Is Microsoft Edge the new Chrome?

Recently Microsoft released their newest version of Edge. This new version, called Chromium Edge is based on an open source software by Chromium. Chromium is also the software that Google Chrome is built from. Given this, the new Microsoft Edge has become a viable opponent to the Google Chrome browser. This article will look at the similarities and differences between the two browsers. 

User interface

Historically, some web pages underperformed or simply did not work in the Edge browser and was therefore an unpopular choice for functionality. However, the new Edge browser being based on the same software as Google Chrome means that the general interface is extremely similar to Chrome. This makes the new Edge much more user friendly. 

Extensions Compatibility

Most of the chrome extensions also now work in the new Microsoft Edge. Lots of Chrome users rely on the browser’s handy extensions. However, any extension you used in Chrome will also work in the new Edge browser. 

Speed Tests & General Usage

Whilst Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome are extremely similar in a lot of ways, Edge is faster. Chrome is notorious for devouring a huge amount of RAM. The browser only uses 70-80% of the RAM that Chrome uses. A test between the two browsers was conducted by Business Insider in which both browsers ran 19 tabs each. Chrome was using 2GB of RAM whilst Edge was only using 1.6GB meaning that the new Edge is better optimised. This also means faster and smoother browsing when using Edge, which is less taxing on your CPU, this also means your browser freezing will be less common. 

Privacy

Perhaps user’s biggest qualms with using Google Chrome is privacy concerns. Edge gives you three levels of tracking protection: basic, balance and strict. The new Edge also provides much more visibility of trackers on websites. You can also customise permissions on a site by site basis whereas Chrome only allows you to set permissions across the board. Similarly, in terms of privacy, Chrome is quite limited. Chrome allows blocking of third-party cookies, identifies potentially dangerous websites, downloads, and extensions. 

Generally speaking, the new Edge has numerous advantages over Chrome. The browser interface is practically identical and therefore, user friendly. The new Edge also includes the capability of installing browser extensions which previous versions of Edge did not include. Lastly, Chromium Edge uses much fewer resources to run compared to Google Chrome allowing for a seamless browsing experience.  

Microsoft has previously struggled to encourage users to adopt the Edge browser due to functionality and visibility issues. Despite this, Microsoft’s new Chromium Edge browser is a solid contender in the browser arms race. In fact, in some core ways, Chromium Edge is a better browser than Google in terms of speed, reliability and privacy.  

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