Firefox vs. Chrome: Which one should you use in 2021?

Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are two of the most popular and widely used internet browsers you can find today. They are excellent choices for daily web browsing, downloading stuff, and working from home. Both offer a clean interface, fast performance, and undeniably a simple browsing experience.

For many of us, a browser is the first thing we open after booting up our laptops. Everyone, including me, is working and communicating with colleagues from home offices through Chrome or Firefox. The dependency on web browsers has dramatically increased for every task ever since we moved into lockdowns.

Fast-forwarding to today’s scenario, the web browsers’ landscape is changing rapidly, with many users beginning to question their online privacy and data security. Several news articles have been making rounds recently highlighting user-privacy threats while using a web browser. People started comparing different browsers to choose the best from both the rivals – Firefox vs. Chrome. It is quite evident that a lot has changed in the market since Mozilla Firefox was introduced in 2002.

For years now, both companies are working hard to enhance the interface and provide better privacy. With that, performance improvements have also remained on top of the list when updating browsers.

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Here we are, re-evaluating and comparing the top offerings in the web browsers. Let’s start the comparison and see which browser is best for you to use in 2021.

Firefox vs. Chrome – Setting up the ring

We will put both the browsers against each other through four essential aspects – speed, ease of use, security and privacy, and features. Both browsers are excellent in their own sense, but only one can get the crown for the best web browser in 2021. Let the fight begin: Firefox vs. Chrome!

1. Speed
2. Ease of use
3. Security and Privacy
4. Features

Note: If you don’t want to spend much time reading in detail about each aspect of both browsers, you can skip the main content and find the final score at the end of the article. Don’t forget to share your preference below. 

1. Speed

Mozilla Firefox is amongst the fastest web browsers you can look for both on desktop and mobile. It does quite well when it comes to managing 15-20 tabs in terms of speed. However, ram consumption is relatively high. There’s also no data saving mode available for users, but you can choose to disable images to save some MBs of data.

Google Chrome feels a little faster than Firefox at times. It seems to save a second or two comparatively while opening the browser and showing the desired results. Although, Chrome has been notorious when it comes to consuming ram of the device. There can be an evident lag in your laptop while you work with 20 or tabs open, depending on your device’s ram capability. Google Chrome also has a dedicated data saver mode for Android and iOS devices that can save up to 60% of your data while loading pages.

Read Also : 5 Latest New Features in Chrome

Result

Both browsers offer great web and mobile performance, with Chrome being slightly faster on desktops and Firefox a little faster on mobile. Firefox works slightly better under heavy loads when compared to Chrome, giving it an edge over the latter.

Firefox – 4 stars

Chrome – 3.5 stars

2. Ease of Use

Mozilla Firefox offers a clean and intuitive user interface for a smooth experience. Everything falls right before your eyes where you would expect them to be. Tabs, menu options and other functions are easy to manage too. However, the browser’s main page looks a bit cluttered with uneven thumbnails and some random message boxes from the Firefox community.

Google Chrome, on the other hand, offers a similar-looking but slightly cleaner interface making it very easy to use. The lines are cleaner, curved, and look more pleasing to the eyes. High customizability, night mode, and intuitively stacked extensions offer a great user experience every time you start working. It also provides a more integrated experience which enhances the overall user experience. 

Result

Both browsers are almost neck to neck when it comes to ease of use. The user experience is almost similar, with different choices of styling and presenting functions. It all boils down to your preference, which UI suits you better. There are a few differences, such as the tab management, menu options and more. For most of us, both stand tall and perform equally well when offering ease of use.

Firefox – 4 stars

Chrome – 4.5 stars

3. Security and Privacy

Mozilla Firefox is a web browser with quite an exciting mix of safety and privacy features. It comes with a built-in pop-up blocker but loses on to a dedicated ad-block. However, you can use pop-up blockers from the extensive library of Firefox. The browser uses Google’s safe browsing database to protect users against malicious web pages. It also warns you before accessing an unsecured website (without HTTPS) but less prominent. It is also easier to trust Firefox as it is a non-profit entity and doesn’t derive revenue from ads.

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Google Chrome offers almost everything that Mozilla has to offer but packaged in a better way. It also has a pop-up blockchain, and ad-blockers can be downloaded from the library. It obviously uses Google’s safe browsing, which receives regular updates to iron out any glitches and issues. Chrome also warns you before visiting a non-HTTPS website with a comparatively significant warning page. However, the browser is quite notorious when it comes to user privacy. The users feel that they are being tracked through every single page they visit and every action they do.

Result

That is again a close round as both the browsers are quite similar in security offerings but lack when it comes to privacy. However, Chrome does a better job in managing passwords rather than creating a master password in Firefox. Chrome’s unsecured website warning is comparatively more noticeable than that of Firefox. To conclude, Chrome does a better job when it comes to user security online.

Firefox – 4.5 stars

Chrome – 3.5 stars

4. Features

Mozilla Firefox offers many exciting features to engage users and keep them informed about its various features and new functionalities. Night mode, QR reader, pockets, reader view, screenshot, etc., are some of the great features that Firefox offers to its users. There are great customization options available for users to make it more personalized and intuitive.

Google Chrome offers the most extensive library of extensions and themes neatly defined with filters and ratings. The browser also comes highly integrated with Google services, including Docs, Gmail, translation and more. It also manages multiple user accounts quite well. It lacks behind on customization bit and only offers theme support to users. However, Chrome updates its features rapidly, offering many utility features for a better experience.

Result

It isn’t easy to compare both browsers in terms of features as each has the upper hand in terms of features and options in their own way. Firefox offers better customization options and exciting features, but that boils down to user requirements. On the other hand, Chrome provides a more extensive library and a highly integrated experience. Chrome also offers a casting feature on different devices, giving it an edge. That said, it’s definitely a close call, and both perform almost equally well against each other.

Firefox – 4 stars 

Chrome – 4 stars

A close round: Firefox takes the crown

We have reached the most challenging part of the comparison – Firefox vs. Chrome. Now, we will re-evaluate every point discussed above and find the best browser for 2021.

Google Chrome is a great browser, providing a sleek user experience, instant opening time, and some of the most integrated features, with the latest updates coming at regular intervals. A general user, like many of us, would be delighted. However, if your hopes are a little high and you expect to do a lot more with your browser, then Firefox becomes a better choice for you. Firefox does a far better job in terms of security and privacy and keeps an upper hand in customization options.

Total starts

Comparison Basis	Mozilla Firefox	Google Chrome
Speed	4	3.5
Ease of Use	4	4.5
Security and Privacy	4.5	3.5
Features	4	4
Total	16.5	15.5

The final scores are in front of you. But at the end of the day, it all boils down to your personal preference:

• If you are more into your online security and privacy and wish to use your browser extensively, Mozilla Firefox should be your preference.
• If you want your browser to work just fine with some unique features and everything placed intuitively to offer better productivity and ease of browsing, then definitely go for Google Chrome.

What do you think about the comparison? Which one do you prefer over the other and why? Share your thoughts below.

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