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5 reasons I left Chrome for Firefox

5 reasons I left Chrome for Firefox
Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti

Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti

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Long gone are the days when Firefox felt like a browser from the nineties. Firefox 29 is the culmination of years of work, and it’s very noticeable.

I switched to Firefox from Chome some time ago, and I haven’t looked back since. Below are five reasons why I switched and why I think you should consider moving away from Google Chrome on your desktop or mobile phone in favor of Mozilla’s browser.

Because it’s lighter and faster

I’d been complaining about how slow Chrome had become, and I wasn’t the only one. The difference between both browsers was clear in a memory usage test carried out by our colleagues at GHacks.

Memory consumption of browsers

Memory consumption: Firefox wins over both Chrome and IE (source).

If you’re one of those people who keeps a dozen tabs open, youl’ll hardly notice the impact on your computer’s resources with Firefox. Want more proof? Read this speed analysis carried out by Tom’s Hardware.

Because the new design is wonderful

In the past, Firefox lacked a modern design, but that’s greatly changed with Firefox Australis design, developed over five years of hard work and testing.

Australis

The appearance of Firefox Australis is incredible and reinforces the feeling of a clean and light browser. If you don’t like it, you have dozens of themes ready to give it a personal touch.

Australis themes

Because it’s still independent

The browser war used to be strictly between Microsoft and Mozilla, the for-profit against the open source. Now, it’s become a war between corporations: Microsoft vs. Google.

Firefox is open

Everyone can participate in the development and promotion of Firefox.

Firefox is the only major browser that is still independent and transparent: there are no hidden interests behind its development, and as British Tech journalist and former Computer editor for The Guardian Jack Schofield says, “it’s a browser for the users and the open Internet.”

Because the mobile version has all the features

One of the reasons I stayed with Chrome was the PC-Mobile synchronization. Now, it’s available with Firefox for Android, and it works perfectly.

Firefox for Android

But the best part of Firefox for Android, in my opinion, is that it supports add-ons like AdBlock Plus. Chrome for Android, on the other hand, doesn’t. The possibility to navigate mobile without ads is very appealing.

Because it’s not the main target of hackers

For now, Chrome remains the most used browser on PC, with a market share of 43%. Its growth has taken place mainly at the expense of Internet Explorer. In Android, the situation is similar. Still, Firefox isn’t too far behind.

Mobile browser usage

Firefox remains at a solid 20% of PC users (source).

Being a bit below the radar has its advantage. One is that you’re not the main target of cyberattacks; Chrome has become the new Internet Explorer, the browser that everyone wants to undermine.

To go back to Chrome would mean going back to an operating system

I won’t stop repeating it: Chrome has an operating system complex– it’s on its way to merge with Android, to become a hybrid, and to a certain extent, it already is. This isn’t a bad thing per se, but it muddles the browser’s neutrality which, let’s not forget, is a program that was created to facilitate access to knowledge.

If you’re looking for some alternatives, check out the best browsers for your Android phone.

Follow me on Twitter: @remoquete

Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti

Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti

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