LEONLEDRAGON  No services avalaible !!!

Not completely compatible with mobile me...  
(Version 5.10.1)

SYZZYGY  While OmniWeb is generally fast its rather cumbersome, inefficient method of handling bookmarks make it a pain-in-the-ass to use.

With all other browsers, one merely clicks on 'bookmarks' in the browser's menu bar and then clicks on the bookmark one wants from the drop-down menu; and voila....that's all.

With OmniWeb, one clicks on 'open bookmarks window', then clicks on one's bookmarks list and then scrolls down the list to find the bookmark one wants, then double clicks on it to go the bookmarked website.

How is that any better than the tried and true expeditious method employed by all other browsers?

I'll stick with the lovely, fast and feature rich Firefox; the latest version 3.6b2 being very stable.  
(Version 5.10.1)

MACLOVER1.1  Could easily be my favorite if I did not find the icons and overall appearance so appalling... I seriously wish it has a Safari skin ;-) Ugly girls don't get any sorry, no matter how smart. Ok behind closed doors with a bag over the head I lik'em smart and possibly ugly.. Kiss don't tell. But do get a makeover anyway OmniGirl will ya' ?!! Ya could be MUCH prettier.  
(Version 5.10.1)

SOUTHPAWAMI  It just doesn't get better. It's stable, it's solid, it has a library of options that aren't elsewhere out of box. How can you not like this? The only thing that really isn't nice about this software is that it isn't on Linux or Windows.  
(Version 5.10.1)

ROBOTANK  I keep coming back to OmniWeb, especially when I get sick of dealing with unsupported Safari plugins. I think there are a couple areas OW could really improve in to bring it into line with the latest iterations of Safari and Firefox. If it addressed some of these things, it would blow Safari out of the water. Here are what I see as its pros:

1. Advanced features with minimal need for plugins: OmniWeb has several essential features lacking in Safari. In particular I like: workspaces (session saving basically, though it allows you to save multiple sessions); single-window mode; fine control over cookies, pop-up windows, etc.; site preferences; ad blocking (I'm currently using GlimmerBlocker instead of OmniWeb's built-in blocking; it's an all-in-one solution, and I don't have to make my own filters.); customizable search engines and search keyword shortcuts; form editor window for text fields. Some of these features can be added to Safari, but then you get all the attendant annoyances of unsupported plugins. The only hack-ish plugin I need in OmniWeb is 1Password, which is absolutely essential, not to mention well-supported, stable, and always up to date. I also use ClickToFlash, but this is a WebKit plugin, not an unsupported hack. Also, compare the implementation of some of these advanced features to their implementation in Opera or iCab. OmniWeb's settings are comparatively very easy to navigate.

2. Side tabs: I find the vertical thumbnails on the side make it easier to quickly switch tabs, because I can see what's on the page. They also preserve vertical window space, which in more important than horizontal space in a web browser.

Areas where I think OmniWeb needs to improve:

1. Interface: The interface is alright, but it seems clunky and old compared to Safari's slick UI. This is just an aesthetic point, not really a big deal.

2. URL bar auto-completion and search box suggestions: OmniWeb could really benefit from some of the strides made recently in these areas by Safari and Firefox. I'd love to see Glims-esque drop-down search results, but I'd settle for Safari's suggestions. Also something like Firefox's Awesome Bar that has better URL completion as well as access to history and bookmarks would be fantastic.

3. Find feature: OmniWeb's find feature is like that in a word processor or text editor. I'd love to see something like Safari's find feature where you get a little drop-down text box at the top of the page and it instantly highlights results as you type. An option for type-ahead support (find as you type) would be great too.

4. Miscellaneous: Something like Opera's Speed Dial or Safari's Top Sites would be cool. I'd also love to see something like the visual Cover-Flow history search from Safari 4 (IMO the best new feature in Safari 4).

In conclusion, though OmniWeb has been in maintenance mode for several years, it still has many useful features that set it apart from the more popular browsers. It wouldn't take much to make OW the hands-down best browser on the Mac. The Omni folks have hinted at a 64-bit version as well as a version 6, but there's no clear indication of when we may see either of these improvements materialize. Here's to hoping.  
(Version 5.10.1)

STAR-AFFINITY  Please add the possibility to use ”ctrl tab” to switch between tabs.  
(Version 5.10.1)

STEVEN GOODHEART  One of the things I loved about OmniWeb is it's built-in shortcuts....powerful, and unlike KeyWurl and other SIMBL or Safari plug-ins, it doesn't break when a new OS comes out.

But to my chagrin, after crafting my own shortcuts "by hand" I just discovered you can add a customized search and shortcut in OmniWeb with just a few clicks. I don't know *how* I managed to miss this after all this time of use, but in case others have too, here's all you have to do (yes, it's in the Help file, but somehow, I missed it)

***

The search field that appears in the default configuration for the Navigation toolbar comes with many popular sites that are available for searching. Simply choose a site from the menu that appears when you click the magnifying glass, type your search term(s), then hit Enter, and the results will be returned in the browser window.

Each Search Shortcut that appears in the menu is configured using the Shortcuts preferences.

You can easily add new sites to the list by visiting the site you want to add, clicking into the search field available on the site, and then clicking the Add Search button that appears on the status bar ( ).

You can also right-click or control click in the search field on the web page and choose Add Search Shortcut... from the contextual menu. If the search form on the website contains various options for configuring the search you will want to set those to the appropriate values before creating your new shortcut to ensure the correct query is submitted to the website when you use the search from the toolbar in the future.

When adding a new shortcut a dialog will appear that lets you choose a name for the shortcut as it will appear in the menu of available sites to search on.

***

Once I discovered this nifty trick, adding shortcuts is as easy as in FireFox. Way cool, quick, easy, and powerful. Can't believe I missed it! Hope this is of help to others who may have too.  
(Version 5.10.1)

FOULGER  Click on download, black screen with audio bar & loudspeaker saying loading - doesn't happen  
(Version 5.10.1)

FYREFLYE  Not me. Ask for help at the Omni Forum:

http://forums.omnigroup.com/forumdisplay.php?s=354062fd9db9016e376089fbb1eb9d39&f=3  
(Version 5.10.1)

ERICG  This is bizarre, but the latest version of Omniweb fails to open gmail. Has anyone else had this problem?  
(Version 5.10.1)

PETER  I just love this software. It works great, has many more features than Safari and the tab implementation is just terrific. My only wish is that it have a context menu item for looking up a word in the Dictionary.app. Otherwise it's perfect.  
(Version 5.10.1)

SNOWWHITESICKETTE  The English-only version is available at the developer's website.  
(Version 5.9.2)

SOUTHPAWAMI  As for 5.9.2... it does what you expect a browser to do... including a hundred options you don't expect from a browser. It passes Acid test, Acid 2 test, but not Acid 3 test. It can be fairly memory intensive compared to Camino, though the extra options and options on how the tabs are displayed can make it much more of a comfort.

As for 5.10 sneaky peek. It's a gem. Engine wise, seeing Acid 3 test pass 100 out of 100 really shocks a person used to seeing it fail browser after browser. Loading is faster than 5.9 which is to be expected, and the numerous options OmniWeb gives you in a one stop shop format are always welcome and don't seem to be anywhere else. I would compare it to Firefox 3.1 testing version and Safari 4 testing version... but I didn't find either stable enough to browse with for where I normally browse. However, thus far, Omniweb 5.10 sneakypeek is stable through where I normally browse(though I cringe every update, hoping for the best)  
(Version 5.9.2)

DARUKARU  With the latest 5.10 sneakypeeks, OmniWeb has all of the best features of Safari 4 (blazing fast rendering and JavaScript performance) with none of the drawbacks (Safari 4's bizarre tabs), and a bevy of additional features. The Site Preferences alone are indispensable—the ability to set custom style sheets on a per-site basis is something that every browser should ship with by default.

