Chrome is perhaps the most used browser by Internet users around the world, due to its good work in recent years and its integration with Google services, such as Gmail, Google Maps or Google Photos, among others.
However, you should know that it doesn’t have to be the best browser of all. In fact, there are on the market alternatives which could best meet your needs.
This is the case of Firefox, a browser that is not based on Chromium, the project that drives Chrome, and which would be the main difference compared to other competitors such as Microsoft Edge or Opera.
But Firefox has an excellent team of developers who have always been very interested in maintaining privacy on the web. As a result, using Firefox can increase PC performance and add security extras to your sessions. on line.
Next, we’re going to tell you eight reasons why you should at least consider using it in view of what the current versions offer us, with integrated functions that do not exist in Chrome, or that require the installation of additional third-party add-ons.
Block video autoplay
Many web pages contain videos and other media that play automatically when the page loads. So much so that not all browsers automatically mute the sound, despite the universal hatred they generate.
Video autoplay may consume more unnecessary bandwidth when using a limited data connection if you are browsing from your smartphone oh Tablet.
In Chrome, if you want to block sites from autoplaying, you need to find and install a third-party extension. This does not happen in Firefox, as the browser blocks audio and video from autoplaying, even for YouTube.
If you want to reverse this option and let them load automatically when visiting a page, Firefox allows you to easily change it from the browser’s configuration settings.
faster browsing
After a fresh install of Firefox, the browser automatically blocks trackers that can slow down browsing. How much more
Even though they are running invisibly in the background, they are still there which can slow down or speed up your PC. If you prevent them from working, you will make web browsing much more agile.
Firefox also prevents cryptominers from accessing your device, also known as hacking practices. cryptojacking. This is when a website allows malicious code to use your computer to mine cryptocurrency.
Indirectly, this protection feature also contributes to browsing speed. If your system resources are occupied by a cryptominer access your device, your PC will seem sluggish even when you are just browsing the net.
Lighten the load on the system CPU
Chrome has a reputation for hogging system resources i.e. RAM, but sometimes it also affects CPU load more than expected. Google has taken steps to reduce these issues, but Firefox has never had such issues before.
This generally slows down system resources and when you start piling up open tabs and windows, browsing sessions don’t slow down.
That said, Firefox can also sometimes suffer from memory overload, if you like to leave lots of tabs open for days on end. But you can quickly fix this problem by using the Firefox Task Manager to close and bring back a tab that went haywire.
As long as your browser is set to remember your browsing history, completely close the app and reopen it. (Your tabs should restore automatically without needing to restart your entire PC.)
Mobile Extensions
Are you tired of opening annoying ads when browsing with your mobile phone? Android users are in luck. Just like the desktop version, you can install browser extensions on the mobile version of Firefox.
It must be said that it is limited to a maximum of 17 plugins, but with them you will be able to cover the key aspects to improve security and web browsing.
You will find recognizable options like uBlock Origin (ad blocking), No scripts (proficiency in JavaScript), HTTPS Everywhere (force secure connections to websites when available) and much more.
Installing an ad blocker allows for a smoother browsing experience: no more accidental clicks on pop-ups, ads or sponsored links you don’t want to visit.
Sync across all devices
Part of Chrome’s appeal is the seamless nature of Google’s ecosystem: accessing your bookmarks and syncing your open tabs across devices is simple. But this feature shouldn’t be a reason to stick with Chrome.
Firefox also lets you easily browse the web on all devices. It’s as platform independent as Chrome, so you can switch between Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, and iOS seamlessly.
Create a Firefox Sync account and your browsing history, bookmarks, tabs, saved passwords and more will follow you on any device you log in to.
You can also use additional privacy and security oriented services, such as Firefox Relay (masking e-mails) and Firefox Monitor (data breach monitoring) from the same single account.
Additional Privacy Safeguards
In addition to automatically blocking third-party cookies and trackers from collecting data about your browsing habits, Firefox also blocks fingerprinting, a more advanced method of monitoring people on the web.
A fingerprint collects information about Materialthe Software your PC (operating system and browser), plugins, preferences and sometimes more themes and customizations.
Tracking a digital fingerprint can last for months or even longer, meaning anyone looking at your data can get a good idea of your privacy and habits.
Consider it a more invasive way for someone to stalk you through Instagram and other social media accounts, but instead they collect information that you didn’t officially want to make public, maybe not even with your friends and family.
Firefox also allows users to enable DNS over HTTPS (DoH). Normally, when you enter a URL (for example, https://www.igamesnews.com) in the address bar and press ‘Enter’, the search for the IP address to which the domain name is launched is done in clear text.
That is, anyone in your network can see what sites you are accessing. But if you force the process to be done through an encrypted server, you will foil any eavesdropping attempt.
East official firefox extension it also lets you juggle other accounts and prevents third-party tracking cookies from seeing more than they should.
reader mode
Sometimes you just want to read the article on a web page, not browse through pop-ups, video embeds, ads, and whatever else the site owner puts on the page to keep your attention and traffic (ahem ). Having all the extras on the page can slow down your ability to scroll.
Well, you can reduce visual distractions with extensions that remove ads, block scripts and more, but Firefox gives you an additional one-click option for removing clutter from a page: Reader Mode.
Click an icon in the address bar and you’ll get a clean, streamlined view that just displays the text in a large, readable font, so all the images that come with the story disappear as well. You will be able to skip the text much faster.
To be fair, Chrome has already offered a reading mode, but the development team can’t decide whether to keep it or not. Some versions of Chrome let you turn it on, some don’t. In Firefox, it seems to be here years ago to stay.
open source code
Try asking current Firefox users why they switched browsers and you might hear “It’s not Chrome”.
What makes Chrome so bad? The big problem for most is that all of your data is exposed to a company that makes money from advertising. (Remember that if a service is free, you are the product.) That’s the big deal with privacy.
It’s also harder for the community to verify Chrome’s security. Although it is built on an open source project (Chromium), the official Chrome browser combines Google’s proprietary spin on this code and keeps the end results secret.
Users cannot examine how things are built. Many people don’t see this as a problem, but knowing how something is done can tell you a lot more about its weaknesses. With Firefox, this is not a problem.
Original article published in PC World United States by Alaina Ye.
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