Almost needless to say, versions of both Firefox and Chrome are available for the most popular desktop and mobile operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS). Both Chrome and Firefox also allow you to sync things like passwords, bookmarks, and open tabs across all your devices. When comparing Chrome vs Mozilla Firefox, the Slant community recommends Mozilla Firefox for most people.In the question“What are the best Android web browsers?”Mozilla Firefox is ranked 5th while Chrome is ranked 7th. The most important reason people chose Mozilla Firefox is.
The web browser wars between Google and Microsoft have intensified significantly, off late. This is particularly true since Microsoft started pushing the new Edge browser to all Windows 10 and Windows 7 PCs as part of a Windows Update package, over the summer. In fact, the Microsoft Edge web browser, ever since it adopted Chromium as its foundation earlier this year, has been steadily gaining popularity. We had reported in early May that Edge was now nipping at the heels of Mozilla Firefox in the global market share, at least as far as the desktop and PC users are concerned. It has finally gone past Firefox, as far as the market share is concerned.
The latest numbers by Netmarketshare indicates that Microsoft Edge has settled into second place, albeit a distant second to the runaway leader Google Chrome. That means Mozilla Firefox drops down to third. Google Chrome rocks a global market share of 71.11% at the end of July, while Microsoft Edge now has 8.09% share of the browser ecosystem around the world. Mozilla’s Firefox clocks in with 7.36% share. Firefox had 7.58% share at the end of June.
Microsoft revamped the Edge web browser to use Chromium earlier this year from the EdgeHTML platform it used before, and is now available for Windows 10, Windows 7, macOS, Android, iOS and iPadOS platforms. While it has its advantages over Google Chrome, at least in terms of being less resource hungry, Edge most certainly got a big push over the summer as Microsoft is now pushing the Edge web browser via the automatic Windows Update route to PCs running Windows 10. Microsoft has been consistently adding new features to Edge and also improving its performance regularly to make it work better on older PCs as well.
This is a follow-through of the war of words that Mozilla and Microsoft have already engaged in, over web standards. In December 2018, when Microsoft announced that it would adopt Chromium for its next Edge browser evolution, Mozilla had accused Microsoft of giving up on the EdgeHTML standard and strengthening Google’s position.
“Google is a fierce competitor with highly talented employees and a monopolistic hold on unique assets. Google’s dominance across search, advertising, smartphones, and data capture creates a vastly tilted playing field that works against the rest of us,” said Mozilla's Chris Beard at the time. He eventually stepped down as CEO of Mozilla Corporation in September 2019. Subsequently, Microsoft fired back in a post which said, “It's time for Mozilla to get down from their philosophical ivory tower. The web is dominated by Chromium, if they really cared about the web they would be contributing instead of building a parallel universe that's used by less than 5 percent.”
There may have been some truth in what Mozilla had indicated at, back in 2018. Just a look at the data for the last three months shows Google Chrome’s share continues to rise as more people are adopting it as the standard browser on their PCs, smartphones and tablets. Chrome had 69.81% share in May this year, which increased to 70.19% in June and is now 71.11% as per the latest numbers at the end of July. Microsoft Edge’s growth, in the same period indicates shares of 7.86%, 8.07% and 8.09%--most certainly not as steep a rise as one would have expected now that the new Microsoft Edge browser is being updated on most Windows 10 PCs, if not all already.
Safari and Firefox are two of the last major browsers that don't use Google’s Chromium rendering engine. Safari is using Webkit while Firefox has opted for the Gecko engine. With each iteration of macOS, Apple has improved the default browsing experience on Mac.
The majority is inclined to use Safari on macOS as the browser also comes by default (which you can’t change though), and the user can smoothly carry-forward browsing data between the devices.
Firefox is emphasizing on the rapid development of the browser to lure users and take the lead from the rivals.
In this post, we are going to compare the Safari browser to Firefox on Mac. Unlike iOS, the battleground is even here for both the contenders as the system lets you change the default browser.
The comparison will be based on UI, features, themes, news integration, password management, and more. Let’s start with the cross-platform availability.
Cross-Platform Availability
As its case with every Apple software, the Safari browser is only available on iOS and Mac. While in Firefox’s case, you can access the browser everywhere. It’s available on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and even Linux.