Its adblocking isn't quite as powerful as Firefox with Adblock Plus, and I wish it supported GreaseKit user scripting, but there's very little else to complain about.  
(Version 5.9.2)

FYREFLYE  Now loading almost as fast as Safari and already heading toward OmniWeb 6.

See http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omniweb/download/sneakypeek/

for the 5.10 nightlies.  
(Version 5.9.2)

ROBOTANK  Strangely, this release doesn't seem to include the Safari 4 WebKit that has been in each of the 5.9.2 Sneaky Peeks, though it includes support for something I've never heard of called the Gopher Protocol. I think I'll stick with the latest Sneaky Peek for now.  
(Version 5.9.2)

DANA SUTTON  My understanding was that Omni was making OmniWeb free because they were ceasing its development, and I am very pleased to see that they are going ahead with it and haven't broken up the development team. Good work, guys.   
(Version 5.9.2)

IINDIGO  I've been using the latest SneakyPeek build for a while now, and I gotta say, it's doing very nicely. I can't even really tell it's a beta.

One feature of OmniWeb that I've really come to love is the ability to apply custom stylesheets on individual pages - it gives me the power of the Firefox plugin "Stylish" without the nasty clunkiness and un-Maclike/"I'm faking it" feel that comes with Firefox.

Overall, the browser is great and I can't wait to see what version 6 holds in store.  
(Version 5.9.1)

THEBRIX2008  This must be an almost unique case of software moving from commercial to free (not open source) and speeding up in development ...

The difference between 5.9 and the new 5.9.2 Sneaky Peeks is spectacular. Not only is rendering improved (I can now use several financial sites which were unusable with 5.9 and the old WebKit) the whole application has become much more predictable in its behaviour, particularly when opening dozens of tabs at once; 5.9 frequently ground almost to a halt, or even crashed, in that case.

An unexpected surprise is that what looks like a trivial change on paper (automatically closing the tab drawer when the last tab is closed) improves the whole "tone" of the browser. The user interface may not have changed much in some time, but it still looks and feels good; there is nothing superfluous and I hope that OmniGroup resists the temptation to add CoverFlow or similar worthless bling as it moves towards 6.0.

After some time away I am back with OmniWeb as my default browser.  
(Version 5.9.1)

IR_EDJUCATED  Some comments say that this browser (version 5.9.1) passes the Acid3 test. This is simply not true. It scored a 75/100 which is the exact score Safari 3 places.

Other comments posted say this was the same engine as Safari 4. I have my doubts about that. Especially with the score being exactly the same.

http://acid3.acidtests.org/ - Try it for yourself.

I am not saying that this is not a good browser. Just ensuring that the public is well informed.  
(Version 5.9.1)

LEOPOLDBLOOM  I'm so glad to see development of OmniWeb picking up again. I used it as my default browser for a while, and the reason I stopped was because development was extremely slow, and it was always lagging months behind Safari in its WebKit version. Now that development has picked right back up, I'm going to give OmniWeb another run. The 5.9.2 SneakyPeak builds are already using Safari 4's WebKit, and they are blazing fast. The things that set OmniWeb apart for me are its superior control over browsing, particularly site preferences, and the tab side-bar.  
(Version 5.9.1)

KRAIZED  Please have the option of 'normal' Tabs like every other browser available today.  
(Version 5.9.1)

SOUTHPAWAMI  This is the best browser for Mac. Until it went free, I just used what would do, Firefox/Camino/Shiira/Safari/ etc... Now it's free, and I can afford it. Awesome.  
(Version 5.9.1)

YAYPEA  I have been using OmniWeb exclusively for 3 years now. It has served me quite well with minimal problems.

I am now using the 5.9.2 version which incorporates the new Nitro WebKIT engine. Although this is an alpha release, it has been rock-solid so far and is extremely FAST! It also passes the Acid3 test along with Safari 4 beta.

For me, the "site-specific" preferences are a "godsend".

Also, a huge plus, is that they actually have tech-support. When I have had an issue or question, I have never had to wait more than 24 hours to get a helpful reply.

Now that it is free, what are you waiting on? Download it and try the best Browser going!  
(Version 5.9.1)

FYREFLYE  The reports here of OmniWeb's death have not only been greatly exaggerated, but with the recent installation of the WebKit engine and achievement of 100% Acid3 compliance OmniWeb has become simply the best Mac browser available. As an alpha release it's not yet for everybody, but now that it's free everybody can still play with it and see what the original Mac-only browser has become. Not bug free, but getting there. It's already progressed to 5.9.2 alpha heading toward an eventual OmniWeb 6. The "Sneaky Peeks" page is here: http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omniweb/download/sneakypeek/  
(Version 5.9.1)

TANKKNIGHT  Bummer that omni is going to "almost" mothball omniweb. I paid for this back in its infancy and kept paying each upgrade fee as i really liked this web browsers features. I understand why omni wants to get the most bang for their buck with their other profitable products, but lately alot of Mac developers are abandoning their products. This is getting very irritating and dangerous as most of the abandoned work fine until they finally can't handle an OS update and/or conflict with another app. I know this is harsh, but now if 6 months go by without an update to a product or like in this case the company announces its free and/or no longer a priority app, i remove it. I have found this policy keeps my system very stable, but depresses me.  
(Version 5.9)

MARK_CAIRNS  It really is still the most gorgeous of the Mac browsers. The tab system out to the left, and the Favourites dock (with your links and their relevant .ico file beside) at the top is by far the most elegant solution to any of the browsers.

Only prob I've ever had with it is with HOTMAIL, but Firefox 3 sorts that out. Apart from that 90% of my daily web usage is (was) as a paying customer of OmniWeb.

I also hope others now try it. I just never bothered with Safari after version 3 came out due to Omniweb.  
(Version 5.9)

FYREFLYE  Now that OmniWeb is finally free I hope more Mac users will try out this excellent alternative to Safari and Firefox. Its ability to customize individual web sites for cookie retention/rejection/erase when closing browser, for ad blocking/ad retention, for font size, etc. is matched by no other browser. Download the ad.subtract CSS from MacUpdate and use it as a style sheet and you have an additional level of ad blocking to use on a site by site basis. It still doesn't pass the Acid 3 test but it's now faster than Firefox and almost as fast as Safari.   
(Version 5.9)

MBHOCKEY  Terrific alternative to Safari. Bought an educational license years ago and I'm surprised to see that it still works (have been using Safari as primary browser for a while now).

I love that it has customizable ad-blocking built right in, that the built-in OS X in place dictionary works in OminWeb, beautiful tabs, webkit engine, smooth scrolling, and a strong development team.

For all these reasons, I think it is the best Mac browser when compared with Safari, Firefox, and Camino (the only other real browsers on the Mac).  
(Version 5.8)

FRODO_LIFE  it's getting usable, I bough omni web over a year ago but realised quickly that it was not ready for prime time and stopped using it.

I just downloaded latest version and this one is working actually quite well.

However it uses consistently around 90% of my quad G5 processors just by running in the background with 6 tabs open. In comparison Firefox uses 12% with 10 tabs open.  
(Version 5.8)

HANDYCAM  Version 5.8 is like Safari with every Safari add-in already in it. I prefer WebKit over Gecko, and OmniWeb offers that plus additional features such as site preferences and workspaces that further enhance browsing.

