five additional hours of video streaming on a Mac. The company's new “Stay on Safari” campaign also promotes faster page loads and stronger default privacy protections.

Apple claims Safari loads frequently visited websites up to 35 % faster than Chrome on macOS. The comparison used 15-inch MacBook Air laptops with M5 chips and 16GB of unified memory, testing 12 popular websites under simulated network conditions. The result does not establish that Safari will be faster across all websites, Macs or internet connections.

The battery-life claim is similarly specific: Apple advertises up to five extra hours of video streaming, not five additional hours for every browsing task. Both figures come from Apple’s own measurements, and their relevance depends on how closely a user’s activity matches the tested workloads.

Apple’s efficiency pitch centers on Safari’s integration with its hardware and software. The company develops the browser’s WebKit engine and can optimize it for Apple silicon. However, that integration alone does not establish the advertised advantage over Chrome; the results depend on the tasks and conditions being tested.

Privacy is another focus of the campaign. Safari blocks third-party cookies by default and includes Intelligent Tracking Prevention, which is designed to limit tracking across websites. Apple is promoting these built-in protections alongside features such as Reader Mode, Profiles and native Apple Pay support.

Chrome, however, retains practical advantages. Its extensive extension ecosystem and synchronization across Windows, Android and other platforms make it convenient for users who regularly switch between devices. Those who rely on particular extensions or need a consistent browser across different operating systems may have less reason to switch.

According to StatCounter, Chrome holds 66.36 % of the browser market, compared with Safari's 18.27 %. Apple’s pitch gives Mac users a reason to reconsider their browser, but the advertised gains remain task-specific rather than a guarantee of longer battery life or faster browsing in every situation.