Unite 5 and Coherence X 4 - Site Specific Browsers
Mac AppsI make use of SSB (site specific browsers) for several websites: Gmail, YouTube and most frequently, Inoreader, the great RSS provider whose web site is better than any RSS app I have ever used. These days, mainstream browsers like Safari and Edge have native SSB functionality, but it is rudimentary and lacking in bells and whistles.
The benefits of using an SSB are many:
Simplified user
experience
Focused interface
Streamlined navigation
Improved performance
Reduced resource consumption
Dedicated processing
Security and privacy
Reduced surface attack
Isolated browser experience
Controlled access
I have experimented with two
titles from BZG apps, Unite 5 and Coherence X 4.
Unite 5 is based on WebKit and turns websites into native Mac apps. It offers deep customization, including ad blocking, colors, fonts, titles, buttons, icons and more. The apps it creates are typically in the range of 15mb. By itself, Unite 5 is $29.99.
![Unite 5 vs, native Safari SSBs](https://scribbles.page/rails/active_storage/representations/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBdXQ0IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--624882870025e9b87be6eafd9d237ab05c101adf/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDRG9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUNHa0NBQVk2Q25OaGRtVnlld2M2Q25OMGNtbHdWRG9NY1hWaGJHbDBlV2xrIiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJ2YXJpYXRpb24ifX0=--daf4078a1aefa3c961be2c7b8fbe4a74a2641c0c/UNITE.jpg)
Coherence X 4 is based on Chromium. It uses the engine from Chrome,
Brave, Canary Edge and Opera.It can use some (but not all) extensions
and bring in your prferences from your the profiles you have already
created in the browsers. SSBs usually weigh in at 90mb or greater,
especially if you bring in many extensions and settings. By itself,
Coherence X 4 is $29.99.
![Coherence X benefits](https://scribbles.page/rails/active_storage/representations/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBdXg0IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--1990abe6238e07d02b2f661dce11bdce08a629a2/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDRG9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUNHa0NBQVk2Q25OaGRtVnlld2M2Q25OMGNtbHdWRG9NY1hWaGJHbDBlV2xrIiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJ2YXJpYXRpb24ifX0=--daf4078a1aefa3c961be2c7b8fbe4a74a2641c0c/coherence.jpg)
Both apps can be purchased in a bundle for $49.99 or they can both be obtained through Setapp. The developer's web site is here.