Oh, and I run 5.8 for hours and the RAM hovers just under 250mb.  
(Version 5.8)

BIGDAVE56  I bought OmniWeb early in v5, when it was $30. I like the customizability and many features, but I have frequent rendering problems too. In addition, I have problems dragging text from one place in another inside a text form, like when you want to rearrange words in a paragraph on a BB. This very basic functionality, which works on every other browser on my Mac, has been broken in OmniWeb for close to a year (Omni is aware of it.) Some of the previously unique features, like graphic tabs and individualized site preferences, have started to show up in open source browsers. As a result of all this, I seldom use it anymore. Makes me sad because I see wasted potential.  
(Version 5.8)

BILL CLINTON  The Omni developers continue to add small touches to OmniWeb but they should be focusing on one and only one job: stop the damn memory leaks. Web browsers have a long tradition of memory leaks but OmniWeb is by far the worst of Mac browsers in this respect. I have to quit and relaunch OmniWeb at least once a day as it consumes 300 MB to 500 MB of memory after a modest amount of use! Firefox 3 has aggressively addressed its memory problems and now it is time for the others to follow suit.

OmniWeb is by far the finest browser on the Mac and possibly on any platform but for this one aspect.  
(Version 5.7)

PAT320  OW is simply the best browser.

Because everything is customizable, you will develop a new way to surf.

And I will never go back to others browser , that look very poor and not easy to use for me now.

I use it since 2 years everydays now.

Try it like a software, not like a browser ;-)  
(Version 5.7)

DOUGSTER  My favourite browser. Faster at loading pages than Safari and Camino (on my iMac, anyway).  
(Version 5.7)

RONIN_1  I purchased OmniWeb a long time ago and gave up on it some time ago. Although some features are innovative, I find the bookmarking system to be simply unusable in any practical sense. Specifically, it does not work the way the developers say it should/does. It is the worst of the many browsers I have tried in this regard.

For this reason alone I have quit using it after many communications with the developers which have been unproductive.

If you keep many bookmarks and add to them I do not recommend this browser.  
(Version 5.7)

ROBOTANK  Leo Spill:

Please provide examples of some of these alleged site problems and security holes.

I’ve had very few issues with pages rendering in OmniWeb, and in the problem cases it seemed to be an incompatibility with WebKit, as the same problems occurred in Safari. In some cases, simply changing the user agent in site preferences to something compatible will cause a page to behave better. If some sites are designed to work with IE and don’t work properly with WebKit, it is Microsoft that should be taken to task for refusing to adhere to web standards.

As for the security holes.... All browsers have vulnerabilities that pop up from time to time. I don’t see OmniWeb being very problematic regardless, since with its tiny market share I can’t see many malicious web sites making a point of attempting to exploit OmniWeb vulnerabilities. Furthermore, though it uses a version of WebKit close to that used by Safari 3.0, it’s not exactly the same, so old Safari WebKit vulnerabilities may not apply either.  
(Version 5.7)

LEO SPILL  To reviewer 'BILL CLINTON ' and other myopic listeners.

If you think that OmniWeb is just fine surfing all sites you are living in a cocoon... and shouldn't be allowed out of your schizophrenic observation room.

I wish it weren't true but OmniWeb balks at thousands of sites and Firefox ( With all it's faults and bad GUI ) is the only true cross-platform browser for the Mac. Buy this excellent Mac browser if you just surf Mac sites but just try banks and other heavy windozed world sites and you won't get far, won't get support and are open to huge security holes.  
(Version 5.7)

BILL CLINTON  I've tried _all_ the other Mac browsers, most for several days each, and I always come back to OmniWeb. It simply has features that the others don't have or that require adding with plug-ins of variable quality (which then go obsolete when the browser itself is updated).

Why do I keep trying other browsers if I love OmniWeb so much? Memory leaks. I've tested the memory use of most of the Mac browsers and those that use WebKit all leak badly. OmniWeb seems to add on to this bad situation, using more memory than Safari. The more memory my computer has, the more memory OmniWeb uses. I have 2 GB and OmniWeb, over a couple of days, depending on usage, will typically hit 450 MB of Real Memory used, as reported by Activity Monitor. I can watch memory use grow as certain functions and certain pages are loaded; when the pages are closed, memory is not released or is only partially released.

(Some people explain that the numbers reported by Activity Monitor require expert interpretation, saying e.g. that the memory required by certain frameworks is reported as all belonging to each of the applications that is using the framework. So what. That doesn't explain 450 MB. Furthermore, I can quit OmniWeb and relaunch it--the exact same state is restored when you relaunch, one of OmniWeb's nicest features--and the memory used is hundreds of MB less. So much for the "you don't understand Activity Monitor" theory.)

Anyway, the cure for this is to relaunch OmniWeb from time to time. Aggravating to be sure, especially if you were logged into one or more web sites since you'll have to log in again. But the saving grace, like I said above, is that OmniWeb exactly restores the complete state of the browser upon relaunch (related to one of its coolest features, saved workspaces).

All browsers in the history of the universe have leaked memory. However, I have used the beta 3 version of Firefox and it isn't too bad--it leaks much slower and seems to not hit sky-high memory use like most of the others. But adding and maintaining plug-ins to make a poor approximation to OmiWeb's features, and then operating with only a subset, is more work for me than relaunching OmniWeb from time to time.

The support from the developers is top notch, always resulting in a quick personal reply by e-mail. Crashes are extremely rare but when they do happen the cost is slight because, once again, relaunching brings you right back where you were. $15 for the top browser is a trivial amount (I think I paid $30 several years ago--not sure).  
(Version 5.7)

LEO SPILL  I love this browser. It adds the bits n' pieces I need a browser to do. But and this is a huge 'But' it still doesn't offer the near 100% integration that is needed on the mostly 'Windows-wide-web'

Firefox is still the only browser that most 'tricky' sites recommend or will even answer support questions about. It would obviously be a mammoth task to make a browser 100% but even Safari is nearly useless on so many sites. Designers 'especially those on a tight budget' only make sites windows compatible and that isn't going to change any time soon.

So this browser is a little like a low-end Mac. Good for a little bit of surfing but you can't really recommend it without reservation. It's such a pity as Firefox is so ugly and un-mac-like in it's look and feel and in use and Safari so limited.  
(Version 5.7)

PENGUIRL  OmniWeb is my favorite browser, however 5.7 does not work for me. The File and Edit menus are missing completely, and the application menu does not show up. I cannot cut, copy or past, create new tabs, etc... Reverting to 5.7b1 fixed the problem.  
(Version 5.7)

MAC ADAM  who buy a browser ?  
(Version 5.7)

CHRIS WALKEN  I usually try the final releases to see if they ever become stable enough because I really do like the browser otherwise. Freeze, force quit, see ya next time.

I guess other people have success with it, but other browsers hardly ever give me any trouble while OmniWeb always does. And I'm on a brand new MacBook too.   
(Version 5.7)

SIGIL  This is a great alternative to Safari. Omniweb is fast, stable and quite user-friendly. The developer is top-notch. They make great software at fair prices and offer awesome customer service. I only have two small gripes about this browser. First, I wish the interface was more eye-pleasing. Second, I wish the search interface was more like FireFox's search.  
(Version 5.7)

TOM46  After the fiasco of Safari 3.1, I switched to OmniWeb as my main browser. It does all Safari did and more. Cookie management is excellent. Definitely a keeper!  
(Version 5.7 beta 1)

RONALD PRICE  Not bad, lots of features, decent overall performance. The preferences allow lots of customization and the individual site preferences make this even better.

Unfortunately OmniWeb has gone in a direction that is no longer relevant to me. I want things like the ability to remember my default window size/position. Some control over fonts would be nice too, though this is a problem with every WebKit browser I have seen. The big cartoonish tab drawer makes me wish I could disable tabbed browsing altogether.

