When it comes to web browsers, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are the top names that have had a firm grasp in the market for quite a while. While Firefox is an open-source web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation, Chrome is a closed-source web browser based on Chromium which is owned by cyber giant Google. Incorporating the newest mods, latest releases and cool features, both have been trying desperately to outdo the other in popularity. For those of you who are still confused about which browser to opt for, we will here try to clear your doubts with specific details about performance speeds and other components of these two rivals vying for a spot on your desktop.
Compatibility and platform support
In terms of compatibility on different operating systems, Mozilla’s Firefox has an edge in terms of the number of operating systems it supports. Apple Mac OSX, FreeBSD (including PC-BSD and DesktopBSD), Linux-based systems, Microsoft Windows, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Sun Solaris—all support Firefox. As for Chrome, the Google owned browser has been split in two versions—Chrome, under which Windows, Linux and Mac have platform support, and Chromium, Chrome’s open source project that powers FreeBSD,
Linux-based systems and OpenBSD.
Stability
In terms of stability and reliability, Firefox has let users down time and again with frequent crash reports and occasional denial of services. Despite new recruits in software upgrades, the browser has been unable to curb the problem completely and continues to suffer from stability issues. As for Chrome, it has come up with a BETA release which is considered much more stable than the DEV build and the Canary build. For stability enhancement, Chrome uses a new technology that defines an independent process for each and every tab, yielding better performance with multiple processors and lower memory usage for web applications. On the download management system, however, Firefox allows you to resume broken or stopped downloads, which is useful in recovering incomplete downloads. The feature is simply unavailable in Chrome.
Memory
When it comes to memory consumption, the two browsers reveal different performance levels for different volumes of memory use. While Chrome uses greater memory for fresh starts due to its independent process feature for individual tabs, it tends to do very well in the long run when multiple tabs are used on and off. As a result of the separate-process-per-tab feature, memory release is very fluid and fast. On the contrary, Firefox calls for quicker starts but as tabs accumulate, memory freeze becomes an issue. Over long periods of operation, Firefox tends to consume larger and larger quantities of memory that it never releases. On these grounds, Chrome is highly recommended for users who open and close tabs more frequently.
Interface
Looking at the browser window, Chrome exhibits a rather concise outlook while Firefox presents customisable and detailed menus. Chrome has an empty title bar, a tab bar, navigation bar
comprising the usual navigation buttons (Back, Forward) and Address bar. The bar offers extension icons and a wrench
button for customising settings, but that’s as far as the additional settings go. As for Firefox, it provides an additional orange app menu titled Firefox and also a menu bar that is hidden by default. In terms of layout customisation, Chrome fails to
satisfy users due to its limited features. However Firefox allows users to choose the presence and placement of each desired element as a result of its CSS styling interface.
Performance
In terms of performance, Chrome has a faster cold start-up time than Firefox, aided largely by its sleek and next to null interface. Because it comprises more built-in features, Firefox’s startup time is often delayed. In addition, more plugins in Firefox means additional time for the overall application to boot. As far as the javascript is concerned, Google claims to have the fastest Javascript performance thanks to its V8 Javascript engine, leaving Firefox behind in this particular leg of the race. In addition, latest Firefox releases have been reported to deteriorate in terms of tab-handling capacity as newer versions fail to function efficiently when a large number of tabs are open.
Security
When using the internet, security is a major concern for most people. The fear of losing confidential data looms over you when you go online. So for maximum security, both these browsers instill a default feature to highlight in gray the non-host portion of the URL, making it easier to identify phishing attacks. Both browsers also offer anonymous browsing modes known as Private Browsing (Ctrl+Shift+P) in Firefox and Incognito Mode (Ctrl+Shift+N) in Chrome that allows users to undertake a trace-free browsing session where no contents, login data or history will be stored in the system. Under the security hood, Chrome has a new system of process segregation of web pages for
multiple tabs, providing the basis for a more complete sandboxing capability and also a strong privilege separation model, which will involve advanced sandboxing not only for web pages in multiple tabs, but also for plugins and in-page scripts. Firefox, meanwhile, has its own set of tools for protecting the browser with its recently added custom cookie handling, a bolstered password
management system for preventing unauthorised access.
