Chrome has been the dominant web browser for PC and mobile for some time now. Chrome is everywhere, to the point a huge selection ofthe best mobile browsersare Chromium-based (Google’s open-sourced version of Chrome), and just becauseChrome has been the leading choice for Android and desktop users, it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best browser out there.
Chrome is known as a system hogon your CPU and RAM, but unfortunately, Firefox also adds stress to your system resources. But when it comes to the best privacy and security and a cleaner browsing experience, Firefox reigns supreme over the majority of Chromium implementations.
But the final push to start using Firefox over Chrome might finally be thanks to theenormous selection of add-ons(Firefox’s version of extensions) coming out next month. Chrome doesn’t offer native support for extensions in its mobile app. This is where Mozilla can finally regain ground over Google, especially now that Google is so insistent on serving ads everywhere,like YouTube and its current security concerns.
Firefox wins the battle for best user privacy and security
As a non-profit project,Mozilla is committed to transparency and user privacythrough an open-source model. The advantage of running an open-source project is that the entire community can contribute to making the web a better place, plus the code is public, which means anyone can audit it.
Firefox also protects your privacy with itsEnhanced Tracking Protection. While Google has beentaking its sweet time phasing out cookies, Mozilla has been making progress withTotal Cookie Protection (TCP) since 2021, and it’s on by default. With extra add-ons coming to Firefox, installing your favorite extensions for privacy and security will only get easier.
Installing add-ons on Firefox is only going to get better
TheChrome Web Storehas plenty of extensions to improve your Chrome browsing. These extensions can help you block ads, manage passwords, and provide anti-malware tools to make internet browsing safe and more secure. Only trusted Chrome extensions make it to the Chrome Web Store. But sadly, Google doesn’t extend these benefits to its mobile browser. And if you can’t live without your extensions, you’d have to settle with third-party extensions on Chromium-based web browsers instead, moving you away from Chrome.
So far,Mozilla offers only a few select add-ons(Mozilla’s version of extensions) that work on Android, one of which is uBlock Origin (proving itself incredibly helpful as YouTube wages war against adblockers). But soon, Mozillawill launch 200 new add-ons in Firefox 120. That’s a whopping 200 more than Google, bringing Firefox Mobile much closer to its Desktop sibling, something Google appears deadset against with Chrome on mobile.
Add-ons ensure Firefox brings a competitive edge to mobile
When using Firefox, once you plug in a few helpful add-ons, you don’t have to worry about sifting through tons of ads, auto-playing videos, and pop-ups. The uBlock Origin plugin can take care of these things, and if it doesn’t, you can manually tell it to. And that’s just one add-on. Imagine what 200 will bring to the table. Browsing the web on mobile can be just as clutter-free as web browsing on a computer. And since we often prefer to jump into a news story as quickly as possible on our mobile devices, thanks to Firefox’s use of add-ons, background clutter and every other annoyance filling our tiny screens may soon be a thing of the past.
It’s no secret Google loves ads;Google generates billions of dollars from ads alone. And so the vast majority of sites you read follow suit, requiring ads to keep their livelihoods in check as the pay rate continues to fall. Unfortunately, based on how important ads have become for generating revenue, there will never be a shortage of ads online.
But in a world of ads, ads can still exist without being intrusive. Google doesn’t care which ads you see until you use filters. We also knowGoogle can serve ads that are used for nefarious purposes, which iswhy the FBI recommends using an ad blocker when online. And thanks to how lucrative ads have become for Google, the company will more than likely never budge on its stance to bring extension support to mobile, asmost users will install adblockers. But with Firefox, you can already install uBlock Origin to lockdown those ads, with 200 more add-ons coming soon to bolster the experience.
It’s about winning the war, not the battle
Google Chrome may still be everyone’s favorite browser on desktop and mobile, especially with itsimpressive library of extensionsfor desktops. Still, withMozilla Firefox catching up to the extension and add-ongame and bringing its work over to Android, Firefox has more than enough fuel to make a comeback in no time flat, especially as Google wages waragainst adblockers and its users, privacy be damned. With Mozilla’s recent moves ensuring Firefox takes shape as one of the most accessible web browsers around, you’d think Google would eventually pick up the pace and start making some pro-consumer moves.
But products can only improve with better competition; having another web browser that turns heads may finally force Google to up its game if Firefox really makes a splash once its new add-on supports drops. So not only is it high time to give Firefox another chance as Chrome grows stale and ad-filled, you can expect hundreds of add-ons to make the Firefox browsing experience even betteron November 21st.