So, while it works well enough, OmniWeb just doesn't work the way I want.  
(Version 5.7 beta 1)

BIKER4MAC  I've been using OmniWeb ever since I first started with OSX.2 many years ago. Not only does it have the features that I want, but the folks at Omni are very quick to respond to any issues or suggestions. I've watched a couple of my suggestions (granted, probably suggested by hundreds or thousands of others as well) get incorporated into OmniWeb through the years. Glad to see another major update come out with even new features to try out.  
(Version 5.7 beta 1)

SLOB  I agree with DONKEYOTAY - after years of being registered and then giving up on it a while back, this is the best version I've ever used.

No crashes after days of heavy use, unlike Safari (for me anyway); no need for any add-on plugins, good configuration as has always been, and most of all - great performance.  
(Version 5.7 beta 1)

TIAGO  I don't know if up to 5.6 I had some sort of non-standard interface (don't think so), but the icons in 5.7 remind me of Firefox...

Why, in a moment where Apple itself is changing it's interface style (iTunes, Finder, etc) would Omni go the other (ugly) way?  
(Version 5.7 beta 1)

DONKEYOTAY  This seems to be the best version of Omniweb for some time. Stable since I downloaded it. Very fast. And compliant with the web sites I use regularly. Very impressed for beta software.  
(Version 5.7 beta 1)

MACSTERDAM  to switch back to OW, I'd need the following: find-as-you-type & less ram use. A more up to date interface wouldn't hurt either (think Shiira!).

I still think it's a great browser, well worth the money, but without the requested features I don't see myself using it any longer.  
(Version 5.7 beta 1)

LEE123  Wow, If there are people still buying OmniWeb you should definitely check out iCab. It is a far superior browser than omniweb and it is blazing fast. Just my opinion, I have actually purchased omniweb in the past but now have moved to icab.  
(Version 5.7 beta 1)

KRAIZED  OmniWeb needs a radical makeover to bring up to the standard that end users want. OmniGroup MUST give the user the option of using visual tabs as well as standard tabs. Even Safari can have the option of visual tabs with the aid of the free plugin SafariStand.

The drawer system the tabs uses is dated and looks odd on the modern more visually appealing OSX we have now. The tabs should use a sidebar like iTunes or the Finder or very similar to what Safari looks like with SafariStand installed.

Don't get me wrong OmniWeb is a great browser but these things are what is keeping me from using it day to day. That and the fact is costs too much money when you can add the same functionality to Safari and Firefox for free.  
(Version 5.7 beta 1)

SUNBEAM  I've always loved this browser and use it about 50% of the time. Great features for a web developer such as myself. It's not perfect and Omniweb has ignored many of my feature requests for years but it is a pleasure to use and the wonderful implementation of 'tabs' sets it apart.  
(Version 5.7 beta 1)

HUSSAIN  OmniWeb is the best browser for me at the moment. I wish it was as stable as Safari, but Safari doesn't have the features I like and use, like visual tabs, saving sessions, shortcuts and site preferences. Also i hate that Safari doesn't tell you that it's blocked a pop-up. Two things that I hope for is more stability and direct bookmark syncing with .mac (not with iDisk).  
(Version 5.7 beta 1)

HOTFREAKS  I've pretty much given up OW for dead. There are "Sneaky Peek" versions of 5.7 available, but they dont seem to have progressed much past 5.6. Many very sloppy bugs remain unfixed, particularly on the RSS handling front. Once far and away the leader in innovation for Mac browsers, OW now lags far behind. Even the UI, for which OmniGroup apps are famous, is disjointed and incoherent, not quite in Leopard and not quite in Tiger.

I recommend Camino or WebKit nightlies for power browsing.  
(Version 5.6)

EASER  I like this browser, but I wish they'd get it updated along with all the other "Omni" product updates I've seen lately. I have not been able to log in to USA Today and several other sites. They told me it was going to be fixed in the next version, but that was several months ago.  
(Version 5.6)

EGN  I had been looking for a browser that supported blocking everything globally (cookies, popups, etc.) and then allowing the fine tuning of all these for single websites. OmniWeb does this stupendously! I also compared memory consumption of OmniWeb and other browsers and find no such huge difference as reported by others. Certainly the biggest hog seems to be FireFox. But given all the additional things that OmniWeb provides such as being able to clear cache by site and also, the ability to pick which search engine one wishes to use, there is no question that OW tops the rest. The price is very good, specially ont he family pack. Have made it my default browser.  
(Version 5.6)

TOM46  I tried OmniWeb mainly for its handling of cookies, which is excellent (very similar to SafariPlus, which has yet to be updated for Leopard). However, it is not quite as adept as Safari in its autocomplete function for URLs and forms (i.e, it doesn't actually complete the item, but gives you a choice of selections which requires another step to complete it). It also (incorrectly) tried to complete some entries on secure sites, which Safari knew not to do.  
(Version 5.6)

FRODO_LIFE  I bought omni web after reading good reviews about it however after using it for two weeks I deleted it again from my HD for the following reason:

Unstable it crashes the most from all web browser I use (Navigator, Camino, Safari, Firefox)

Memory Hog: it uses a ridiculous amount of memory in comparison to other browsers

Compatibility: Many web site like Pleask Control Panel, Etrade, Westpac, Gmail are renders very badly or don't work at all.

Tab Implementation: needs a lot of mouse movement to switch tabs not very user friendly especially on 30" screen  
(Version 5.6)

BILL CLINTON  OmniWeb is the top memory hog among web browsers, and that's a high bar indeed. With only a few pages open, Activity Monitor reports 250 MB of Real Memory. Safari 3 and Camino report "only" about 150 MB. This is but one example but is typical. Others may respond that Activity Monitor's memory reporting is unreliable and I would be happy to find a reliable report. But I do know that with OmniWeb running, I wait much more often for virtual memory swapping to happen when switching programs. I have used OmniWeb for a long time and I have complained to the developers about this problem. The Omni people are a first class organization and I don't want to give them (much) of a black eye, but maybe posting something publicly with jolt them to reality.  
(Version 5.6)

COOLMEMIN  I've been an exclusive Omniweb user for some time now but this new version is even more unstable and hogs much more ram than the previous version.  
(Version 5.6)

MACSTERDAM  Featurewise Omniweb is still in a league of its own. Sure, FireFox can do a lot of what Omniweb can, but you'd need a boatload of extensions. Nevertheless, I'm currently not using Omniweb, but Camino. That is because webkit-based browsers (like Safari and OmniWeb) gobble up ram like there's no tomorrow. I could use Camino all day long and rarely it uses more than + 80mb ram. Try and do the same with OmniWeb (or Safari) - you'd easily be looking at + 200 - 300 mb ram use. Plain ridiculous, but not Omni's fault. Here's hoping the problem gets fixed in Leopard's webkit, so I can return to my favourite browser again.  
(Version 5.6)

ANON BUD  Anyone else finding that this latest version is a CPU hog? It uses 65-80% CPU after running for an hour or so. I have to quit and relaunch it for it to go back to normal. After an hour os so...back to being a hog.

I switched back to Safari a while ago after being an exclusive OW user for many years. I love OW and hate to quit using it, but this CPU business is ridiculous. So, now I'm considering going back to Safari, even though it's way too slow and the tabs are not to my liking.

Any thoughts?  
(Version 5.5.4)

CHRIS WALKEN  If they ever update it, it could be a very good browser. The current version is buggy, I'm force-quitting probably 1-2 times a day on average.   
(Version 5.5.4)

DONKEYOTAY  Up until 5.5.4 I have had no problems with & thoroughly enjoyed using Omniweb.

Unfortunately for me, 5.5.4 is dire. Slow, crashes often (2+ times a day), RAM hog on 10.4.9 on a Mactel 1.66 w/ 1 GB RAM.

