Difference Between Search Engine and Web Browser

The main difference between search engine and web browser is that a search engine is a type of website consisting of its own database, which users can use in order to search for the information they require. On the other hand, a web browser is a type of software that does not have its own database, but users can use it to view the information they require from web pages or HTML files present on the web servers.

To explain the difference between search engine and web browser in layman’s terms, search engine is a website, such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc., on which we can enter our query and get the information regarding that query. Whereas a web browser is software that hosts search engines or through which we can access a search engine.

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In this article, we will significantly explore the difference between search engine and web browser. But, before proceeding with that, let’s go through the list of topics listed under the table of contents (TOC) that we will cover in this article.

Table of contents (TOC)

• Difference between search engine and web browser
• What is a search engine?
• What is a web browser?
• Key differences between search engine and web browser
• Conclusion

Difference between search engine and web browser 

The terms search engine and web browser are so frequently confused that the key difference between the two is easily missed. So, in order to understand the difference between search engine and web browser, in a better way, let’s explore it in a tabular format.

What is a search engine?

Search engine definition: A search engine is a type of website consisting of its own database, which users can use in order to search for the information they require. 

In order to display the required information, a search engine tries to search and recognizes items in a database that match up to keywords or characters specified by the user. Search engines are among the most critical components that allow you to find particular sites or information on the World Wide Web (WWW).

Let’s take an example of a scenario in order to understand what a search engine is. Let’s observe the steps you followed to reach this article. You would have chosen any one of the search engines, such as Google, and entered the query something like this: Difference between search engine and web browser or something like search engine vs web browser. Once you enter the query, the search engine would have searched for the keywords and displayed the results in one place. This is how a search engine works broadly.

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What is a web browser?

Web browser definition: A web browser is software that does not have its own database, but users can use it to view the information they require from web pages or HTML files present on the web servers. 

In order to access the required information, a web browser uses World Wide Web. Web browsers interpret and translate web code (something most of us don’t understand, like HTML and JavaScript) into text, images, video, etc. A web browser provides you access to the internet; without it, the internet is an indecipherable jumble of numbers and letters.

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Let’s take an example related to the above scenario to understand a web browser. Let’s observe the steps you followed to reach this article. You would have chosen a web browser, such as Chrome, and entered the URL or the search engine name in the web browser, such as Google.com, Yahoo.com, etc. Once the search engine is loaded, you would have entered the query in the search engine, and after that rest of the work would have been the same as illustrated in the above example. This is how a web browser works broadly.

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Key differences between search engine and web browser

Here are the key differences between a search engine and a web browser:

• A search engine is a type of website, whereas a web browser is a type of software.
• The search engine has its own database, but a web browser does not have its own database.
• A web browser requires installation. On the other hand, a search engine doesn’t require any type of installation.
• A web browser is independent, whereas a search engine depends on a web browser for functioning purposes.

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Conclusion

The main difference between search engine and web browser is that a search engine is a type of website consisting of its own database, which users can use in order to search for the information they require. On the other hand, a web browser is software that hosts search engines or through which we can access a search engine.

Now that you have read this article, “Difference between search engine and web browser,” I hope you won’t be further confused between these terms (Search engine vs. Web browser). Even though, if you have any queries related to the topic, please feel free to send them to us. We will be happy to help!