Updated September 2026

vs

Microsoft Edge vs Firefox

Short answer

Pick Microsoft Edge for built-in AI, built-in tools & panels and battery efficiency. Pick Firefox for being open source, independence from Big Tech and strong default privacy.

Microsoft Edge runs on Blink, Firefox on Gecko.

Microsoft EdgeFirefox
EngineBlinkGecko
LicenseProprietaryOpen source
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOSWindows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Tracking protection0/32/3
Fingerprinting resistance0/31/3
Built-in ad blocking0/31/3
Customization1/32/3
Built-in tools2/31/3
Minimal interface0/31/3
Fresh design1/31/3
Light on resources0/31/3
Raw speed2/32/3
Battery efficiency2/31/3
Extension ecosystem3/33/3
Cross-device sync3/33/3
Site compatibility3/33/3
Low maintenance3/33/3
Open source0/33/3
Independence0/33/3
Built-in AI2/30/3
Gaming features1/30/3
Dev tooling2/32/3

Scores run 0–3; criteria where both score 0 are left out. How we score.

Microsoft Edge

Chromium in a Microsoft suit.

Why it shines

  • Polished vertical tabs and tab sleeping
  • Copilot AI built into the sidebar
  • Great PDF reader and enterprise controls
  • Runs Chrome extensions

Worth knowing

  • Relentless Microsoft nudges and defaults-resetting
  • Heavy telemetry unless trimmed
  • Feature bloat (shopping, games, feeds)

Full Microsoft Edge profile →

Firefox

The independent original.

Why it shines

  • Huge extension ecosystem — uBlock Origin runs at full power
  • Multi-Account Containers keep identities apart
  • Native vertical tabs, tab groups and local (offline) page translation
  • Extensions on Android too

Worth knowing

  • Mozilla's ad-tech experiments irritate purists
  • A few sloppy sites only test against Chrome

Full Firefox profile →

Both ranked in

More head to heads

Still torn between Microsoft Edge and Firefox? The quiz ranks both — and 55 others — against what you need.

Take the quiz →