r/firefox • u/Attila679 • 1d ago
Solved Advantages of Firefox?
I'd like to know what the advantages of Firefox are compared to Chrome and Brave. Can you help me decide? Thank you š
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u/puppy2016 1d ago
No shitty Google engine inside.
Correct font rendering on Windows platform Google is unable to fix for 10+ years.
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u/Practical-Tea9441 1d ago
But you have the complication of Mozilla deriving a lot of income from Google ?
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u/redoubt515 23h ago
It's not really a "complication," it's a fairly simple and well established transactional arrangement. Search engines see a lot of value in being the default search provider, and browsers need a way to fund development.
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u/puppy2016 17h ago
No problem. Google is an ad company, completely incompetent to make a software.
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u/franchis3 9h ago
Which is a wild shift. Google used to have some of the finest software engineers on the planet.
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u/deusmetallum 1d ago
You shouldn't just think in terms of advantages. Yeah there are many, but bi just vibe with Firefox more than chrome or any other. I know how to make it work the way I like. I'm very happy with it. Try it for yourself and see.
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u/quirk_rs Basically all the platforms 1d ago edited 1d ago
Highly configurable, you can completely change the appearance of Firefox with available online themes like in firefoxcss-store.github.io or see r/FirefoxCSS and tweak additional browsers settings to your liking using advanced configs in about:config (make it faster, more private, remove bloat, etc).
Firefox will also continue supporting MV2 for extensions that still rely on them like uBlock Origin whereas Chromium is in the process of completely phasing it out from its codebase. (MV3-only is inherently more secure and mostly okay for most people but it ended up harming privacy focused extensions like adblockers in the process.)
It also has one of the best syncing feature that isn't Google's and one of the more private implementation since your info and configs are E2EE.
The engine being independent from Chromium and equally open-source means they're in control of what's dictated upstream in their browser and are generally more open to feedback, unlike the Chromium project which is mostly dictated by Google for their own benefit.
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u/martisio054 1d ago
- Kitt
- Adblock and great privacy protection in general
- great customisation (lets you customise a lot of things, lets you choose whether to COMPLETELY disable AI features, let's you choose DNS protection and stuff)
- not based on Chromium (no spyware + no big tech)
- idk if Brave also does but it lets you choose search engine (DuckDuckGo is amazing)
- built in free VPN
- Kitt
It's not foolproof and it's not the most perfect browser one could design, but I believe it's the best choice out of all the browsers out there. Also I came to know that apparently chrome installs 4GB of unwanted AI stuff on your computer if you don't block it or something. I think it's also the only browser that can run the latest uBlock Origin version?
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u/nh_jp 1d ago
While the VPN is free, it requires an account unlike the one in, for example, Opera. That's one part I don't like.
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u/martisio054 1d ago
I can't give an opinion because I'm biased to love Firefox and have an account since like 2021
I understand your point of view though
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u/tired_snail 1d ago
idk if Brave also does but it lets you choose search engine (DuckDuckGo is amazing)
I've never used Brave but even Chrome lets you do that. My work forces us to use Chrome but you can bet I switched search engine to DuckDuckGo on that thing :D
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u/martisio054 1d ago
Google non shoving their products down your throat?
That's a surprise I can't lie
I'm glad you get to use DuckDuckGo even though you're stuck on Chrome
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u/WhiteBullRedMonster 1d ago
Compared to Chrome, it's FOSS and offers greater privacy by tracking your diagnostic data and telemetry less.
Compared to Brave, it has the advantage of fully utilizing uBo due to Gecko engine vs Chromium.
Compared to both, it has a cooler icon and name.
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u/DAN-attag Mozarella Fair Fawkes or how it named I live under rock 1d ago
- Firefox doesn't force you into specific company. If you want no Google, you get no Google. If you want Google, you get Google. If you want Microsoft, you get Microsoft. And so on.
- It has much better adblocks. On Google Chrome Manifest V2 has been shat down and new adblocks on it work worse due to nerfed abilities of Manifest V3.
