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Technology · head to head

Microsoft Edge vs Soketi

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
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Soketi logo

Soketi

Developer Tools

Self-hosted, Pusher-compatible WebSockets server with a stalled maintenance record

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
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.; Soketi maintenance has effectively stalled: the maintainer has said time is severely limited, releases are infrequent, and the community has been discussing whether the project is abandoned, which means security fixes may not arrive.
  • They diverge on capability: Microsoft Edge covers Internet Explorer mode, Soketi covers Pusher protocol compatibility.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Microsoft Edge and Soketi actually diverge.

Attributes where Microsoft Edge and Soketi differ
AttributeMicrosoft EdgeSoketi
Pricing modelfreeOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWebLinux, macOS, Windows
CategoryTechnologyDeveloper Tools

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

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 Soketi

  • Pusher protocol compatibility
  • Presence and private channels
  • Horizontal scaling
  • App management backends
  • Webhooks
  • Prometheus metrics

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 Soketi
  • Microsoft 365 organisations that want browser sessions covered by Purview DLP and conditional access without a separate secure browser productnot Soketi
  • Fleets managed through Intune that need one browser configured by the same console as the rest of the desktopnot Soketi
  • Users who work with many tabs at once and want vertical tabs and automatic tab suspension without installing extensionsnot Soketi

Soketi

  • A Laravel application that already uses Echo and wants to stop paying a hosted realtime providernot Microsoft Edge
  • Realtime notifications or presence indicators where data must not leave your own infrastructure for compliance reasonsnot Microsoft Edge
  • A local or CI environment that needs a Pusher-compatible server without hitting a paid accountnot Microsoft Edge
  • A high-connection-count application where hosted per-connection pricing has become the largest line in the infrastructure billnot 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.

Soketi

  • Maintenance has effectively stalled: the maintainer has said time is severely limited, releases are infrequent, and the community has been discussing whether the project is abandoned, which means security fixes may not arrive.
  • Dependency drift on Node and uWebSockets.js will eventually force you to fork or migrate, and that cost is unbudgeted at the point you adopt it.
  • There is no commercial support to buy, so a production incident at three in the morning is entirely your problem with no escalation path.
  • Scaling beyond a single node needs Redis and careful configuration, and getting presence channels correct across nodes is a genuine source of subtle bugs.
  • It implements the Pusher protocol rather than tracking it, so any protocol feature Pusher adds later will not appear, and the compatibility guarantee slowly decays.

Pricing, plan by plan

Microsoft Edge

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft Edge review.

Soketi

Free
  • SoketiFree
    • MIT licensed
    • Unlimited connections subject to your own hardware
    • No vendor billing

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 Soketi if

  • You need pusher protocol compatibility.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want presence and private channels.
Soketi review

Questions people ask

Is Microsoft Edge or Soketi better?
Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Edge starts at Free and Soketi at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Edge or Soketi?
Microsoft Edge starts at Free and Soketi at Free.
Does Microsoft Edge or Soketi run on more platforms?
Microsoft Edge runs on Web. Soketi runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
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 Soketi is typically brought in for.
What can Microsoft Edge do that Soketi cannot?
Microsoft Edge covers Internet Explorer mode, Enterprise Mode Site List, Entra ID integration, Purview DLP for browsing. Soketi covers Pusher protocol compatibility, Presence and private channels, Horizontal scaling, App management backends.

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.

Soketi: Is Soketi still maintained?

Barely. The maintainer has stated that available time is very limited and releases have been sparse; treat it as community-maintained.

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.

Soketi: Do I need to change my client code?

No. Pusher client SDKs and Laravel Echo work by changing the host, port and credentials.

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.

Soketi: What does it cost?

Nothing in licence fees. It is MIT licensed; you pay for the server it runs on.

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.

Soketi: What are people moving to?

Laravel Reverb for Laravel applications, and Sockudo, a Rust reimplementation, for others.

Microsoft Edge: Does it run on Linux?

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

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