What is a browser emulator?
A remote emulator is a browser that emulates a popular native browser. For example, an Internet Explorer emulator would emulate the feel, look, and behavior of a real Internet Explorer. Similarly, a Chrome browser emulator would emulate a Chrome/Chromium browser, and a Firefox emulator would emulate a Mozilla Firefox browser, and the same applies to Safari, Opera, Yandex, and Brave emulators.
What is a browser simulator?
A browser simulator is exactly the same as a browser emulator and it's just a synonym. For example, a Safari simulator is a fake browser that behaves like a native Safari but it's not a real Apple browser.
Why use a browser emulator/simulator?
Browser emulators/simulators are primarily used in cross-browser testing. Developers and QA teams often don't want to install a bunch of real browsers, so they install a browser emulator or a browser simulator software package. This package installs software that tries to behave like a real browser but it often has glitches and doesn't really work like a real browser because real browsers are much more complex. The result is that an emulator/simulator produces results that are close to a real browser but it doesn't really render a web page exactly like the original native browser. That's why it's best not to use an emulator or a simulator and it's recommended to stick to real browsers.
Try a real browser!
At Browserling, we offer real browsers for testing. We run our browsers on real servers and offer quick access to them through a browser-in-browser user interface. You can use the following form to get a real browser running on a real computer:
When you load a browser, you'll be on our free trial version that limits the browser sessions to just three minutes. You can unlock unlimited browser sessions and more real platforms and real browsers by getting a developer or team plan.
Our customers who have a developer or team plan include:
Browser Emulator/Simulator FAQ
How stable are browser emulators/simulators?
Browser emulators and simulators aren't stable at all and don't offer any advantage over real browsers. They are simple to download and install but the results often don't' match real browsers. That's why it's recommended to use real browsers.
How are you able to offer real browsers?
At Browserling, we focus on real browser testing. We run a bunch of servers with all possible operating systems and all possible browsers and their versions and we developed technology that lets you quickly connect to one of our servers and access the browser you need. Instead of using fake browser emulators and simulators, we took the hard route and maintain installations of all possible browsers.
Which real browsers do you have available?
Our team at Browserling has installed real browsers that cover 90% of all use cases. There are all Internet Explorer versions, then the latest version of the Edge browser, all versions of Google Chrome, all versions of Mozilla Firefox, all versions of Opera, and several Safari versions.
Do you run operating system emulators?
No, we don't run operating system emulators. We have installed actual operating systems on our servers and offer the following operating systems – all versions of Microsoft Windows and all versions of Google Android. In the upcoming months, we'll also be offering iOS and OSX.
Have you considered making your own browser simulator?
No, we haven't considered making our own browser simulator. It would be economically unfeasible as it would offer no advantage over a real browser.
Does Live API work with real browsers?
Yes, Live API that we created works only with real browsers. You can put a real browser in your own browser and browse while you browse. Meta-recursive and mind-blowing.
Any other questions about browser emulators or browser simulators?
Please contact us at hello@browserling.com or use our contact form. Thank you!