If you’ve turned your nose to Microsoft’s Edge browser, prepare to change your mind. The latest version of Edge based on Chromium gives you more than what other browsers do.

Chrome is the undisputed leader of browsers. As of May of last year, as part of a Windows update, Edge has become unremovable. This means that if you buy a Windows device, Edge comes with it. Microsoft has continued to push for updates to improve Edge’s performance.

Edge vs. Chrome

Edge and Chrome are very similar; both are built on the Chromium platform.

Benchmarking tests show that Edge performs much better. Edge doesn’t monopolize your computer’s resources. It uses around 0.9 GB of RAM while Chrome’s usage hovers between 1.25 and 1.35 GB.

A constant complaint against Edge was its minimal support for extensions. Here, too, the Microsoft Store extension collection has grown significantly to compete with Chrome extensions.

Also, if you want to add something that is only available in the Chrome Web Store, you just need to toggle “allow extensions from other stores” on the Edge extension page. This is a definite advantage. Click on the three horizontal dots at the top right of the browser and navigate to Extensions. The setting is at the bottom left.

When it comes to compatibility, Chrome, which has been around longer, has the advantage. However, Edge’s advantage over Chrome is that it has better privacy settings.

Edge vs. Firefox

Edge and Firefox were the two alternatives to Chrome. Now Edge is moving forward. The question is which of the two is more capable? Firefox has set Google as the default search engine and Edge has Bing. But in both browsers you can set your preferred search engine.

If you compare the speed of the two browsers, Edge wins hands down. Edge is more compatible with current web standards, although Firefox isn’t far behind.

Firefox has Pocket integration so you can save web pages to your Pocket account. Edge, meanwhile, has its own after-reading service. The Collections feature on Edge allows you to group similar web pages together and name them, which is very convenient for future reference. However, Firefox’s collection of add-ons can compete with that of Edge, which can install extensions from the Windows Store and the Chrome Web Store.

Privacy and Security

Edge now has tools to block first-party cookies that are used to stay logged in or remember items in your shopping cart and third-party cookies that keep track of your browsing activity.

Edge blocks trackers using three levels of protection, Basic, Balanced, and Strict. Basic only blocks “malicious” trackers, Balanced blocks third-party trackers and any trackers designated as “malicious”, and Strict blocks most third-party trackers on all sites.

To activate it, click on the three dots in the upper right corner of your browser window and go to Settings. Then go to “Privacy, Research and Services”. Make sure Track Prevention is turned on, then select the level you want.

You can also see which trackers are blocked and make exceptions for specific sites. On the Privacy, Search & Services page, just below the three tracking methods, you can see which trackers have been blocked. Below are the exceptions. Click on it and you can specify sites to allow trackers. It is better to do it manually. When you are on a site, you can click the lock icon to see the effectiveness of your tracking prevention.

Scroll to Clear browsing data. You can also choose what to erase each time you close the browser. Below, under Privacy, you can activate the option Send “Do not track” requests. You can also selectively allow sites to check if you have saved payment methods.

To update to the latest version of Edge, click the three dots at the top right of the browser window and go to Help & Feedback – About Microsoft Edge. The latest version is 95.0.1020.30.

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