Maxthon

Maxthon (, formerly named MyIE2) is a freeware web browser, created by Jeff Chen in Singapore. It is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and as Maxthon Mobile for Android,

Corporate history

In 2002, current CEO Ming Jie "Jeff" Chen () created MyIE2 browser based on open source product MyIE, and Morten Lund, the first Skype investor, and Chen moved the company to Beijing. Maxthon CEO Jeff Chen claimed that this was due to a bug that was fixed as soon as Maxthon was made aware of the issue; however, Exatel had notified Maxthon of the issue without getting any response. The issue was found in Maxthon version 4.4.5. According to Maxthon, it was fixed in later version and no such issue was reported since then.

Software

Development history

According to Chen, Maxthon was based on MyIE, a popular modification to Internet Explorer created by Chinese programmer Changyou.

Version 5.x

Maxthon 5 (also known as MX5) was released in October 2016. In the 5.2.x versions, the core of the browser is updated to the Chromium 61 branch point which suggests that the core is using Blink, a fork of WebKit. Aside from a series of new added and improved features, Maxthon 5 also introduces a few major built in functions, such as Maxnote as "your collecting button for the web", Passkeeper as "your smart password manager", and UUMail as "the guardian of your inbox". Through this new version, Maxthon 5 is aiming to become an information assistant for users.

Maxnote: the original 'Favorites' feature upgraded to 'Maxnote'. Users can collect everything, read anywhere, and record anytime.
Passkeeper: help users remember all passwords securely and smartly. Synced users passwords to the Cloud and then accessed on all different platforms & allows people to add and edit "Accounts" and "Private Notes". It also helps users to auto-generate random complicated passwords when registering on a website so there's no need to worry about passwords being cracked anymore.
Customization: support customization for proxy and core switch button, UEIP data feedback in setting-Privacy & Content, and auto-sync setting
External Tool: support external tool
Guest Mode: add guest mode
Interception: add popup window interception prompt
New Favorite Method: support dragging URL in a webpage to shortcut bar and make it favorite
Shortcut bar: add "add to this folder" for a folder in shortcut bar, support dragging to manage and organize entries, and support "delete" to recycle bin
Traffic Calculation: add upload traffic calculation in Infobox-menu

Version 6.x

Maxthon 6 (MX6) was released on 30 November 2020, with regular beta updates since. It claims to be the default browser for 670 million users. Some Maxthon 5 features are not (yet) supported. The browser has an emphasis on blockchain technologies, and offers 64-bit and 32-bit versions on Windows, as well as iOS, Android and portable versions.

With the official release of Version 6.1.0.2000 Maxthon moved to a Chromium base, but still support the dual Trident and Blink rendering engines.

For Mac

In July 2012, Maxthon Cloud Browser for macOS

Cloud services with multi-device support
Ease of use with (patent-pending) implementation of tabs
Favorites optimized for mobile touch screens
Live tiles in Quick Access
Pop-up address bar