Best Browser to save on data

Claudius-07

Member
Dec 4, 2009
187
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0
Hi folks,
When using a cell phone's hotspot to connect a laptop for everyday use, what browser offers the best "compression" of data, for lack of a better description? The issue is that when the laptop (older Windows 7) connects to the hotspot, so it's connected through WiFi, it cares not that the it's a data plan and not an unlimited home cable modem service.

Seriously, simply checking out a few online newspapers, tech sites, email, maybe a few online stores, googling here and there, maybe one or two youtube videos etc,. it's getting out of hand. I have switched to using Opera as it offers "turbo" mode which I believe is supposed to compress the data. However, any news or tech site is so full of advertisements, java, flash... GOD.. after one day it's easy to hit 500MB or more. When you have a 3-5 GB plan you are done in a week.

I suppose I could just block all pictures, no java, no flash, and link to mobile versions of sites if available, just that the experience is then blahh. But is there an "easy button" anywhere out there?
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
60,922
11,254
126
Not really. Opera turbo runs stuff through their servers to compress data. That's a privacy issue imo. To do things on your end, use an adblocker, and script blocker. That's about the most you can do without changing behavior. I recommend Firefox in general, just cause...
 

Mushkins

Golden Member
Feb 11, 2013
1,631
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The Browser isn't at fault here, it can't do anything to 'compress' a website's data, because that data has to get to your PC (over your metered connection) before a browser application can do *anything* with it.

Your best bet is to do what lxskllr mentioned. Install things like adblock/noscript to stop web assets from being loaded in the first place, and make sure you set Youtube specifically to a lower quality setting instead of the default auto (which will push it up to 1080p and chug bandwidth).