I'm going back to Safari.

donkeyotay  
(Version 5.5.4)

TAT@WORK  For those who want the option of drawer tabs and standard tabs, try Shiira 2.2 beta.

I like this browser, it's fast and responsive. It takes time to get used to the drawer tabs, and it's actually more efficient than the standard tabs. The only problem is you need a big screen.  
(Version 5.5.4)

DOM21  Thanks for this comment. I spend my meager app money only on responsive developers.  
(Version 5.5.4)

E_COMMERCE  Great browser, features far beyond pretty much any other browser out there (including Firefox with a dozen extensions). It's just such a damn shame they won't listen to their PAYING customers.

Ever since the tab drawer was introduced, there has been a steady roar of people asking for standard tabs as an option. Not instead of, but as a complementary feature. It wouldn't hurt anyone, except perhaps one developer's ego.

This omission is bizarre for a browser that is almost entirely about customization and browsing the way you want to, from a company that has brought us so many top-notch programs. This is their flagship product, and they treat their customers like dirt.  
(Version 5.5.4)

WHATSTHIS  For those who want tabs like other browsers, use other browsers and leave OW alone  
(Version 5.5.4)

MACD  Here's one more voice for normal tabs like every other browser on the planet has. It shouldn't be THAT hard to implement isn't it?

I wonder how many people have to write their compains for OmniGroup to actually listen to their clients base?   
(Version 5.5.4 beta 1)

EASER  Moreover, you can use SafariStand (free) to add icon-based tabs to the side, just as OmniWeb provides. Plus Safari will give you the regular tabs if you want them.  
(Version 5.5.4 beta 1)

MACNERD1984  Unfortunately, OmniWeb has always had some reason that I can't use it. In this case it's that sidebar. In an age when so many apps compete for screen space it's just ridiculous to take such a huge chunk of it when tabbed browsing work so well. If, as someone said, you can't figure out what is in the tab by the name on it then you probably shouldn't be using a computer at all.

By all means, keep the carbuncle on the side as an option, but give us tabbed browsing too so we can choose which we prefer. With Safari et al being free and having this feature, why would anyone want to actually pay for something that lags so far behind and takes up more space?  
(Version 5.5.4 beta 1)

WIDGE34  Needs a Tab Bar. The side bar takes up too much screen room, especially if you have a 15" screen.

When i launch Omniweb it doesn't automatically fill the my screen, i have to do it manually.

This browser is not as good as Safari, Camino, Firefox or Shiira so why would you want to pay for it???  
(Version 5.5.4b1)

STEVE40  I really want to buy, but ... without the OPTION of having a "tab bar" I'm affraid it's just not going to happen.  
(Version 5.5.4 beta 1)

MARUKO DRINKING TEAM  The tab sidebar is one of the KEY features why I use OmniWeb as my main browser. If you have a whole bunch of tabs, it is not only easier to find the one you need instantly, but you can visuallly see when the pages are done loading.

I agree they should have a normal tab bar too as an option, but I certainly prefer the visual sidebar where you can actually see the pages.

(The OTHER killer feature is that it automatically remembers your per-site preferences for font sizes, popup blocking, etc.)  
(Version 5.5.4 beta 1)

CAKEY  I agree. I am not a paying user but I would be if they would just ADD AN OPTION FOR A TAB BAR instead of that gawdy sidebar. It's ridiculous.   
(Version 5.5.4 beta 1)

SALIMAR  well i've been using omniweb for approximately 2 years now and while i am a paid user and have given my input numerous times, i feel that the devs aren't listening as closely as they claim on their website. all i want is tabs, not the god awful drawer and its sporadic behavior when visiting sites with pop ups.

why is that when i have pop ups blocked and links that i click set to open in new tabs, when i visit cnn.com the drawer spawns everytime for seemingly no apparent reason?

at times im sorry i paid for this browser. the speed has never really been that great, either. i think ill stick with camino.  
(Version 5.5.4 beta 1)

SNOZLE  Wow, I can't believe I actually paid for a web browser.

First, I would like to say that I was a diehard Firefox user, I had a bunch of extensions installed and thought I couldn't live without them. I recently started using an app that had a service installed in the service menu and I was frustrated that Firefox didn't support the services menu, so I began my search for a cocoa browser.

After using the demo for awhile I decided to lay down the money.

I found myself using features in Omniweb that are available in firefox, but cumbersome. The thumbnail view for tabs is nice, though it took some time getting used to. If, like me, you tend to have a million tabs open you can switch to the list view which basically consolidates your tabs in a scrollable list. The usefulness of which is not immediately apparent, until you realize how cumbersome the "show more tabs" button was in firefox.

Another feature I love is the individual site preferences. One particular use for this is in Gmail, which usually opens any clicked link in a new window, with Omniweb you can specify that when in Gmail (and only Gmail) any link clicked will open in a new tab.

Another useful feature (which I am using to write this post, btw.) is the textbox expander (I don't know what it's really called). Next to any multiple-line online form you can click a little plus icon that opens up a window to type in (you can minimize the page and the window still stays open). This is very useful for writing long posts.

There are many other useful features such as bookmark update checking and individual site CSS styles, but I have to run.  
(Version 5.5.3)

ST00P!D M0NK3Y  THANK YOU! Though the favorite bar icons could definitely be changed.  
(Version 5.5.3)

M-RICK  you can get one there http://www.hicksdesign.co.uk/journal/tiger-theme-for-omniweb-55

I made one too, which looks like Safari.

Do you want it ?

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/3769/previewes3.png  
(Version 5.5.2)

JAZZYGB1  Anyone who pays money for a web browser needs their head looking at!  
(Version 5.5.2)

ST00P!D M0NK3Y  This is a very stable release. Definitely one of the fastest browsing experiences I've had on my slower Mac - 800 MHz PowerPC G4 - 768 MB SDRAM - Mac OS 10.4.8.

I just keep coming back to OmniWeb, despite some of the things I don't like about it.

And thanks for adding the option to turn off favorite icons. That keeps me a little more sane. =P

I still don't like the default OmniWeb theme though. Those purple bookmarks give me a twitch. Give us more options!  
(Version 5.5.2)

GARRISON  How can anyone complain about OmniWeb? It doesn't have the developer extensions, etc that FireFox has, but for daily use it is simply the BEST browser available for Macs.

If you really care more about changing the appearance of OmniWeb rather than its superb feature set then go ahead and use an inferior browser than puts more effort into customizing appearance. Personally, I care more about useful features.  
(Version 5.5.2)

ST00P!D M0NK3Y  MUST ADD SELECTABLE TEMPLATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This default Omniweb theme is literally keeping me from using it.  
(Version 5.5.2b4)

TOAD  But it does pass the Acid2 test when no other browser on my Mac comes close.  
(Version 5.5.2b3)

TIMB  Please back your comments up with facts. Cite example sites and content that doesn't work please.  
(Version 5.5.2b3)

ST00P!D M0NK3Y  It doesn't support a LOT of things that most every other browser supports (and despite it using the Safari Engine, Safari seems to support more sites then OmniWeb, which makes no sense). And can we please have an option to turn off favorite icons?  
(Version 5.5.2b3)

TOAD  Does not support Wikipedia popups.  
(Version 5.5.2b3)

TUNER EQUALIZER  I also like the favicons in the bookmarks bar.   
(Version 5.5.2b2)

CHELLMAN  OmniWeb does have an activity viewer, but it's called Network Activity. It's not quite as comprehensive as the one in Safari, but it is there.  
(Version 5.5.2b2)

TUNER EQUALIZER  Better than Safari in most respects. Safari has better tabs usually and a slightly better appearance. Safari has Activity Monitor. SafarIcon (shareware) provides themes. Safari's icons are smaller.

