Unlike Firefox, Google Chrome can keep its fast performance regardless of how many extensions are installed. With more than 10 extensions Firefox gets slower and slower in a geometric progression rate. Google Chrome doesn't care how many extensions the user has installed - 3 or 133 it still performs great. Meet the not-for-profit behind Firefox that stands for a better web. Join the fight for a healthy internet. Meet the team that’s building technology for a better internet. Work for a mission-driven organization that makes people-first products. Learn about Mozilla and the issues that matter to us. In 2017, Mozilla launched a new version of Firefox called Quantum that made it considerably faster. In my tests, it has felt almost as fast as Chrome, though benchmark tests have found it can be. Firefox doesn’t always work better than Chrome–sometimes it’ll freeze on my older work computer, and I do need to clear my history more frequently so the browser doesn’t get too slow. Today, the browser is a safer choice than it used to be, but the same caveats still apply as with Chrome. Firefox doesn’t publicly reveal how many extensions are available at its Firefox Add-Ons.
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Combined, Chrome and Firefox are the browsers of choice for most online users. Chrome accounts for more than 57 percent of web users, while Firefox is the browser of choice for more than 5 percent of web users.
Although Chrome and Firefox are very popular, it doesn't mean you have to use them. Depending on your needs and browsing habits, there may very well be another browser that’s a better fit.
Here are six alternative browsers worth considering.
1. Vivaldi
The Vivaldi browser is a dream for anyone who values customization. Vivaldi enables you to change tab positions, color choices, start page images and more. Users of the Opera browser will be familiar with Vivaldi's interface to some extent, since Opera's former CEO helms Vivaldi.
Other remarkable features include a built-in note-taking app, a secondary web page side panel and compatibility with extensions in the Chrome Web Store. Additionally, the browser has features that make navigation easy, such as saved tab sessions, tab stacks and mouse gestures.
However, Vivaldi can use a substantial amount of memory compared to Chrome or Firefox, with syncing passwords and settings also proving more difficult.
2. Torch
Media lovers may embrace the Torch browser, which places multimedia at the top of its priorities. Torch touts a 'Media Grabber' feature, enabling you to download media from the web with a single click.
Additionally, the browser touts a built-in torrent manager, Torch Torrent. Plus, impatient media viewers can watch videos before they finish downloading, courtesy of Torch Player.
Torch offers ample options for media lovers, though those who use the web for lighter experiences, like reading and sending emails, may find the browser's abundance of features overbearing. Some users also report stability issues when installing.
As Torch is based off of Chromium, it will look familiar to Chrome users and is compatible with extensions from the Chrome Web Store.
3. Epic Privacy Browser
If privacy and security are your top priorities when browsing the web, the Epic Privacy Browser may be the browser for you.
Touting itself as the world's only private and secure browser, the Epic Privacy Browser features a free built-in VPN, protecting your browsing history from data collectors and your ISP, even when you're on public Wi-Fi.
Chrome And Firefox Won't Open
Other browsers have incognito modes, but Epic promises an even more secure experience, with the ability to block WebRTC calls and special fingerprinting techniques websites use to extract data.
As Epic is also based off of Chromium, it is compatible with extensions from the Chrome Web Store.
4. Ghost Browser
Mozilla Firefox Is Better Than Chrome
Ghost Browser presents an interesting approach for those seeking to separate their online browsing experiences. For example, you can have separate tabs for your work account and personal account, helping reduce distractions.
Tabbed projects are also available, which is very useful when you're working on a project and want to bring up all relevant bookmarks in a single click. Plus, Ghost Browser is a Chromium browser, so it's compatible with the Chrome Web Store.
Although Ghost Browser has a free version, its options limit users to three sessions at a time and do not include an incognito mode, so the $10- to $20-per-month cost for the upgrade may deter some users.
5. Midori
If you're seeking a lightweight browsing solution, Midori is worth strong consideration. The browser touts high speed, while still having the ability to handle web technologies like CSS 3 and HTML 5. Plus, Midori is compatible across a variety of Linux distributions.
Although Midori may lack the media options and customization of other browsers, it remains one of the fastest-responding and lightest-weight browsers available.
6. Opera Neon
Opera Neon strives to provide a peek at future browsing, with a futuristic and sharp interface complementing features like responsive tabs and improved visual functions, like a split-screen mode, video pop-out, a built-in snap-to-gallery tool and a newly built Omnibox.
The browser is still in its early stages, and is therefore more unstable, though its features offer an exciting look at the potential of future web browsers.
A multitude of browsers exist beyond Chrome and Firefox, all offering different emphases that may be a great fit for your browsing preferences.
Try these six as a starting point, or branch out and see what else you can find on your own.
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Web browsers are our windows into the internet and yet many people just stick with the one they know. They rarely, if ever, try out alternatives that might make their lives easier. You may think Google Chrome is the only browser you'll ever need, but Firefox might have something to say about that.
