Google Chrome is still the king of web browsers, accounting for over 60% of the browser market as of December 2021. Microsoft’s Edge browser, which uses the open-source Chromium engine, is in a lower spot around 12 percent, which is impressive given that the browser was only debuted a couple of years ago. Microsoft deployed the new Edge to all Windows 10 desktops, replacing the previous version and providing Edge with a built-in — well — edge. Edge is also Windows 11’s default browser.
Which browser should you use? The two share a lot of similarities, but some key differences make one the clear winner.
Design
Let’s start with the obvious: how does each do in terms of general browsing? In terms of design, the two web browsers are nearly identical. Many of the original Edge browser’s out-of-date design components have been updated with gentler edges and cleaner interfaces.
Although the arrow buttons and other icons on Edge and Chrome differ significantly, the URL/search bar is basically the same, and the symbols for extensions and add-ons are in the same area. If you right-click to the right of the tabs, the identical tabs menu will appear. In short, switching from Chrome to Edge will make virtually little impact in your daily browsing. The default search engine and site, however, are noticeably different. Edge, of course, defaults to Microsoft’s Bing, whereas Google defaults to Google’s search engine. Fortunately, either can be switched at any time and is only a minor annoyance.
Edge and Chrome are both based on the open-source Chromium browser and use the Blink rendering engine, so they’re more similar than they are distinct.
Performance
The parallels remain in performance. Both of these browsers are really fast. Granted, Chrome slightly outperforms Edge in the Kraken and Jetstream benchmarks, but this isn’t enough to distinguish between the two in everyday use.
Memory utilisation gives Microsoft Edge a huge performance advantage over Chrome. Edge, in essence, utilises fewer resources. Chrome used to be known for using very little RAM, but it has since gotten bloated. Edge consumed 665MB of RAM with six pages loaded in one test, but Chrome used 1.4GB – a significant difference, especially on PCs with limited memory.
If you’re disturbed by how memory-intensive Google Chrome has become, Microsoft Edge is the clear victor in this category.
Features
In terms of functionalities, switching from Chrome to Edge is straightforward. Simply install Microsoft’s new browser, accept the request to sync your Chrome passwords, bookmarks, addresses, and other data, and you’re ready to go. Although most modern browsers have the same basic functionality, it’s a wonderful feature in its own right.
Edge also has several capabilities that Chrome does not. Edge Collections, for example, allows you to organise and name comparable webpages. You may readily access those groups by clicking on a collection, which will quickly and conveniently return you to a specific working condition. Microsoft also introduced an Edge Bar, which can float or run along the edge of a display and provides a fast peek at news and weather as well as access to select Edge features.
The Editor is Microsoft’s built-in solution to writing helpers like Grammarly. Editor employs artificial intelligence to keep your writing up to par and promises to be a good option for anyone who does not want to pay for a new add-on.
Extensions are another feature that both the Microsoft Edge browser and Chrome provide, albeit in different ways. Edge extensions can be added through the Windows Store, which has a more limited variety, as well as extensions from the Chrome Web Store, which needs manual access. So far, we haven’t encountered an extension that won’t install and run without a hitch on Edge. In theory, this means that Edge will obtain more browser extensions than Chrome over time, however due to Chrome’s prominence, the Chrome Store is a popular target for developers.
Edge also has a Read Aloud feature, which reads everything on a webpage aloud in a nice voice. It’s a fantastic accessibility tool that allows those with low eyesight to read written words.
Both browsers support the conversion of webpages into apps, and while the procedure differs slightly, the end result is the same. Apps perform admirably on both platforms.
Finally, when it comes to casting your material to another device, Edge employs the Miracast and DNLA protocols, whereas Chrome outputs to Chromecast devices. Which browser is best depends on which devices you wish to cast to, though Chromecast is likely to be the more popular option.