In all other respects, Omniweb is better.  
(Version 5.5.1)

ST00P!D M0NK3Y  Please let us have selectable or downloadable themes! I want to use OmniWeb, but the horrible default theme keeps turning me off to it! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! No seriously, please add that feature.

And it would be nice if you had traditional tabs as well as your style of tabs. We should have a choice, especially since your browser is one of the few that isn't free.  
(Version 5.5.1)

MOOFTHESTOOF  Fantastic WebKit-based browser. Fast, exceptional tab drawer, and (most importantly for me) it WILL remember and auto-fill login/password fields on secure (https) sites. This is the only mac browser that I've seen that will do this.  
(Version 5.5.1)

N. SILVA  Very nice web browser based on the WebKit engine. I would describe it as "Safari Pro".

I was a long time Safari user but switched to OmniWeb because of its ad blocking capabilities (to block ads in Safari I would have to install an Input Manager). Although not as easy to use as the Firefox ad-block extension, the capabilities are just as robust.

I love the tabs implementation, which shows a mini-screenshot of each tab in the side pane, along with a loading status indicator for each one.

Since OmniWeb is based on WebKit it works with any site that works in Safari (the vast majority of web sites). The only site where I had a problem was reddit.com, which wouldn't let me sign in, but this has been fixed in the latest release.

If OmniWeb has one shortcoming it would be bookmark management. The bookmarks manager resets to its default view when you open it, instead of remembering what folder was open last time. It's also more difficult than it should be to export bookmarks, because you can't drag folders out of the bookmark manager.

Overall I would not hesitate to recommend OmniWeb to other Mac users.  
(Version 5.5.1)

SLOB  I agree Omniweb is a fine browser - it's stopped crashing and now runs a lot faster. It's worth a fee, except for one thing - you can't run it on 2 networked machines simultaneously.

This is ok with a tool like OmniOutliner (which I've also registered) but is not ok for a browser imo. I have a browser running on each machine for different & quite valid purposes and have to run Safari on the second box. It works ok of course but I can't help resenting the fee for such an unusually tight limit. I'd feel better paying for, say, a bookmark synching system between machines for example.

How about Omni at least doing what other developers do - single machine or single user?  
(Version 5.5.1)

MARUKO DRINKING TEAM  AWESOME browser. Now that it is on par with Safari in terms of rendering speed, you can really take advantage of killer features.

1. Per-site preferences is so friggin rad... your bank uses crappy fonts? No prob! OmniWeb remembers all your adjustments per-site, without affecting other sites. And the interface to per-site prefs is great.

2. You can set it to re-open all the open windows upon re-launching the browser. That is killer too.

3. Lots more power features.

The big bad thing is that it should try to emulate Safari as closely as possible in terms of its keyboard shortcuts (at least as an option). The reason is, Safari is THE ubiquitous Mac browser. The discrepancies between OmniWeb and Safari a) make it annoying if you use a lot of Macs and OW isn't set up on them, an b) makes it harder to get other ppl to use OW (e.g., your mom). Still, it is the best browser in the world.  
(Version 5.5.1)

E_COMMERCE  Look, I love the thumbnail "tabs", but PLEASE give us the option of a standard tab bar! For a small number of tabs it works MUCH better, and the drawer is completely unusable on small screens like 1024x768 - still the most common resolution. I don't know what the seemingly philisophical problem is with a tab bar.

(And hey - you could even make it smart by converting it to a tab drawer on the fly, or allowing the user to do it when they want.)  
(Version 5.5.1)

M-RICK  Maybe the best browser available on Macintosh with so much and so complete features available for such a long time before others for certain of them !

Fast and well integrated in the Mac OS X environnment and really respect the GUI.

Also an excellent and friendly support team.

The still remaining lack is maybe the stability, fortunately there are the work spaces to not loose everything after a crash.

My favorite browser compared to all the others available.  
(Version 5.5.1b1)

SIMTY  Unfortunately OmniWeb still can't open certain webpages e.g. www.themacgroove.co.uk

OmniWeb is still a fantastic web-browser and well worth the money. It works particularly well on wide-screen displays because the tabs are on the side thus making better use of the horizontal screen real-estate.

OmniWeb is lightning fast and it is nice to see good favricon support.  
(Version 5.5.1b1)

MIGUEL  This is by far the best browser UI-wise on any platform. The UI has been designed for flexibility, intuitiveness, consistency, and usability. From flexible tab management to bookmarks, it's just a pleasure to use.

Just to give a few examples:

•Edit-in-place bookmark labels in favorites bar: intuitive, fast, convenient and more usable than any other browser I've ever tried.

•Favorites bar accommodates overflowing bookmarks in new line: all other browsers put the usual hideous arrow to signify hidden bookmarks. Accessing content through such arrow is cumbersome and counterintuitive. Omniweb simply accommodates bookmarks on new line. Brilliant.

•Vertical thumb tabs: easy to create, easy to move around, close, open in new window, identify, etc. By far the most usable tab design on any browser.

The list goes on and most of the outstanding features have already been commented by other reviews such as custom-site-preferences, ad-blocking etc.

Being a dual platform user, the only thing I lament is such wonderful browser being Mac only. Apple is lucky to have such passionate exclusive developers.  
(Version 5.5)

O5220803  I've been using OMNIWEB for three years and this is the best release thus far! A sophisticated and the only truly professional browser for the serious Mac Community! Stable, secure, fast and complete: you don't need anything else for surfing on your Mac!  
(Version 5.5)

KERN  As of 5.5, OmniWeb is once more my primary browser. The transition to Webkit has resulted in a gigantic speed/stability boost, and the feature set is still great. I'm looking forward to buying version 6.  
(Version 5.5)

ST00P!D M0NK3Y  Typo below. I meant there quite a few sites that DO NOT work...  
(Version 5.5)

ST00P!D M0NK3Y  There's a bug in this browser that is rather annoying. There are quite a few sites that do work with their upload feature. Sites like http://www.yousendit.com do not work because of some weird bug that doesn't allow that upload feature to work, but it works in literally every other browser. In fact, most of the sites I frequent often, the upload feature on those sites do not work. Please fix this little bug.  
(Version 5.5)

SUPER_A  Very impressive, my favorite OS X browser.  
(Version 5.5)

CHRIS WALKEN  I'm almost convinced that OmniWeb is worth the dough. There is actually a place in the Mac browser market as Safari and Firefox are both disappointing. Being on a 12" screen means the tab drawer takes up a bit too much space, but I might be able to live with that. The per-site preferences are pretty sweet. Other little things are well-designed.

On the downside, for a paid browser the missing features become glaring deficiencies. I'm used to having find-as-you-type on Camino, it's still not in OW (it works only for links). That might be a deal-breaker for me at this point. Ad-blocking could be more user-friendly. They got rid of searching history for content. I suspect that OW 6.0 could be a really good release whenever that happens, especially with Camino development as slow as it is.   
(Version 5.5)

ST00P!D M0NK3Y  The ad-blocking could be a LOT better than it currently is. The ad-blocking is very poor in its current state. Camino does a much better job and the Adblock Plus extension for Firefox does the best job I've seen for any app. Maybe you should learn from these guys.

I keep coming back to OmniWeb though. Don't know why. It just feels like a Mac app. :) Keep up the good work.  
(Version 5.5rc1)

JWILHELM  I'm a registered user of OW55.

After trying out OW became one of my favorite apps that is worth the cash.

However, afaik flash videos are much slower than in Safari that is btw capable of similar features (character encoding settings for Japanese sites that do not specify the charset; urrrgh!) with the free SafariStand.