In one corner, we've got Chrome — by far the most popular browser in the world and controlled by one of the planet's biggest tech companies since its launch in 2008. In the other corner, is Firefox, an open-source option run by the non-profit Mozilla since its inception in 2002. One browser only needed less than a decade to take over the world; the other has been your nerdiest friend's favorite for nearly 20 years.
Despite a Grand Canyon-esque gap in overall popularity between the two, Chrome vs. Firefox is a more compelling fight than you may think. They're both excellent browsers, but one of them narrowly comes out on top according to a few important metrics.
Performance and Usability
Chrome was able to overtake default browser options like Internet Explorer and Safari in just a few years partly because it's clean, easy to use, and overall pretty fast. It's got all the basic options we expect from browsers in 2021, from a straightforward bookmarks toolbar to the ability to open and even group way more tabs than you'll ever realistically get to before you decide to purge them and start over.
One thing you'll hear as a common criticism for Chrome is that it's a resource hog. Specifically, Chrome can use a high amount of RAM (or memory), slowing your machine down if you have too many tabs open. Firefox is generally considered more 'lightweight' in this regard, though testing doesn't always bear that out. For instance, Tom's Guide found that Firefox actually used up slightly more memory under stress testing earlier this year.
While that performance may vary from device to device and from situation to situation, in my experience over the years, Firefox is still a faster browser overall. Simple acts like opening webpages, scrolling up and down, and opening several new tabs at once can be performed without much (if any) noticeable slowdown. The same isn't always true of Chrome, which can make it feel like your computer is mired in molasses from time to time.
Firefox has many of the same basic features as Chrome, but it's more customizable in a way that puts it over the top in this category. One of my favorite UI features is the 'overflow menu,' which can house as few or as many extraneous buttons (like print or fullscreen) as you want without them cluttering up the basic toolbars. You can even choose which buttons will appear on a MacBook Pro's Touch Bar, in case you're one of the roughly 27 people who likes the Touch Bar.
The winner: Firefox
Security
Firefox Faster Than Chrome 2019
Back in the day, I was a very dorky kid who cared way more about web browsers than a young teen should. The eternal struggle was convincing Internet Explorer users to switch to Firefox because, at the time, IE was notoriously akin to a screen door on a submarine when it came to keeping viruses out. A lot has changed since then, but Firefox's positive security reputation hasn't.
Modern Firefox has something it calls Enhanced Tracking Protection, which is a security setting enabled by default when you install the browser. This automatically blocks things like social media trackers, which follow you around from website to website to serve you targeted ads on your favorite social networks. Firefox also makes it very easy to see which trackers and cookies are present on any website by clicking a shield icon next to the URL.
Chrome, on the other hand, lets you send a 'Do Not Track' signal as you browse, and it gives you some easy ways to check things like trackers and cookies, just like Firefox. It's updated frequently and is almost certainly better from a security standpoint than IE was when it was still the market leader.
That said, Chrome is made by Google. And Google's parent company, Alphabet, rakes in dozens of billions of dollars in online ad revenue every fiscal quarter. Put simply, Google makes money by tracking your online movements and, consequently, that makes Chrome inherently less trustworthy than a browser run by a non-profit. Also, since Firefox is open source, it's not really possible for developers to hide nasty things in the code without someone eventually noticing. It's clear which one is the better bet on privacy and security, even if neither of them are bad.
The winner: Firefox
Bonus Features
Chrome wins in terms of extra bells and whistles because it was built to take full advantage of Google's vast ecosystem of services. Simply log in with the Gmail account you almost certainly have and you get easy, browser-wide access to Photos, Drive, Sheets, Meet, and anything else Google makes.
Even if I do prefer many aspects of Firefox, I still have to use all of those Google services for work. So Chrome makes more sense as my day-to-day browser and it might for you, too.
Aside from that, Chrome's browser extension marketplace is, well, extensive. Whether you want to increase your kid's productivity or just watch Netflix with friends, there's an extension for just about everything. Firefox is not exactly a slouch in this department either, with a large extension marketplace of its own. It's just not quite as comprehensive.
It almost feels like cheating because Chrome's main advantage here is that Google has wormed its way into every aspect of our lives. Naturally, a browser that unifies all of those services is going to be useful. And while you can sync things like browsing history and bookmarks from Chrome to Firefox, the fact that you have to make a Firefox account and sync it to multiple devices before doing so means it's not nearly as seamless as Chrome's setup process.
The winner: Chrome
Mozilla Firefox Or Google Chrome
The Verdict
Firefox won two out of the three categories that matter most (to me, at least), meaning it's hard to call it anything other than a winner in this competition. And yet, as I said earlier, I don't use it on a daily basis because Chrome's advantages are extremely convenient.
That said, if I wasn't held hostage by Google's ecosystem, I'd go all in on Firefox in a heartbeat. It's just cleaner and quicker because it isn't bogged down by the need to be everything for everyone. It's also not run by a megacorporation with creepy tendencies, which is always a plus. At the end of the day, though, Chrome is going to be just fine for most people.
I totally understand if you opt to stick with it. Just give something else a try every now and then.
Firefox Better Than Chrome Reddit
The winner: Firefox (but just barely)