Microsoft Edge vs Chrome - What are the Key Differences?

Everyone today, from working professionals and students to common people, relies on the internet to retrieve the required information. They use a web browser to search for the desired information. Some popular web browsers in use today are Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Firefox, and Internet Explorer.

Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome are the two widely used browsers. Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome browsers are developed by two leading tech giants, namely Microsoft and Google, respectively. These tech giants continue to update their browsers regularly and provide great experiences to users.

Though both these browsers are built on top of the same engine and share many common features, they still have significant differences. If you want to explore the differences between Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome, this article is for you.

This blog post will help you understand how Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome differ from each other. Also, you will get to know about the advantages, disadvantages, and features of Microsoft Edge as well as Google Chrome.

So, let us get started!

What is Microsoft Edge?

Microsoft Edge is a cross-platform web browser developed and maintained by Microsoft. It was first released for the Windows 10 operating system.

This web browser is based on Chromium , which is an open-source web browser project that provides the majority of code for various browsers, such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Opera, etc.

Microsoft initially built Microsoft Edge with its proprietary browser engine EdgeHTML and Chakra JavaScript engine. However, in 2018, the company rebuilt Microsoft Edge as a Chromium-based browser with V8 and Blink engines.

Microsoft Edge can replace Internet Explorer on Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and later versions. However, unlike Internet Explorer, this browser does not support Windows Vista or previous versions. In Windows 11, Microsoft Edge replaces Internet Explorer as the default web browser.

History

Initially, Microsoft released Microsoft Edge for Windows 10 and Xbox One in 2015. Later, in 2017, Microsoft released this web browser for Android and iOS devices. In 2019, the company released the browser for macOS, and in 2020, it was for the Linux operating system.

In June 2020, Microsoft introduced a new version of Microsoft Edge via Windows updates for Windows 7, 8.1, and 10. The company stopped releasing security patches for the Chakra JavaScript engine, now referred to as Microsoft Edge Legacy, in March 2021. In April 2021, the company released a security update that replaced Edge Legacy with Chromium-based Edge.

Initially, Microsoft released Chromium-based Edge to Xbox, the Insider Alpha Skip Ahead group. Later, in September 2021, the company released it to all users.

Features of Microsoft Edge

The following are the salient features of Microsoft Edge:

• Personalized Browsing Experience: With Microsoft Edge, your favorites, passwords, and other personal preferences get synchronized across all your devices.
• Browser InPrivate: You can use InPrivate tabs so that the browsing data, like cookies, history, autofill information, or temporary files, is not saved on your device after you close the tab.
• Block Ads: With AdBlockPlus, you can block unwanted ads.
• Hub: A Hub is a sidebar that features your favorites, reading list, downloads, and history.
• PDF Reader: Microsoft Edge comes with a PDF reader that makes it easier to read any downloaded PDF file within the browser.
• Capture Screenshots: You can capture screenshots of web pages and add comments to those screenshots using pen or touch.
• Control Over Data: This browser helps you take control of your data and provides more transparency with tracking prevention.
• Automatic Protection: Microsoft Edge provides top-grade protection against malware and phishing attacks compared to Google Chrome and other browsers.

Advantages of Microsoft Edge

Here are some remarkable benefits of Microsoft Edge:

• Microsoft Edge has a simple and intuitive interface. Moreover, it is a beginner-friendly browser.
• The installation and setup of this browser are pretty simple. However, it comes pre-installed with Windows 10.
• It allows you to import your passwords, favorites, and other preferences from the Chrome browser. It is a cross-platform browser compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems and Android and iOS devices.

Disadvantages of Microsoft Edge

Some significant drawbacks of Microsoft Edge are as follows:

• Unlike Google Chrome and Firefox , Microsoft Edge is not compatible with older hardware specifications. The minimum requirements for Microsoft Edge are:
  • At least 1 GHz of processing capability
  • 1 GB of RAM for a 32-bit Operating System
  • 2 GB of RAM for a 64-bit Operating System
• It does not have more extensions than Google Chrome.
• Microsoft Edge has a default Bing web search engine. If you wish to use any other search engine, like Google, you need to replace Bing with the desired search engine.

What is Chrome?

Google Chrome, popularly known as Chrome, is a cross-platform web browser developed by Google. Initially, Google first released Chrome for Microsoft Windows in 2008. The company developed this web browser with free components from Apple WebKit and Mozilla Firefox. Later, the company ported this browser to Linux and macOS operating systems and Android and iOS devices.

