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Microsoft Edge vs Mozilla Firefox

Microsoft Edge logo

Microsoft Edge

Technology

Microsoft's Chromium-based browser, distinguished by IE mode for legacy applications and by its integration with Microsoft 365 management.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Mozilla Firefox logo

Mozilla Firefox

Technology

An independent web browser with its own rendering engine, funded almost entirely by search placement deals.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Microsoft Edge outside the European Economic Area, Edge cannot be uninstalled from Windows, and Windows components such as Widgets, help links and taskbar search results open in it whatever the default browser is set to, so an organisation standardising on Chrome still has to manage and patch Edge.; Mozilla Firefox roughly 85 per cent of Mozilla's revenue comes from search default placement deals, overwhelmingly with Google, so the organisation that competes with Chrome depends on Chrome's owner for its funding and any renegotiation lands on Firefox's engineering budget within a quarter.
  • They diverge on capability: Microsoft Edge covers Internet Explorer mode, Mozilla Firefox covers Gecko engine.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox actually diverge.

Attributes where Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox differ
AttributeMicrosoft EdgeMozilla Firefox
Pricing modelfreeUnknown
PlatformsWebWindows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2004

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Technology).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Microsoft Edge

  • Internet Explorer mode
  • Enterprise Mode Site List
  • Entra ID integration
  • Purview DLP for browsing
  • Intune and Group Policy
  • Vertical tabs and Workspaces
  • Sleeping tabs
  • Chrome extension compatibility

Only in Mozilla Firefox

  • Gecko engine
  • Full webRequest blocking
  • Total Cookie Protection
  • Container tabs
  • Extended Support Release
  • policies.json and ADMX
  • Built-in developer tools
  • Firefox Sync

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Microsoft Edge

  • A Windows estate with intranet applications that still require Internet Explorer, where IE mode buys years before a rewritenot Mozilla Firefox
  • Microsoft 365 organisations that want browser sessions covered by Purview DLP and conditional access without a separate secure browser productnot Mozilla Firefox
  • Fleets managed through Intune that need one browser configured by the same console as the rest of the desktopnot Mozilla Firefox
  • Users who work with many tabs at once and want vertical tabs and automatic tab suspension without installing extensionsnot Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox

  • Web development where you need to test against a non-Chromium engine before shipping, because Chromium-only testing hides real bugsnot Microsoft Edge
  • Users who require a full-strength content blocker, which Chrome's Manifest V3 no longer permitsnot Microsoft Edge
  • Managed fleets that need a browser on a slow release cadence with Group Policy control, using the ESR channelnot Microsoft Edge
  • Handling several accounts on the same service at once through container tabs, without separate profiles or private windowsnot Microsoft Edge

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Microsoft Edge

  • Outside the European Economic Area, Edge cannot be uninstalled from Windows, and Windows components such as Widgets, help links and taskbar search results open in it whatever the default browser is set to, so an organisation standardising on Chrome still has to manage and patch Edge.
  • It is Chromium downstream, so Manifest V3 applies exactly as it does in Chrome; full-strength blocking extensions cannot run, and Microsoft's add-ons store adds a second review process rather than a workaround.
  • Almost all of its advantage is conditional on Microsoft 365 and Entra ID; a Google Workspace or AWS-centred organisation gets Chromium plus Microsoft's promotional surfaces and none of the Purview, Intune or conditional access value.
  • Consumer-facing features including Copilot, the Discover pane, shopping notifications and sidebar apps default to on and reappear after feature updates, so suppressing them requires a maintained policy set rather than a one-off configuration.
  • IE mode is a bridge with a maintenance owner attached: the Enterprise Mode Site List must be curated by somebody, and MSHTML receives security fixes but no new capability, so an application parked there gains nothing and its eventual rewrite is only deferred.
  • By default browsing data feeds Microsoft services for Copilot, Discover and shopping features, which in a regulated environment turns the deployment into a policy exercise before it can be approved.

Mozilla Firefox

  • Roughly 85 per cent of Mozilla's revenue comes from search default placement deals, overwhelmingly with Google, so the organisation that competes with Chrome depends on Chrome's owner for its funding and any renegotiation lands on Firefox's engineering budget within a quarter.
  • Desktop market share sits at a few per cent, so commercial sites are tested against Chrome and Safari and a Firefox-only rendering or WebRTC bug is triaged as low priority by the site owner, leaving you with the workaround.
  • On iOS and iPadOS the browser is a WebKit shell required by Apple's rules, so it delivers the interface and Sync but none of the engine, extension or tracking-protection behaviour that make Firefox worth choosing on desktop.
  • Mozilla declines to implement several hardware-facing APIs on principle, including WebUSB, WebSerial, Web Bluetooth and WebHID, so a web application that talks to a device simply does not run and no configuration flag changes that.
  • Enterprise management is limited to policies.json and ADMX templates; there is no first-party equivalent of Chrome Browser Cloud Management, so fleet-wide reporting on versions and extensions requires third-party tooling you have to buy or build.
  • Mozilla repeatedly ships decisions its own user base objects to, such as enabling Privacy Preserving Attribution by default and the 2025 Terms of Use rewrite, and reversals arrive after the news cycle, so deploying it on a privacy argument means owning the communications work each time.

