Which browser should I use on a G4 laptop?

Short answer: You can't. There is simply no current browser that can access current websites and support current security standards that will also run on a G4 Mac.

Long Answer:

There may be alternatives you can use to access websites on such an old system such as Frogfind.com. There's also TenFourFox which is a version of Firefox that is designed to work on Power PC Macs though development for it has been halted so no newer versions are forthcoming and it may also stop working when newer security measures are used on websites. https://www.floodgap.com/software/tenfourfox/

You should really consider that a G4 Powerbook is too old to serve as an everyday computer for online use at this point.

Dear Lita,

I also agree that TenFourFox is your only hope. I used it quite a bit on a G4 eMac running Leopard.

Be sure to read the limitations of that app. The deal breaker for many is that It does not support video, so no YouTubing or streaming video. Supposedly there is a workaround ** I've not tried it.

What I have noticed even on the eMac, which was at the top of the processor spec with upgraded maxed RAM, is that G4 Macs as slow running TenFourFox. Other Macs with supported browsers loaded pages in under a second. On the same cable internet wired connection, the same pages took 5 to 10 seconds to load. Modern web sites are simply not optimized for PowerPC processors any more.

Glad to hear that you have newer Macs. Enjoy!

Lita Kaufman wrote:

I actually don't need a browser on the machine, but having one would be nice. I'll try loading TenFourFox to get whatever minimal access I need.

Don't bother to use a web browser on that old Mac. Instead, use it to run any obsolete old app, if absolutely needed.

A few years ago I used my old PowerBook G4 15.2" 1.25GHz running OS X 10.5.8 Leopard to run TenFourFox7450-FPR32.5 but it was slow, I mean SLOW, to render even simple web pages.

I have retired that PowerBook G4 only for occasional Firewire import from miniDV/D8 tapes with the old iMovie 1.0.2. But my newer Mac mini late 2009 running OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan, and Mac mini 2018 running macOS 15.7.5 Sequoia can also do that. iMovie 6.0.3 works in macOS 10.14.6 Mojave but in macOS 15.7.5 Sequoia I use FCP for occasional DV import. My current MacBook Pro M5 running macOS 26 Tahoe no longer supports Firewire.