Firefox vs Edge

We make Yab, the third column.facts checked Oct 9 ↓

Firefox is Mozilla’s open-source browser on its own engine, Gecko, on every desktop and phone. Its AI is optional: a Smart Window beta and a sidebar chatbot, all behind one switch.

Edge is Microsoft’s Chromium browser on every desktop and phone, with Copilot built in. Since Copilot Mode was retired in May 2026, its agent, Browse with Copilot, comes with Microsoft 365 Premium in the US.

The short answer

Pick Firefox

if you want an open-source browser that isn’t Chromium
if you want AI off by default, or gone with one switch
if you want a free browser VPN, where it is offered

Pick Edge

if you use Microsoft 365 and want Copilot in the browser
if you want tabs down the side, workspaces, split screen and sleeping tabs built in
if you work on Windows with Edge set up by your company

Or Yabours

if you miss Arc and want spaces, pins and folders kept, on a Mac
if you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT and want it to work in your signed-in tabs
if you want Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to drive a real browser over MCP

At a glance

Firefox and Edge, with Yab beside them for a Mac.

Firefox vs Edge
What	Firefox	Microsoft Edge	Yab
Made by	Mozilla	Microsoft	Serafim Korablev
Status	Updated	Updated	Updated
Runs on	Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android	Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android	Mac
Phone app	iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history	iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, favorites, passwords and history	Not yet
Price	Free; its built-in VPN is free up to 50 GB a month	Free, with Copilot; Browse with Copilot needs Microsoft 365 Premium $19.99/month (US)	Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
AI	Chat about pages, on its own AI or yours	An agent that works in pages, on its own AI service	An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan
Driven by outside agents	MCP	MCP and a command line	MCP and a command line
Engine	Gecko	Chromium	WebKit
Tabs down the side	A setting	A setting	Yes
Spaces	No	Yes	Yes
Split View	Yes	Yes	Yes
Extensions	Firefox add-ons	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store
Ad blocker	No	No	Built in
Open source	Yes	No	No

Checked October 9, 2026 on each maker’s own pages, linked under Sources. Prices are per month, in US dollars.

Where they differ

What separates them, area by area. Where one plainly has more, it says who; where it comes down to taste, it says so.

AIEdge leads

Only Edge has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks in your pages. Firefox’s Smart Window beta chats with tabs you share and groups them, and a sidebar chatbot can use Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Le Chat or Copilot; it can’t click or fill forms, and one switch turns all AI off. Copilot reads the page, your tabs and history and sums up videos and PDFs; Browse with Copilot scrolls and types in pages for you, signed in, on Microsoft 365 Premium in the US.

Agents like Claude Code and CodexEdge leads

Firefox can be driven over MCP, through Mozilla’s Firefox DevTools MCP, which starts its own Firefox. Edge can be driven over MCP and a command line, through Microsoft’s Playwright MCP, which can launch Edge or attach to your running Edge.

Tabs and windowsEdge leads

Firefox has tabs down the side as a setting, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep. Edge has tabs down the side as a setting, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.

PriceFirefox leads

Firefox: Free; its built-in VPN is free up to 50 GB a month. Edge: Free, with Copilot; Browse with Copilot needs Microsoft 365 Premium $19.99/month (US).

Where it runseven

Both run on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Firefox needs macOS 10.15 or later and Edge needs macOS 13 or later. On the phone, Firefox: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history. On the phone, Edge: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, favorites, passwords and history.

Engine and extensionsa matter of taste

Firefox is built on Gecko, Firefox’s engine; Edge on Chromium, as Chrome is. Firefox takes extensions from Firefox’s add-ons, Edge from the Chrome Web Store.

PrivacyFirefox leads

Firefox has a VPN and open code. Smart Window sends prompts and what you share through Mozilla’s servers to partner models; Mozilla says it keeps no chat logs without permission and doesn’t train on them. Edge has a VPN. Copilot may use your question, the page, your open tabs and history; Browse with Copilot keeps screenshots up to 30 days, not for training, Microsoft says.

What their pages don’t lead with

Real limits, from the makers’ own words and our own use.

Firefox

Its Smart Window AI is a beta in the US, Canada and France and needs a Mozilla account
Its AI can’t click, fill forms or buy for you
The free VPN covers the browser only, up to 50 GB a month, in a few countries
Firefox add-ons only, not the Chrome Web Store

Microsoft Edge

Browse with Copilot needs Microsoft 365 Premium ($19.99 a month) and is US only
Copilot reads pages, tabs and history unless you turn it off
Workspaces lost sharing in 2026, and Collections were removed
No ad blocker of its own

Yab, honestly

Mac only: macOS 15.4 or later, no Windows, iPhone or Android
New: first released in September 2026
Its AI needs a Claude or ChatGPT plan; ChatGPT’s free plan may work with low limits
WebKit, as in Safari: a site tested only in Chrome can misbehave
Closed source

What changed lately

September 16, 2026Firefox: Smart Window beta expanded from the US and Canada to France
June 4, 2026Edge: Collections removed in Edge 149
May 13, 2026Edge: Copilot Mode retired; its features moved into Edge, and Copilot Actions became Browse with Copilot for Microsoft 365 Premium (US)
March 24, 2026Firefox: Firefox 149 added split view and a free built-in VPN
February 24, 2026Firefox: Firefox 148 added AI Controls with a switch that blocks all AI features

Questions

Is Firefox free?

Yes. Free; its built-in VPN is free up to 50 GB a month.

Is Microsoft Edge free?

Yes, with limits on its AI. Free, with Copilot; Browse with Copilot needs Microsoft 365 Premium $19.99/month (US).

Which has an AI agent, Firefox or Edge?

Edge. Firefox’s Smart Window beta chats with tabs you share and groups them, and a sidebar chatbot can use Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Le Chat or Copilot; it can’t click or fill forms, and one switch turns all AI off. Copilot reads the page, your tabs and history and sums up videos and PDFs; Browse with Copilot scrolls and types in pages for you, signed in, on Microsoft 365 Premium in the US.

Do Firefox and Edge run on Windows?

Yes, both. Firefox runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android; Edge on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android.

Do Firefox and Edge have phone apps?

Both do. On the phone, Firefox: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history. On the phone, Edge: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, favorites, passwords and history.

Can I move from Edge to Firefox?

Yes: Firefox’s own help says it brings in from Edge.

Is there a third option on a Mac?

Yab, Yet Another Browser, is free for the Mac: tabs down the side with spaces, folders and Split View, as in Edge; an agent in your signed-in tabs like Edge’s, on the Claude or ChatGPT plan you already pay for. Claude Code, Codex and any MCP client can drive it too. It runs on WebKit, the engine Safari uses, and takes Chrome extensions. It is Mac only, and new.

More comparisons

Firefox vs Chrome Firefox vs Safari Brave vs Firefox Opera vs Firefox Arc vs Firefox Dia vs Firefox Comet vs Firefox Firefox alternatives Yab vs Firefox Edge vs Chrome Edge vs Safari Brave vs Edge Opera vs Edge Arc vs Edge Dia vs Edge Comet vs Edge Edge alternatives Yab vs Edge

Sources, read October 9, 2026. Something out of date? Write to hello@serafimlabs.io and we fix it.

Yab, Yet Another Browser.

Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.

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