Pricing, plan by plan

Microsoft Edge

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft Edge review.

Mozilla Firefox

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Mozilla Firefox review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Microsoft Edge if

  • You need internet explorer mode.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want enterprise mode site list.
Microsoft Edge review

Choose Mozilla Firefox if

  • You need gecko engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
  • You also want full webrequest blocking.
Mozilla Firefox review

Questions people ask

Is Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox better?
Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Edge starts at Free and Mozilla Firefox at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox?
Microsoft Edge starts at Free and Mozilla Firefox at Free.
Does Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox run on more platforms?
Microsoft Edge runs on Web. Mozilla Firefox runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
Can I use Microsoft Edge for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Microsoft Edge best used for?
Microsoft Edge is most often used for a windows estate with intranet applications that still require internet explorer, where ie mode buys years before a rewrite, microsoft 365 organisations that want browser sessions covered by purview dlp and conditional access without a separate secure browser product, fleets managed through intune that need one browser configured by the same console as the rest of the desktop, users who work with many tabs at once and want vertical tabs and automatic tab suspension without installing extensions. Of those, a windows estate with intranet applications that still require internet explorer, where ie mode buys years before a rewrite and microsoft 365 organisations that want browser sessions covered by purview dlp and conditional access without a separate secure browser product are not what Mozilla Firefox is typically brought in for.
What can Microsoft Edge do that Mozilla Firefox cannot?
Microsoft Edge covers Internet Explorer mode, Enterprise Mode Site List, Entra ID integration, Purview DLP for browsing. Mozilla Firefox covers Gecko engine, Full webRequest blocking, Total Cookie Protection, Container tabs.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Microsoft Edge: Can I uninstall Edge from Windows?

In the European Economic Area, yes, because the Digital Markets Act requires it. Elsewhere you cannot, and several Windows components will continue to open it regardless of your default browser.

Mozilla Firefox: Does uBlock Origin still work on Firefox?

Yes. Firefox has kept the blocking webRequest API that Chrome removed with Manifest V3, so uBlock Origin runs with its full rule set rather than the cut-down Lite version Chrome requires.

Microsoft Edge: How long will Internet Explorer mode be supported?

Microsoft has committed to supporting IE mode in Edge through at least 2029. It is a migration window rather than a permanent home, since the underlying MSHTML engine gets security fixes but no new capability.

Mozilla Firefox: Is Firefox on iPhone the same browser?

No. Apple's platform rules require it to use WebKit, so on iOS and iPadOS you get Firefox's interface, Sync and bookmarks on top of Safari's engine. The privacy and extension behaviour are not the same.

Microsoft Edge: Do Chrome extensions work?

Yes. Edge installs extensions from the Chrome Web Store as well as its own store. Manifest V3 restrictions apply identically, so extensions that Chrome no longer supports do not work here either.

Mozilla Firefox: How is Mozilla funded, and does that matter?

Mainly by payments for making a search engine the default, with Google as the dominant payer. It matters because it is a single-source dependency on a direct competitor, and it has been the subject of antitrust litigation whose outcome Mozilla does not control.

Microsoft Edge: Is it worth deploying if we are not a Microsoft 365 organisation?

Usually not for the management features, which depend on Entra ID, Intune and Purview. Without that stack it is Chromium with a different interface and additional Microsoft promotion.

Mozilla Firefox: Can I manage it across a company fleet?

Yes, through policies.json or Windows Group Policy with the ADMX templates, and the ESR channel gives you a roughly yearly major version instead of four-weekly. There is no first-party cloud management console, so reporting needs other tooling.

Microsoft Edge: Does it run on Linux?

Yes, there are official Linux builds. Some Windows-specific features, including IE mode, are not available there.

Mozilla Firefox: Will every site work in it?

Most will. The exceptions cluster around sites tested only in Chrome, legacy enterprise applications, and anything using WebUSB, WebSerial, Web Bluetooth or WebHID, which Firefox does not implement at all.

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