Download Firefox for MacUser Interface and Theme
Safari is sticking to the trusted interface design for navigation. It hasn’t changed much in years. The default page shows the favorites tabs, frequently visited websites, and Siri's suggestion under it.
The extensions (more on that later), history, reading list, and share menu are at the top. I would advise you to master keyboard shortcuts to quickly access and navigate available in the Safari browser. It also supports the system-wide dark theme introduced in macOS Mojave.
Firefox has gone through some interface changes, and I found it slightly better looking than Safari browser. It displays the default search engine, top sites, and highlights. Highlights is a useful addition.
It’s a combination of recently visited pages, bookmarks, downloads, and saved articles to Pocket service. You can customize that from the Settings menu.
Firefox has a different take on the theming engine. Go to Preferences > Extensions & Themes > Themes select from the various available options. Firefox also offers the ability to custom create the theme from scratch.
The added changes apply to the search bar, tabs bar, and settings menu.
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Read MoreFeatures
A browser experience isn’t just limited to loading and reading a webpage. Nowadays, users demand a rich experience with added functions. Safari offers a clean looking reading mode that strips away the unnecessary elements from a webpage such as ads, social integration, and comments.
It’s customizable too. You can change the font style, size, and background color of the reading mode.
Safari enjoys a seamless integration between iOS and macOS. Tap on the tab switcher, and the browser shows the tab opened on your iPhone. Similarly, when you are browsing on iOS, the handoff function will let you carry-forward the same webpage on macOS.
You can also use the default Spotlight Search (Command + Space shortcut) and start typing the webpage name and it will show the suggestions from the Safari history. I use it frequently to visit a webpage without opening the browser. The functionality is not available for third-party browsers.
Firefox also offers a syncing capability, but it’s hidden in the Options menu. Go to Options > Library > Synced Tabs and that's where you will see the opened Firefox tabs on iPhone or Android. Yes, it works with Android too.
Firefox’s reading mode is a step ahead of Safari. Not only it offers a way to change font size and style, but it also lets you save an article directly to Pocket and read it load for you.
The browser also provides a capable built-in screenshot tool to clip and save the web information on Mac.
Firefox recently introduced advanced privacy protection options with live data and charts. The browser displays the numbers of trackers and cookies blocked during the browsing time. Tap on the shield icon in the search bar and have a peace of mind.
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Read MoreSearch Engine
Both the browsers offer Google as the default search engine out of the box. In Safari, you can change it via going into Preferences > Search and choose from Bing, Yahoo, or DuckDuckGo.
Firefox once again edges out Safari here. In Firefox, the user doesn’t need to go to settings to search using a different engine. When you start typing a keyword in the search bar, it displays the available search engine options at the bottom. You can search using Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Twitter, and Wikipedia.
Extensions
In terms of extension support, Safari falls behind Firefox. The extension list is limited, and you will have a hard time searching for an extension for every need. Go to Safari > Safari Extensions and install it from the list.
You can manage them by going into Preferences > Extensions and integrate them into your browser experience.
Firefox offers a rich collection neatly categorized into different sections. There is an extension for every use scenario.
Password Management
Flawless password management is a key aspect of today’s browser experience. By default, Safari stores all the credentials into iCloud keychain. So the next time, when you try to login to an account, just use the login info from iCloud keychain or tap on the Touch ID to auto-fill details.
Firefox has introduced Firefox Lockwise to save and store every login detail. It’s not full-featured password management but has enough functions to get the job done. As a bonus, the service is also available on Android and iOS.
Download Firefox Lockwise for AndroidDownload Firefox Lockwise for iOSAlso on Guiding Tech
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Click here to see our browser articles pageChrome Vs Firefox Vs Safari
Convenience Or Features?
The answer is simple here. If you have an iPhone, then Apple’s tight integration between the Safari browser on iOS and macOS might win you over. Moreover, it has decent extension support, capable password management, and the right number of features to get you started.
Firefox is cross-platform, meaning your data is accessible on every platform. The software also provides a better extension and a theming engine to truly customize the browsing experience.
Next up: Interested about the same comparison on iOS? Read the post below to find the details between Safari and Firefox on iPhone.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read NextSafari vs Firefox for iOS: Which Is a Better BrowserAlso See
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