Most i like OW's comfortable history & bookmark functionalities.  
(Version 5.5rc1)

BEDSTUY65  Do all the whiners here realize that these are still beta releases?  
(Version 5.5rc1)

ST00P!D M0NK3Y  Ok...this is really annoying. Can you please allow OmniWeb to remember the size of windows so that I don't have to keep stretching the freaking window out every time I make a new window or open OmniWeb? That's really annoying. Every other browser I've ever used remembers window sizes except OmniWeb. And those are free when OmniWeb is 30 bucks. If you want people to buy your product, you gotta include the basics. Seriously. And you should have an option to use normal tabs. It doesn't matter "what your take is" on tabs. People should have a choice. I love this browser and all, but these little annoyances are getting to me. And the javascript issue is horrible.  
(Version 5.5b4)

SIMTY  OW5 beta 4 can't open www.themacgroove.co.uk which has no JavaScript or any such, just plain html.  
(Version 5.5b4)

ST00P!D M0NK3Y  Javascript isn't working on a lot of sites that use it. A window will pop up in Gmail for instance, but I cannot click any buttons because the browser will not recognize the javascript. =\ Please fix this for the next release.  
(Version 5.5b4)

ST00P!D M0NK3Y  Ok. I am now a believer. This beta has to be the fastest version yet. It's very stable and is very enjoyable to use. I may just switch to OmniWeb.  
(Version 5.5b4)

SLOB  watch out with beta 4 - it may not suit some. By default it refuses to recognise javascripts of which I have quite a few, and my home page is a nice swf file of a clock. beta 4 just opens the finder window containing it now. Oops.

I didn't mess with it, just reverted to the previous beta.  
(Version 5.5b4)

FFASS  Compared to the earlier versions OmniWeb seems to be much faster loading pages, and overall much snappier feel. The ability to save webarchives has allowed me to switch away from Safari.  
(Version 5.5b3)

LEONCAHUN  Has anyone asked for standard tabs yet?? :)

(PLEASE, at least as an option)  
(Version 5.5b3)

THEALLSEER  YAAAAAAAAAY! Finally they support and allow importing of adblock expressions!

That's what I would be saying as I hit the purchase button for this program if they actually implemented that.

But until then, no adblock, no customer. And that right clicking stuff works 1/4th of the time and not on flash ads. Please get with the times and implement better adblocking and importing of expressions.

'Til then, I'll continue using my free and fully adblock supporting Camino, Safari and Firefox.  
(Version 5.5b3)

MACTANK  Great browser - but cant use it until they support the ajax functionality supported by Safari and Firefox.  
(Version 5.5b3)

E_COMMERCE  I'm quite amazed that Omni, usually very responsive to user requests, has continued to ignore those who want "standard" tabs. Quite simply, they work better for fewer tabs, and they are the only feasible solution on a "small" screen, like 1024x768 (standard for every iBook in the last several years, guys!).

I really want to use OmniWeb, as its featureset fits me better than anything else, but if something as basic as tabs is broken (for all intents and purposes, it is for me), then it's a no-go.

Given that I do love the rest of it, I've refrained from adding a rating.  
(Version 5.5b3)

ARGLBORPS  Wow finally an OmniWeb beta that's quite stable! In the 5.1 beta phase the betas were crashing so often, that I gave up and waited for the final.

OW 5.5b2 is now my default browser. It's faster than Safari, and gives me all the fine grained control over how I want to have websites displayed, without giving me any clutter.

The only downside, the source view won't allow me to use a font that can display Japanese even if its monospace. Maybe just a beta bug, but I'd like to see that fixed.

This is finally the speedy and powerful version of OmniWeb I've been waiting for. And since I've paid for OW 5 already, I feel like my belief in Omni has been rewarded nicely.  
(Version 5.5b2)

LUCID_VEIN  I dislike sidebars because they decrease the size of the browser's window. So it's very annoying to have the tabs in a sidebar.

Otherwise,the browser is beautiful, extremely fast at rendering, and full of useful features.

It'd be my full-time browser if it had tabs right there where I can click on them without having to access a side-bar. It's hard getting used to key-commands to flip through the tabs -- and there's no visual cue without the sidebar open (and I won't leave it open, because I HATE sidebars).  
(Version 5.5b2)

ST00P!D M0NK3Y  OmniWeb has the most annoying "tab" system that I've ever seen. It's a freaking sidebar and it's quite in the way. And this is using the Safari engine, but yet...it feels like one of the slowest browsers I've ever used. =\ I've tried liking this, but Camino and Safari are still better.  
(Version 5.5b2)

GENA WENLI  OmniWeb 5.5 Beta is the greatest thing since sliced ham!  
(Version 5.5b2)

ERIC CALDWELL  I have been using this product in evaluation mode and here are my thoughts.

Pros: The built in preview tabs are nice but I can do that now with SafariStand. An option to use either traditional or preview tabs would be a bigger plus requiring one less plugin to deal with.

The bookmarking abilities are superior to Safari's especially when I can open them in a new window.

Site preferences are very nice! I use that feature frequently. Opera has had it for a while but IMHO, Opera doesn't feel like a Mac application and will probably never be more than a compatibility check-off for sites I develop.

The form filler is superior to Safari's. One of those things you didn't know you were missing until someone builds a better mouse trap.

The built in cookie editor is very useful and nice with easy accessibility. If OW would support Simbl plugins, it would give us better access to products like SafariSource, WebDevAdditions and more. Products that make my life way easier for developing sites and daily surfing pleasure (I know.. users couldn't give a hoot about that but there are some nice user plugins out there).

Cons:

Nice interface but it needs to better support products like Shapeshifter and have a better selection of toolbar icons. Fruity colors for toolbar icons are passe and don't contribute to better usability IMHO, could be wrong.

Needs a better way to read RSS feeds. Safari's is minimal but it works for me and allows me do to what RSS was designed to do, scan headlines and determine what I want to read. From what I can tell, OW really doesn't have what you would consider an RSS reader. The way OW presents the fees is a drop-down only provides me quick access to the article title. Give me a single button to click that presents a page of updated sites that I can click and scan headlines.

Way better ad blocking capability or add support for the products out there! One of my pet peeves. The reason I keep falling back Safari is that SafariBlock allows me to easily block Flash based banner ads!! They drive me nutz! My A.D.D. (medical term) is bad enough as is. One interim solution would be a site preference that allows me to block Flash for certain sites.

If I had to choose functionality order it would be better RSS usability, better ad blocking, support for plugins.

If the first two were met, I would probably bite the bullet and purchase.

Cheers  
(Version 5.5b2)

DAN_EX_JAPAN  OH! My eyes! My Eyes! OmniWeb is BRILLIANT!

As I said once before, some people will buy WalMart and some will buy Brooks Brothers. Some prefer Aussie Shiraz to Bud Light. Some wear their caps backwards and prefer their jerseys 2 sizes too big. Personal preferences are ... personal. I still occasionally do use other browsers BUT I PREFER this one. $30 is a not a factor. It is my investment - not just a purchase - in Omni and they, as software architects, engineers and designers, are where the platform is heading. This product, and every Omni product, is an investment in my personal satisfaction as a productive Mac user.   
(Version 5.5b2)

ANON BUD  Been using OW for several years now and it does keep getting better. There are some minor annoyances but these are being rectified: i.e. used to not be able to view YouTube videos in prior versions, but now works fine.

Tabs are remarkable! (And they can be viewed on the left or right). Saved workspaces are invaluable to me. I can set preferences for each site I visit. The AutoFill is great! Page and text rendering are good. But even more, the support is excellent!  
(Version 5.5b2)

ZWS  Let's pay $30 for a web browser (?!), it has impractical tabs on the left, ugly icon and has no advantages over firefox.  
(Version 5.5b2)

SUPERNITIN  It says it's a universal binary but it runs in PowerPC mode on my Mac. My MacBookPro has been freezing up alot since I've started using it. Can't be 100% sure that OmniWeb is the culprit but I suspect that it is.