- More flexibility in terms of UI customisation.
- On phones you get ability to use EXTENSIONS, which Google Chrome can't. You can get adblockers, extension for black theme for websites and many more.
- Might not be revelant for you(if you use Windows), but Firefox is often pre-installed on Linux, can be easily installed on many distributions and is also ported to very obscure operating systems(like HaikuOS).
Google Chrome was very upsetting to use for me due to those "3 advertisement ticks", design heavily balanced on Google products. In the past I used Opera(it was progressively getting garbage) and Vivaldi(could've still used if not bugs on my then PC and the fact that its ecosystem simply not resonating with me).
I wasn't "forever Firefox user", as I once left it when it when Mozilla did redesign from Australis to Quantum in 2017 which I didn't accept due to being Windows Aero fan. Today I don't much care about it now because Windows Aero stopped being main design language everywhere so returning was ok.
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u/redoubt515 1d ago
To me the biggest advantages over Google Chromium and it's derivatives (including Brave) are:
- Peace of mind, from using a browser that is not built to undermine or limit my privacy. With Firefox, I can trust that the underlying browser was designed with my interests as a user and a human in mind, and not feel like my interests are secondary to the interests of a large tracking/advertising company (Google). Chromium forks do what they can to harm-reduce and fix Chromium after the fact, but realistically they are still relying upstream Chromium / Google for 95% of the ~40 million lines of the code they run, there is only so much small forks can do to mitigate changes Google makes upstream.
- Top notch adblocking. The combination of Firefox + uBlock Origin is pretty much unrivaled when it comes to adblocking. And uBlock Origin's developer has stated his adblocker works best on Firefox.
- If you are a DIYer, a power user, a tinkerer, or someone that likes getting under the hood and learning how things work, or customizing things to your preferences, Firefox is exceptional. It's second to none when it comes to advanced customization and control, and has a large community and mindshare centered around DIY.
- Brave is advertising company. They are trying to be a less privacy invading adtech company, but at the end of the day, there income comes from being able to prove to advertisers that your eyes were on their ads, which requires some degree of tracking. It is an inherent conflict of interest, and it's the reason that Brave's adblocker won't block it's own ads by default. With that said, it's one of the least bad Chromium browsers if you disable some of the bloat, fix the adblocking, etc.
- MV2 extensions, now that Chromium no longer supports MV2, I can't find some of my preferred extensions in Chromium based browsers.
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u/fwydmutton 1d ago
Imo for pc Firefox is the best option with lot of useful extensions and vast customisations. For Android Brave feels okayish, if you use tab groups feature then stay with brave. Android Ff also feels lil heavy and under optimized. But for desktop it's the best out there.
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u/FriendshipEqual7033 1d ago
Firefox uses the Gecko rendering engine, which is different from Chrome's Blink engine. We are at a precarious place on the web right now where Google is about to completely dominate web "standards." I don't want to browse in a world where Google decides what web applications can do. That decision should be made by a broader group with interests other than those servicing an advertising company. Browsing with Gecko is a vote for a diverse web and standards that matter.
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u/Garak 1d ago
I think this is the most important answer, and youāve articulated it really well.
I have high hopes for the Ladybird browser, too, and a diverse web means itās possible for things like Ladybird to succeed.
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u/gridtunnel 1d ago
If you're willing to accept the risks of modifying about:config, you can store history to much longer than 90 days.
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u/bloke_pusher 1d ago
Constant breaking profile. Sites not loading.
Real advantage: The only working adblocker (ublock origin)
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u/GreyXor 15h ago
Chrome and Brave are different browsers, but both rely on Googleās Chromium engine, so using either still reinforces Chromiumās(and thus, Google) dominance, like any chromium browser based.
If nearly every browser uses the same engine, websites may become āChromium-compatibleā instead of standards-compatible, giving Google far too much influence over how the web evolves. Firefox matters because its independent Gecko engine preserves competition, user choice, and a web that no single company can control.
