On a 5S and the original Mini iPad, both with iOs 8.1, I go back and forth as one week Chrome is faster, the next Safari. Then Chrome starts to bog down and I go try Safari and Voila !, it's magically gotten quick again, then a week later and it's reversed.
No clues as to why and the bottom line is they both seem about the same in terms of speed.
One thing that I have issues with is Apple pulled the plug on Safari for Windows, so I can't get my device bookmarks over to the desktop version from either device, unless somebody has a clue. I might make this a separate thread if needed.