It is a beta though and I really like the visual tabs. My guess/hope is someone will bring these features to Camino or Safari by the time this released.  
(Version 5.5 beta 1)

NICOLAS GOLES  This app is getting better and better, as said before, it should have the option of a regular tab bar. I don't say drop the current tab bar... but why don't allow the user to choose which mode to use.

The page rendering is getting better and better... gmail still displays awkward but now gmail is recognizing Omniweb as a supported browser.

This browser is really fast too, faster than firefox, just read arstechnica review.

I have just started using it, but its really getting better.

Keep up the good work.   
(Version 5.5 beta 1)

HUSSAIN  Only thing that's stopping me switching from Safari is RSS, I like the Safari implementation of RSS  
(Version 5.5 beta 1)

KRAIZED  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get rid of the UGLY DATED tab drawer and make a sidebar like Mail, Finder and iTunes or even introduce normal tabs like Safari as well.

This is the only thing that is stopping me from using OmniWeb.  
(Version 5.5 beta 1)

GARYI  The ad blocker is appalling if you switch it on it blocks out any pictures in forums and even the little stars next to peoples scores in eBay, basically it just deletes any images.

Rubbish. The only thing this programme has going for it, is that it looks nice. Not worth 30 bucks when all others are free, including Opera now.

Omniweb is alone in charging for a browser.  
(Version 5.5 beta 1)

SLOB  I was getting fed up after paying for this and getting spinning wheels and outright crashes almost daily with admittedly heavy use (but that's what browsers are for, for some of us, right?) - and then switching to Camino just to get some good clean speed (but only plain text copy paste from the pages :(

This version is already right back in the race again. A big relief. Keep it up!  
(Version 5.5 beta 1)

GERBER  This new version is wicked fast, feature-filled, and is basically the best browser out there. Even though it's a beta by Omni standards, it's as stable as Firefox, Camino or Safari.

Great update, and with the adoption of WebKit, updates should be coming a lot faster than they used to. Here's hoping...  
(Version 5.5 beta 1)

MACD  This might be a very nice browser. But I don't see any acceptable support behind it. I mean.. how many MONTHS it took them to update it to the latest WebCore version? How many MONTHS it took them to make it faster? Or should we be counting in years periods in this case?

How many months it took to move to universal binary? a year after intel development kits because available?

The browser is indeed nice and has some good features, but you just CAN'T rely on it. Come new WebKit version with bug and security fixes and all such stuff - and let's see.. we have 6 months of waiting for Omni to catch up again?

Price.. well it MIGHT BE fair, but only if the development pace is up to this price.  
(Version 5.5 beta 1)

MAIL21  This is probably the most Mac-like browser out there, always has been...! Anyway, too late now, too expensive...  
(Version 5.5 beta 1)

THEALLSEER  I would totally buy/use it if ad and flash blocking were a lot easier to add/edit/use/etc.

Using CSS files, adding single lines to hidden preference files or to the ad blocking area in the preferences is totally unacceptable.

I'm sorry, but this is a deal breaker for any browser that I could potentially use. Would love to use the browser, but I might as well start using IE if I want to see ads all day.  
(Version 5.5 beta 1)

DP-G4-450GUY  Admin - this release requires Tiger - 10.4. It won't launch under Panther.

The beta is inside the 10.4 folder on OmniWeb's FTP site - someone's made a goof in the release notes.  
(Version 5.5 beta 1)

DANA SUTTON  Yesss!!!! This is the first time OmniWeb has delivered the speed it has always promised. The new WebKit version really carries the mail. I've been using a Sneaky Peek version for several weeks, and have had no stability issues at all. Safari has some catching up to do.  
(Version 5.5 beta 1)

VINCELEERS  Everyone who's already fond of OmniWeb will love this version. It has all the nifty features we love, combined with the speed we always wanted.

And if you haven't tried it out yet, I can only advise you to do so.  
(Version 5.5b1)

ZWS  At the end of the day, paying $30 for a browser is just foolish. This has no $30 feature, it's the same speed for me or slower than competing free browsers, I don't think this is the revolutionary browser we are all waiting for on OS X. Maybe Shiira 2.0 or Firefox 3.0 (entirely re-written in cocoa/mac frameworks).  
(Version 5.5b1)

DAI YI  A sneaky-peek version of OW 5.5 based on Apple's WebKit is now out. Preliminary impressions after a few hours of use are that this is a huge improvement over 5.1. Pages render much faster now and speed is on a par with Safari. My favorite feature is site preferences, which allow users quite elaborate control over, in part, how different sites will be displayed. Although SafariStand has made that browser much better, now that OW has improved so much in terms of speed, it may be worth taking a look at again.

CPU usage was down from 5.1 but it eats up a fair amount of RAM.   
(Version 5.1.3)

HOTFREAKS  It seems like OW development has slowed to a crawl. It used to be far ahead of the crowd, now it lags behind. I wonder if they are going to kill it?  
(Version 5.1.3)

HAL2007  My first impression is that 5.1.3 is much faster than its predecessors...  
(Version 5.1.3)

DANA SUTTON  In general, I've reviewed OmniWeb before and don't have much I'd want to change. But I'd like to point out one thing: some Web pages refuse to print properly in Safari, all I get out of my printer is a blank sheet of paper. But I don't have this problem with OmniWeb. So although I use Safari as my regular browser, I'm glad to have a copy of OmniWeb on my hard disk to bail me out in this special situation.  
(Version 5.1.3)

MBHOCKEY  If they actually do make Omniweb as fast as Safari, i couldn't comprehend how anyone would use a different browser.

I paid for the software about 6-8 months ago; i can't wait for the webkit version.  
(Version 5.1.3)

MBHOCKEY  If they actually do make Omniweb as fast as Safari, i couldn't comprehend how anyone would use a different browser.

I paid for the software about 6-8 months ago; i can't wait for the webkit version.  
(Version 5.1.3)

MACSTERDAM  I emailed Omni about the web-kit version of Omniweb and got a reply saying it will be ready around February 2006 or so. I'd rather have seen it sooner, but I can wait another three months if the end result is all we have now plus Safari's speed. It will then be the browser to beat!!!  
(Version 5.1.3 beta 2)

ANONYMOUS  lessee ... new webkit?

um ... nope.

sumbody get the clue-by-four!  
(Version 5.1.3 beta 1)

MIKIE WYNNE  I really agree with macsterdam. I have used Omni for a long time but still use Camino and now the latest Safari. It still is just to slow. I did email them some time ago abot this speed thing and Apples web kit. They responded with an interesting email about how they were in a dilema as to which way to go. Do they stay with webkit or move entirely to gecko or another system. I love all the features of Omni and and sorely miss using it as often as I would wish. It does seem that Omniweb does tend to take a back seat in development when you consider how speedily they update their other products. I would shift over to Opera now it is free but they have a serious bug in it that prevents BtYahoo mail portal from actioning the javascript buttons to empty trash and Junk folders whilst on line.

Come on Omni ,be the fastest and best and I will still pay you.  
(Version 5.1.3 beta 1)

MACSTERDAM  Feature-wise and Gui-wise it's second to none for me. Speed, however, is a different issue. Can't wait till they switch to the new webkit. Such an update I wouldn't mind paying for at all. Come on Omni guys, give us a timeframe as to when we can expect this update.  
(Version 5.1.3 beta 1)

STEVEN JAY COHEN  As an OmniWeb user back from the days of OpenStep, I have to admit that it is no longer my browser of choice. Occasionally, I miss some of its features and I power it up, but, in short order, I go back to a different browser.