Like Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome is also based on Chromium. Most of Google Chrome’s source code comes from Chromium. Originally, WebKit was the rendering engine for Google Chrome. Eventually, Google forked WebKit to create the Blink engine. Currently, all the Chrome variants, except iOS, support Blink.

History

Google announced the development of a new browser in September 2008. Scott McCloud, in his comic, explained all the features of the new browser and sent it to journalists and bloggers. Later, a German blogger, Philipp Lenssen, made a scanned copy of that comic and released it on this website. Google made that comic available on Google Books.

In September 2008, the company released the browser Google Chrome publicly as a beta version for Windows XP and newer versions. Later, in December 2008, the company released Chrome’s stable public release. Initially, Chrome supported 43 languages. As of now, it supports 47 languages.

The company in September 2009, released the beta version of Google Chrome for OS X and Linux operating systems. In May 2010, the company released Chrome 5.0, the first stable release for all three operating systems (Windows, OS X, and Linux).

Features of Chrome

Here are the significant features of Google Chrome:

• Data Saver: You can turn on Google Chrome’s data saver to utilize less data while navigating and browsing the web.
• Favorites: You can easily save all your favorite content, such as news sites, social media platforms, etc., in one place. Tap on your favorite sites and directly open them in a new tab.
• Tap to Search: Google Chrome supports the ‘Tap to Search’ feature on any web page. You can tap on any word on the web page to start the Google search while staying on the same web page.
• Download and View Offline: With Chrome’s dedicated download button, you can effortlessly download videos, music, pictures, and entire web pages with just a single click. Moreover, it comes with ‘Downloads Home’ where you can view all your downloaded content offline.
• Google Safe Browsing: Google Chrome has a built-in Google Safe Browsing feature. This feature warns you wherever you attempt to visit dangerous websites.
• Translate Text: Chrome comes with Google Translate, which translates an entire web page into any supported language.
• Privacy: You can browse safely without saving history with the Incognito mode.
• Sync Across Devices: Keep your bookmarks, passwords, and settings synchronized across all your devices.

Advantages of Chrome

The following are the notable advantages of Google Chrome:

• Google Chrome uses the Material Design from Google, which makes its design sleek and simple.
• It is a high-speed browser. Any website loads faster in Google Chrome than in other browsers.
• Google updates Google Chrome regularly to keep it safe and secure.
• It is a cross-platform browser compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
• Google Chrome has many extensions through which you can extend its functionalities.
• This browser can seamlessly integrate with other Google applications, such as Gmail, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Analytics.

Disadvantages of Chrome

Some common drawbacks of Google Chrome are as follows:

• There is great confusion between Google Chrome and Chromium since the Chromium browser is independent of Chrome.
• Chrome consumes a lot of CPU and RAM as compared to other browsers.
• You will find Google Chrome as a default browser only in Chrome OS. For other operating systems, like Windows and macOS, the default browsers are Microsoft Edge and Safari. So, to use Chrome on another OS, you need to download and install it.
• It allows less customization than other browsers.

Microsoft Edge vs Chrome: A Head-to-Head Comparison

The following table highlights all the major differences between Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome:

Microsoft Edge vs Chrome: Which is Better?

Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome provide tough competition to each other. They are based on Chromium and share many common features, such as cross-platform, built-in task managers, backup and syncing, security, etc. Moreover, there are many features where Microsoft Edge outperforms Chrome and vice-versa.

Microsoft Edge is a new web browser compared to Google Chrome. Both have their own set of features. Hence, it would be pretty inappropriate to state one browser better than the other.

If you continuously work with Google Suite, Google Chrome is the best option to choose. On the other hand, giving it a try to Microsoft Edge would not be wrong if you use a Windows system.

Moreover, Microsoft Edge would be a better choice in terms of security and privacy, and resource consumption. However, if customization matters to you the most, Google Chrome is ideal.

Conclusion

This brings us to the end of the Microsoft Edge vs Chrome comparison. Despite the fact that Google Chrome has been in a race for a long time, Microsoft Edge has recently gained a competitive advantage with its security updates.

There are no such major differences between Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. To make a decision between Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome, you can refer to the aforementioned comparison table. Also, you should know that the ultimate choice depends on you.

We hope you might have gained a clear idea of the differences between Microsoft Edge and Chrome. Still, if you have any doubts, feel free to share them in the comments section below.

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