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Technology · head to head

Safari vs Userpilot

Safari logo

Safari

Technology

Apple's WebKit browser, available only on Apple operating systems and updated only with them.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Userpilot logo

Userpilot

Technology

Product analytics and in-app onboarding platform.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Safari it runs only on Apple operating systems; there has been no Windows build since 2012 and none for Linux or Android, so any team that must verify Safari behaviour has to buy Mac hardware or rent it from a device cloud, which is a line item Chrome and Firefox do not create.; Userpilot starter tier limited to 2,000 monthly active users; even small-to-medium products may require Growth tier
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Safari and Userpilot actually diverge.

Attributes where Safari and Userpilot differ
AttributeSafariUserpilot
Pricing modelfreesubscription
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android, API

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Technology).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Safari

  • WebKit engine
  • Intelligent Tracking Prevention
  • Energy optimisation
  • iCloud Private Relay
  • Passkeys in iCloud Keychain
  • Handoff and tab sync
  • Profiles and Tab Groups
  • Web Inspector

Only in Userpilot

Nothing recorded that Safari does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Safari

  • Getting the longest battery life out of a MacBook, where the difference against Chromium browsers is hours rather than minutesnot Userpilot
  • Debugging a site on a real iPhone or iPad, which requires Safari's Web Inspector connected over USB from a Macnot Userpilot
  • An all-Apple household or team that wants tabs, passwords and passkeys to follow them across devices without a third-party accountnot Userpilot
  • Privacy-conscious users on iCloud+ who want tracking protection and Private Relay working by default rather than through extensionsnot Userpilot

Userpilot

  • SaaS companies optimising user onboarding and activationnot Safari
  • Product teams collecting user feedback and identifying churn drivers via session replaynot Safari
  • Customer success teams using in-app guides and contextual helpnot Safari
  • Growth teams orchestrating multi-channel campaigns across email and in-appnot Safari
  • Product managers measuring adoption and engagement across user cohortsnot Safari

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Safari

  • It runs only on Apple operating systems; there has been no Windows build since 2012 and none for Linux or Android, so any team that must verify Safari behaviour has to buy Mac hardware or rent it from a device cloud, which is a line item Chrome and Firefox do not create.
  • Safari's version is bound to the operating system's version, so a Mac that has fallen off the supported macOS list stops receiving Safari updates altogether; the browser's security life is the machine's OS life, roughly three years of updates after the last major release it can run.
  • Distributing an extension means packaging it inside a signed macOS application and shipping it through the App Store with a paid Apple Developer Program membership, which makes a small internal or single-team extension impractical.
  • Automated testing uses safaridriver, which runs on macOS only, has no headless mode and permits one session per machine, so Safari coverage in CI means real Macs in the pipeline rather than containers, and it does not parallelise the way Chromium does.
  • Web platform features generally land in WebKit later than in Blink and Gecko, so Safari's current support is in practice the compatibility floor for any project, and a feature you can use everywhere else may be a year away here.
  • Enterprise management is thin: configuration profiles cover a modest set of settings with nothing comparable to the several hundred administrative policies Chrome and Edge expose, so a managed fleet cannot control Safari to the same degree.

Userpilot

  • Starter tier limited to 2,000 monthly active users; even small-to-medium products may require Growth tier
  • Large price jump from Starter ($299/mo) to Growth ($849/mo), nearly 3x increase
  • Growth tier scales to 100,000 MAU but does not publish pricing for higher volumes, requiring Enterprise negotiation
  • Session replay and mobile engagement are optional add-ons in Growth tier, not included in base pricing
  • Enterprise pricing not published; custom negotiations required for large-scale deployments

Pricing, plan by plan

Safari

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Safari review.

Userpilot

Free
  • Starter$299/month
    • Up to 2,000 monthly active users
    • In-app engagement
    • User segmentation
  • Growth$849/month (marked 'Most Popular')
    • 2,000 to 100,000 monthly active users
    • All Starter features
    • Advanced product analytics
  • Enterprise$undefined/variable
    • Custom monthly active user levels
    • All Growth features
    • Premium integrations

Which should you pick?

Choose Safari if

  • You need webkit engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want intelligent tracking prevention.
Safari review

Choose Userpilot if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Userpilot review

Questions people ask

Is Safari or Userpilot better?
Neither clearly leads. Safari starts at Free and Userpilot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Safari or Userpilot?
Safari starts at Free and Userpilot at Free.
Does Safari or Userpilot run on more platforms?
Safari runs on Web. Userpilot runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Can I use Safari for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Safari best used for?
Safari is most often used for getting the longest battery life out of a macbook, where the difference against chromium browsers is hours rather than minutes, debugging a site on a real iphone or ipad, which requires safari's web inspector connected over usb from a mac, an all-apple household or team that wants tabs, passwords and passkeys to follow them across devices without a third-party account, privacy-conscious users on icloud+ who want tracking protection and private relay working by default rather than through extensions. Of those, getting the longest battery life out of a macbook, where the difference against chromium browsers is hours rather than minutes and debugging a site on a real iphone or ipad, which requires safari's web inspector connected over usb from a mac are not what Userpilot is typically brought in for.
What can Safari do that Userpilot cannot?
Safari covers WebKit engine, Intelligent Tracking Prevention, Energy optimisation, iCloud Private Relay.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Safari: Can I run Safari on Windows or Linux?

No. The last Windows version was Safari 5.1.7 in 2012 and it is long unsupported. There has never been a Linux build. Testing Safari requires macOS, either your own or a rented cloud device.

Userpilot: What is included in the free trial?

Userpilot offers a free 14-day trial without requiring a credit card, providing full access to the Starter tier features.

Source
Safari: How do I test my site in Safari without a Mac?

Through a cloud device farm such as BrowserStack, Sauce Labs or LambdaTest, which run real macOS and iOS instances. There is no reliable local emulation, because other browsers on Windows and Linux do not use WebKit.

Userpilot: Does Userpilot include session replay?

Session replay is available in the Growth tier as an optional add-on for watching real user sessions and identifying friction points.

Source
Safari: Are other iPhone browsers really different from Safari?

Historically no: Apple required all iOS browsers to use WebKit, so Chrome and Firefox on iPhone were interface shells around Safari's engine. The EU's Digital Markets Act now permits alternative engines, but adoption is limited, so in practice iOS testing still means WebKit.

Userpilot: What integrations does Userpilot support?

Userpilot integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, Segment, Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel, Heap, Zendesk, Intercom and Google Tag Manager. Additional integrations can be requested.

Source
Safari: Why does Safari not get a new version on my old Mac?

Safari ships with the operating system. When a Mac can no longer run a macOS version that Apple still updates, Safari stops updating too, including its security fixes.

Safari: What does it cost?

Nothing. It is included with Apple operating systems. Private Relay requires an iCloud+ subscription, and publishing an extension requires a paid Apple Developer Program membership.

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