Google Chrome vs Microsoft Edge: What’s different?

Google Chrome is by far the most popular browser available today, with a market share of over 65 per cent. However, that hasn’t stopped Microsoft Edge to from bringing new features to the table time and time. However, that doesn’t point to any one browser being better than the other. But if you’re looking to set a new browser as your default, which one should you go for?

Let’s break down the differences between Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge and compare the two browsers head-to-head.

Google Chrome vs Microsoft Edge

1. Availability:

As you’re aware, Google Chrome is installed by default on all Android devices and is the primary UI for ChromeOS. It must be downloaded separately on other platforms. Microsoft Edge, on the other hand, is the default browser in Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices, and is available as a downloadable app on Android and iOS. If you’re using an ARM version of Windows, Edge is currently the better choice.

ALSO READ: Google Chrome: 5 secret features to upgrade your browsing experience

2. Integration:

Google Chrome integrates seamlessly with all Google apps and services. Part of the reason for the browser’s popularity, we suspect, has to do with the fact that we rely on just so many Google services – which are integrated with Chrome – that there’s little reason to switch to another browser. 

Microsoft Edge, on the other hand, integrates seamlessly with Microsoft services such as OneDrive and Teams, making it perhaps fractionally more suitable in an Office365-powered work environment. Edge and Chrome can both transfer data from each other and from other browsers.

3. Search and AI:

As expected, Google Chrome defaults to the Google search engine and Gemini AI. Microsoft Edge defaults to Bing Search – which is still not as reliable as Google search for a lot of people – and Microsoft CoPilot AI. CoPilot is powered by both Bing and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, so which AI assistant you prefer largely comes down to personal preference. Both browsers can switch search engines if needed.

4. User interface:

While I personally prefer Microsoft Edge’s UI because of how nicely it integrates with Windows 11, Google Chrome’s UI isn’t bad either and the choice comes down entirely to personal preference. There’s no clear winner here. Edge does have some convenient features such as vertical tabs and split screen for dual tabs. 

ALSO READ: The best Chrome extensions for every need in 2024

Edge also has a vertical bar on the right that’s filled with shortcuts to various Microsoft services. Some might see it as bloat, some as a convenience, and of course, you can get similar features in Google Chrome by just installing the right plug-ins.

5. Plug-ins and extensions:

Both Edge and Chrome support web extensions. Edge uses the same rendering engine as the one Chrome is based on, and as such, can use the same extensions that are available for Google Chrome. Chrome Extensions can be downloaded from the Chrome Web Store for both Edge and Chrome, but Edge does have its own Microsoft Store for additional extensions. This one’s a tie, with a slight edge (pun intended) to Chrome for its more seamless integration with extensions.

6. Rendering engine:

The rendering engine is what draws web pages on your screen. For a while, Microsoft tried developing its own engine – called EdgeHTML – and competing with Chrome, but at some point they gave up and simply adopted Google Chrome’s Blink rendering engine. As it stands today, both browsers boast of virtually identical performance and rendering capabilities.

7. Efficiency and power consumption:

When the new Edge first launched, Edge had a reputation for being vastly superior to Chrome on the performance front thanks to features like GPU rendering and superior optimisation that allowed it to use less RAM. Fast-forward to 2024 and honestly, there’s no significant difference in performance between the two browsers. 

Benchmarks that we ran at the time this article was published indicates a negligible difference in performance between the two browsers (25 pts for Chrome vs 24 pts for Edge). With a similar number of tabs open, they both consume about the same amount of RAM.

READ MORE: Microsoft Edge users will soon be able to control how much RAM the browser uses with this feature

Most of us gravitate towards Chrome simply for its familiarity and convenience. Why fix something that isn’t broken, so to speak. That said, Edge has come a long way since its buggy EdgeHTML days, and Chrome has evolved to be far less of a resource hog than it used to be. Both browsers boast of largely similar features and performance, with Edge arguably having a slight edge when it comes to the out-of-box experience while Chrome offers a more holistic cross-platform experience. 

Both browsers are great, and you’ll be fine with either. We’d say that there’s no harm in giving Edge a shot, and hey, if you like it, that’s a new experience you’ve unlocked. If you don’t like it, there’s still Chrome.