# Alternatives to Internet Explorer

The browser that was the internet. Internet Explorer has been discontinued; the active alternatives listed here are maintained products you can switch to.

It is proprietary and available on Windows. 3 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/internet-explorer/
Category: Browsers

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Windows users who needed a built-in web browser preinstalled on their PC, particularly in corporate and government environments that relied on legacy ActiveX controls and intranet applications.
- **What you get**: A graphical web browser bundled with Windows that rendered HTML, ran ActiveX controls and Java applets, and supported tabbed browsing, favorites, and add-ons in its later versions. It included features like InPrivate browsing, SmartScreen phishing filtering, and Compatibility View for older sites. Microsoft ended support for IE 11, the final version, on June 15, 2022, redirecting users to Microsoft Edge.
- **How it works**: Users launched Internet Explorer from Windows to enter URLs or search terms and navigate the web; enterprise sites requiring legacy compatibility could still be accessed afterward through Internet Explorer mode within Microsoft Edge.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Platforms**: Windows
- **Status**: discontinued (verified 2026-07-11)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Arc](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/arc.md) | building | Proprietary | macOS, Windows, iOS |
| 2 | [Brave](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/brave.md) | building | MPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 3 | [Chrome](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/chrome.md) | building | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 4 | [DuckDuckGo Browser](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/duckduckgo-browser.md) | building | Apache-2.0 | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| 5 | [Edge](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/edge.md) | building | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 6 | [Firefox](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/firefox.md) | building | MPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 7 | [LibreWolf](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/librewolf.md) | building | MPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 8 | [Opera](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/opera.md) | building | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 9 | [Orion](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/orion.md) | building | Proprietary | macOS, iOS |
| 10 | [Tor Browser](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/tor-browser.md) | building | MPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android |
| 11 | [Ungoogled Chromium](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/ungoogled-chromium.md) | building | BSD-3-Clause | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 12 | [Vivaldi](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/vivaldi.md) | building | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android |
| 13 | [Waterfox](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/waterfox.md) | building | MPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 14 | [Zen Browser](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/zen-browser.md) | building | MPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Sources

Sources for Internet Explorer. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Status**: discontinued — <https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/faq/internet-explorer-microsoft-edge> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Yes, Internet Explorer 11 is the last major version of Internet Explorer. The Internet Explorer 11 desktop application went out of support for certain operating systems starting June 15, 2022”
- **License**: Proprietary — <https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/ie11-ieak/licensing-version-and-features-ieak11> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Note: software"), these Guidelines further define how you may and may not use the soft"
  - Quote: “In addition to the Software License Terms for the Internet Explorer Administration Kit 11 (IEAK 11, referred to as the ”
- **Platforms**: Windows — <https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/faq/internet-explorer-microsoft-edge> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Internet Explorer is a component of the Windows operating system (OS) and follows the Lifecycle Policy for the product on which it is installed and supported.”
- **Engine (Chromium / Gecko / WebKit)**: Yes — <https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/internet-explorer/ie-developer/platform-apis/aa741312(v=vs.85)> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Note: Trident"."
  - Quote: “Mshtml.dll is sometimes referred to by its code name, ”
- **Extension ecosystem compatibility**: Partial — <https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/internet-explorer/ie-developer/platform-apis/aa741312(v=vs.85)> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “ActiveX Controls. ActiveX controls are a very powerful mechanism for extending the abilities of HTML.”
- **Reader mode**: Partial — <https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/ie/introducing-reading-view-in-ie-11> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Reading view is a new feature in Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 8.1 that helps you focus on the main content of the Web page you want to read.”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/