Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge: which browser should you use?

Pick by the account you already use

Chrome and Edge are both free and both built on Chromium, so most of the difference lies in the ecosystem behind them. Chrome sign-in is optional; with a Google Account, bookmarks, passwords and other data follow you across Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android, and history syncs only if Web & App Activity is on. Google Password Manager generates and autofills strong passwords, and the App Store listing adds Google Lens and full-page translation across 130+ languages.

Edge syncs passwords, favorites and settings through a Microsoft account; Microsoft's privacy documentation says synced autofill data is stored on encrypted Microsoft servers. Edge runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS (the current App Store version needs iOS 18.0 or later), and version 157 (5 November 2026) added sign-in with an Apple account. If your passwords sit in Google Password Manager, Chrome means less migration; if your work revolves around Windows and Microsoft 365, Edge fits more naturally.

Performance: plenty of tools, no independent numbers

Chrome's homepage lists Memory Saver, Energy Saver, named and coloured tab groups, vertical tabs and split view, and Google ships a new version roughly every four weeks. Edge offers Energy Saver, Startup Boost and Sleeping Tabs, and Microsoft says Energy Saver adds 25 minutes of battery on average. The version 157 release notes add Accelerated App Launch support on Windows 11.

All of that comes from the vendors. AppDuo's research records contain no independent measurement of page-load speed, memory use or battery drain for either browser, and both score 7.6/10 on performance. So "which one is faster" has no evidence-based answer here; what is certain is that both let you put idle tabs to sleep and switch on a battery-saving mode.

Gemini and Copilot: what they do and what they read

According to Gemini Help, Gemini in Chrome summarises and explains page content and answers from the tabs you share. On a computer it can take up to 10 open tabs, and a separate feature has Gemini search your Chrome history for a page. Auto browse, which lets the AI act on websites for you, is limited to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US.

Copilot in Edge summarizes articles, PDFs and videos, answers questions about the current page and compares information across tabs. Microsoft launched Copilot Mode as an experiment on 28 July 2025; TechCrunch reported it was free at the time, looked at open tabs only with permission, and that how well it works "remains to be seen". On data, Microsoft states that when you allow it, Edge sends full context only for public pages in the Bing index, does not store page content, and keeps chat history until you delete it. The Chrome record does not say how long Gemini retains data.

Privacy: a general policy versus itemised telemetry

Google retired Chrome's separate privacy notice, so personal data in Chrome now falls under Google's general Privacy Policy. In July 2024 Google said it would not deprecate third-party cookies in Chrome and would instead offer users a choice. Incognito clears cookies and history when the window closes and blocks third-party cookies by default, but Google states that websites, Google itself, schools, employers and internet providers may still see activity.

Microsoft splits Edge's diagnostic data into required data (to keep the browser secure and updated) and optional data, sent only with permission, that can include the URLs and titles of pages you visit; to stop sending it you have to opt out yourself. On Windows the data carries a device-specific identifier, is aggregated and stripped of personal identifiers, and is kept for up to two years. Microsoft states that InPrivate and Guest mode never send information about sites visited. AppDuo rates privacy 6.2/10 for Edge and 5.8/10 for Chrome; the gap is small, and privacy-minded users should review settings whichever they pick.

Windows, default-browser disputes and legacy extensions

Edge comes preinstalled on Windows 11 and Windows 10 20H2 or later, while Chrome is a separate install needing Windows 10 or later (Windows on ARM needs Windows 11); Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 stopped at Chrome 109. That coupling is also Edge's most criticised trait: Wikipedia records Windows opening some links in Edge regardless of the default browser, Microsoft blocking the EdgeDeflector workaround in November 2021, and prompts shown on Chrome's download page. On Google's side, Digiday reports that on 2 September 2025 Judge Amit Mehta ruled Google need not sell Chrome in the search antitrust case, but barred exclusive distribution contracts for Chrome, Search and Gemini.

On extensions, moving from Chrome to Edge does not rescue Manifest V2 add-ons. Chrome 138 (24 July 2025) disabled them for good and Google removed them from the Chrome Web Store on 31 August 2026; Edge's Canary channel began disabling them in March 2025, uBlock Origin included. In return, Edge's mobile app supports extensions and bundles AdBlock Plus and Tracking Prevention.