Extensions
While both browsers have additional extension space that allows users to install or subscribe to desired content, Chrome’s policy is more restrictive,
hinting towards possible data leakage and security breach via these mini apps. Nevertheless the Web Store offers a huge number of Chrome apps and games now. On the other hand, Firefox has a very accessible extension system and an organised central extension repository managed by the Mozilla Foundation. As a result, it has the most successful extension base among all web browsers.
Compatibility and platform support
In terms of compatibility on different operating systems, Mozilla’s Firefox has an edge in terms of the number of operating systems it supports. Apple Mac OSX, FreeBSD (including PC-BSD and DesktopBSD), Linux-based systems, Microsoft Windows, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Sun Solaris—all support Firefox. As for Chrome, the Google owned browser has been split in two versions—Chrome, under which Windows, Linux and Mac have platform support, and Chromium, Chrome’s open source project that powers FreeBSD,
Linux-based systems and OpenBSD.
Stability
In terms of stability and reliability, Firefox has let users down time and again with frequent crash reports and occasional denial of services. Despite new recruits in software upgrades, the browser has been unable to curb the problem completely and continues to suffer from stability issues. As for Chrome, it has come up with a BETA release which is considered much more stable than the DEV build and the Canary build. For stability enhancement, Chrome uses a new technology that defines an independent process for each and every tab, yielding better performance with multiple processors and lower memory usage for web applications. On the download management system, however, Firefox allows you to resume broken or stopped downloads, which is useful in recovering incomplete downloads. The feature is simply unavailable in Chrome.
Memory
When it comes to memory consumption, the two browsers reveal different performance levels for different volumes of memory use. While Chrome uses greater memory for fresh starts due to its independent process feature for individual tabs, it tends to do very well in the long run when multiple tabs are used on and off. As a result of the separate-process-per-tab feature, memory release is very fluid and fast. On the contrary, Firefox calls for quicker starts but as tabs accumulate, memory freeze becomes an issue. Over long periods of operation, Firefox tends to consume larger and larger quantities of memory that it never releases. On these grounds, Chrome is highly recommended for users who open and close tabs more frequently.
Interface
Looking at the browser window, Chrome exhibits a rather concise outlook while Firefox presents customisable and detailed menus. Chrome has an empty title bar, a tab bar, navigation bar
comprising the usual navigation buttons (Back, Forward) and Address bar. The bar offers extension icons and a wrench
button for customising settings, but that’s as far as the additional settings go. As for Firefox, it provides an additional orange app menu titled Firefox and also a menu bar that is hidden by default. In terms of layout customisation, Chrome fails to
satisfy users due to its limited features. However Firefox allows users to choose the presence and placement of each desired element as a result of its CSS styling interface.
Performance
In terms of performance, Chrome has a faster cold start-up time than Firefox, aided largely by its sleek and next to null interface. Because it comprises more built-in features, Firefox’s startup time is often delayed. In addition, more plugins in Firefox means additional time for the overall application to boot. As far as the javascript is concerned, Google claims to have the fastest Javascript performance thanks to its V8 Javascript engine, leaving Firefox behind in this particular leg of the race. In addition, latest Firefox releases have been reported to deteriorate in terms of tab-handling capacity as newer versions fail to function efficiently when a large number of tabs are open.
Security
When using the internet, security is a major concern for most people. The fear of losing confidential data looms over you when you go online. So for maximum security, both these browsers instill a default feature to highlight in gray the non-host portion of the URL, making it easier to identify phishing attacks. Both browsers also offer anonymous browsing modes known as Private Browsing (Ctrl+Shift+P) in Firefox and Incognito Mode (Ctrl+Shift+N) in Chrome that allows users to undertake a trace-free browsing session where no contents, login data or history will be stored in the system. Under the security hood, Chrome has a new system of process segregation of web pages for
multiple tabs, providing the basis for a more complete sandboxing capability and also a strong privilege separation model, which will involve advanced sandboxing not only for web pages in multiple tabs, but also for plugins and in-page scripts. Firefox, meanwhile, has its own set of tools for protecting the browser with its recently added custom cookie handling, a bolstered password
management system for preventing unauthorised access.
Extensions
While both browsers have additional extension space that allows users to install or subscribe to desired content, Chrome’s policy is more restrictive,
hinting towards possible data leakage and security breach via these mini apps. Nevertheless the Web Store offers a huge number of Chrome apps and games now. On the other hand, Firefox has a very accessible extension system and an organised central extension repository managed by the Mozilla Foundation. As a result, it has the most successful extension base among all web browsers.
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