Catalyst icon

Catalyst

1.5/5 22
MIT License   

This Electron-based browser offers an interesting take on web browsers, as it couples a privacy-first approach with a minimalist, less-is-more interface. #Web Browser  #Privacy Browser  #Minimalist Browser  #Browser  #Web  #Browsing  

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4.0/5

A browser is a tool just as essential as a file explorer for the computers of today — take away the internet and the ability to tap into web browsing, and the versatility of a computer is greatly hampered. Of course, some of that is owing to our reliance on the internet as a whole, but a good browser can make the web surfing experience that much more pleasant.

Respecting user privacy should be of paramount importance to any browser developer, so any initiative specifically aimed at providing a tracking-free and privacy-first approach is worth appreciating. Catalyst seeks to provide that — and more — for its users.

While the mainstream browser solutions have all but nudged us in a certain direction in regard to how browsers should look and operate, Catalyst is a bit of a departure in that sense. Sure, it operates much like the browsers we're all familiar with: browser tabs, search and bookmarks bars are all there, but their design is much more different from what you'd see on Chrome, Firefox, or Edge.

Simply put, the browser adopts a sort of quasi-minimalist design, where the interface prioritizes a clutter-free experience over anything else, while ensuring there's enough space to make the tabs and bookmarks easily recognizable. Hence, tabs and bookmarks are of a generous size, allowing the users to clearly manage and navigate through their favorite websites.

The default search engine is DuckDuckGo, which is widely considered to be a safer, more privacy-focused alternative to Google. While typing in the search bar, DuckDuckGo Autocomplete will provide you with results as you type, but you can turn that off in the Preferences menu anytime. You may choose to have the browser hide or display the bookmarks bar.

The mainstream browser solutions are popular mostly due to convenience: the performance is satisfactory, they're constantly updated to support new functions and patch security problems, and the add-ons and their communities are constantly evolving. Smaller-scale solutions like this one usually experience growing pains in those areas: the updates and security aspects seem to be just fine here, but what of extensions/add-ons?

The lack of extensions might be a deal-breaker for some, and that's perfectly understandable. While the browsing experience is snappy and everything works as intended, you can't help but feel that something is missing.

From a privacy-first standpoint, Catalyst is a web browser worth your while. It is constantly being updated to ensure maximum security, but more advanced users might find everything else to be lacking.

What's new in Catalyst 4.0.0 Beta 3:

  • Fix: move toggling visbility to its own function
  • Feat: add back backend functionality for custom user agents
  • Feat: add frontend option for custom user agent
  • Feat: change titlebar color to match general colorscheme
Read the full changelog
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Catalyst 3.5.3 / 4.0.0 Beta 3

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PRICE: Free
  runs on:
Windows 11
Windows 10 32/64 bit
  file size:
97.4 MB
  filename:
catalyst-3.5.3.Setup.exe
  4 screenshots:
Catalyst - The browser is quite minimalist and offers a clutter-free experienceCatalyst - Dark Mode is available, and you can also choose for the browser to hide or show your bookmarksCatalyst - The browser uses DuckDuckGo as the default search engine, and you can enable or disable the autocomplete functionCatalyst - screenshot #4
  main category:
Internet
  developer:
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