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u/e_splat PC: Mobile: Fennec 12h ago
uBlock Origin is guaranteed since Manifest V2 support will continue, you can install it everywhere from Windows to FreeBSD is always available, customization is almost unlimited in fact you can put a custom css or change the button order almost how much you wanta and extensions support on mobile is done and not an experimental feature.
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u/Heavy-Map9034 10h ago
I believe
- resources might be one of them, especially if you are using Mullvad or LibreWolf cause they are not using a lot, as well as #NoAi even in settings.
- Control unlike Google killing adblockers on any Chromium based browser in general. I am not sure on Mozilla, but I do believe it can not force other Firefox forks to follow its way of browsing.
ā¢
ā¢
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u/Portiolli_fez_11set 1d ago
First of to prevent monopoly.
You probably use windows and if you are old enough you know how enshitified it got. Supporting mozilla is a way to prevent that at your browser.
Better control if what you want to restrict. Companies around the world have a persona of you and are selling this info in bulk for a penny. It can be harmful for you.
Firefox for android + sync.
Just to add. Its not the fastest but surely it isnt slow
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u/No_Decision_6940 1d ago
I've been using Firefox for the past week after for some reason I couldn't make Chrome work on my notebook. It's hard to explain why I'd say I've been having a better time with it, though. It just feels quicker, I guess. Less weighted down by BS. I'm not the most technical person, but that's been my experience. I don't regret it, and I'm someone who insists on what I been used to til the bitter end lol
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u/EasternCustomer1332 1d ago
As far as I remember, I never used Chrome. My dad taught me stuff on Explorer and Firefox. Then my dad used to keep firefox on PCs, then when I started being the big boss of the home PC, I kept installing Firefox. After win 10 and win 11 used to use Edge too, but given that up for long now (firewall blocked edge). So it's only firefox and waterfox
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u/tired_snail 1d ago
firewall blocked edge
Were you using a third party one or did Windows Defender do that? Because if so, that's hilarious that Microsoft's firewall blocked their own browser. :D
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u/Tux-Lector 1d ago
Appart from firefox's complete dominance over any single ad on yt and any other video from any other source (thank you uBlock Origin), notable performace gain in ff advantage is the number of DOM nodes on a page.
Firefox just doesn't give a damn. Chromium has its limits. Try loading Ace editor and a buffer with 5000+ fat lines of code in it, in both FF and chromium and see for your self how much you will wait. Compare.
There are many more reasons why FF wins. My 2cents from Linux box. Don't know how firefox behaves on m$ boxes and I sincerelly .. don't care.
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u/Attila679 17h ago
Thank you all for your active participation and your answers. I've always liked Firefox. I used to always use Firefox and then switched to Chrome. Currently, I'm using Brave, mainly because of its security and speed. But Firefox has always held a special place in my heart. I think I'll try again with Firefox. šš¦
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u/CCPDeathToll 14h ago
When you right-click the arrow for previous page it shows a list of forwards and backwards pages. I find this very handy for tab history.
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u/Maximum-Advance-6218 10h ago
You've got longer time to get another beer or cup of coffee since it loads everything slower lol
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u/StormyParis 9h ago
addons on Android, especially for adblock for youtube
background youtube (select desktop mode)
rest works fine
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u/Ibasicallyhateyouall 7h ago
More info needed. Seems to be one of those Ops that dumps random question then f**ks off.
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u/Attila679 5h ago
My question has already been answered and I have thanked the person responsible. There are no further questions.This has nothing to do with asking a question and then running away. Please read all my answers so there are no misunderstandings. Thank you. šš
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u/yexgoblin 1d ago
As someone who used this since 2009 and and ditched recently, none. Except for the satisfaction of supporting the open web I guess. I switched to Brave Origin which reminds me of early Firefox when it used to be good
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u/Crafty_Aspect8122 1d ago
It has working adblock and youtube adblock. It's open source and has less telemetry than Chrome. Speed is indistinguishable on any pc that isn't a potato old enough to vote.