Opera or Firefox? Confused? Going crazy over what’s better. This comparison might just help you a bit to decide.
- Interface
Basically both programs follow the same traditional placement of buttons of any browser. Based on the default skin Opera would win this. It consists of a sleeker interface. Also websites loaded in Opera are ‘skinned’ as well. With checkboxes, fonts and command buttons in web pages the same as the ones in the opera skin. Firefox though uses a basic interface. Both programs contain some good skins and with skins taken into consideration the result would be a tie.
- Ease of use
Both programs present its features and preferences in a user-friendly way. So by ease of use it would be a tie.
- Memory Usage
Firefox takes maybe a split second longer to open. While browsing as well, switching between windows maybe a bit slower compared to Opera, so opera would be better in terms of memory usage while this difference is just a bit.
- Popularity
Well, based on the number of downloads on software indexes, internet statistics and monitoring user visit statistics to this website Firefox would win this by a mile.
- Browsing speed
This is arguable too. Firefox maybe a bit faster than Opera but opera displays the loaded contents in smaller packets than Firefox so if you have a narrow band connection Opera would be better but if you’ve got a broadband connection which is mostly the case Firefox would be a better a choice
- Compatibility
I doubt you have ever come across a choice which is not compatible with firefox. There are some sites though which do not support Opera. One example would be the Google Page Creator(update: this no longer is an issue however there are still a few sites not displayed correctly and supported by Opera). There are few other sites as well so ‘compatibility’ goes to firefox. Also another important fact would be some anti virus, anti spyware and download manager applications don’t support Opera while they do support Firefox.
- Privacy
Here again it would be a tie. Both programs provide a window where all temporary files could be just selected and deleted. Both programs allow basic privacy options like disabling history, cookies, etc.
- Plug-ins & add-ons
Both programs provide plug-ins & add-ons. Opera provide this in the form of widgets. Both programs provide many useful add-ons and plug-ins. However, Firefox offers a lot more addons than Opera, this reflects on the user base of the two browsers as well. Firefox has a lot more users therefore more addons developed.
Overall:
Based on the comparison above both programs are quite closely matched but i use Firefox as there are some add-ons i use that i cannot surf without and also because i’ve gotten used to it. Managing and developing this site is done using firefox, so firefox is my choice. What’s yours?
Updated - January 5th 2008
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Feb 23, 2008 at 14:33:44
In my opinion Opera is much faster at slow connections. Firefox having an edge as far as the add-ons are concerned.
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Feb 23, 2008 at 23:18:07
that’s just about right,but if you havent used firefox yet you should try it,initially you may feel opera is still faster but that’s because your frequently visited pages are cached by opera.
when it comes to plug-ins all i can say is every blessing has a curse, while plug-ins optimize the browser and makes life easier a lot more,it slows down the booting up of the browser dramatically.
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Mar 28, 2008 at 07:02:45
Great tips, i found all information i was looking for, i will use some of them.
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Mar 28, 2008 at 07:15:55
Nice to hear you liked the post
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Apr 17, 2008 at 08:59:30
Firefoxcan be REALLY sluggish running under OSX due to it not being a native app. Opera however is lightning fast in the same environment.
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Apr 17, 2008 at 09:49:59
Guess Opera is better for OSX then, but this comparison is based on Windows usage, thanks for the point.
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May 17, 2008 at 11:05:32
Firefox is my choice as well. The only problem with Firefox is the memory leak problem. But it’s still the best compare to other browsers
Cool’s last blog post..Cool Free Software For XP and Vista
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true..i guess everythin is all good with firefox except for problems with memory..haven’t tried ff3 much but wonder if they’ve taken steps in this version..
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Jun 14, 2008 at 15:40:51
iam big fan of firefox for the plugins it support and i like opera for speed . Now iam using Firefox3 RC and it is looking very speed browser
Now firefox 3 coming on june 17 , time to switch to FF3
Tech Brave’s last blog post..Finally : Firefox 3 will be released on June 17th
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yeah..totally agree with you, i am currently using ff3 rc2 and its vast improvements has truly made it the dominant browser around from the add ons to the security to the speed…thanks for the comment!
lets hope it gets to the guinness on 17th!
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Aug 29, 2008 at 01:25:49
i use both but i prefer to use opera, its just easier and faster to use in my opinion.
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Sep 28, 2008 at 02:22:11
if you have a fast connection go with firefox for customization.
if you have a slow connection go with opera for more speed.
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Sep 28, 2008 at 15:20:08
Firefox 3 is better and faster. Opera is good enough, too.
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Sep 30, 2008 at 06:43:00
I think Firefox is better than Opera its fast, more secure. I don’t like Opera because it always stuck on my computer
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Oct 1, 2008 at 06:43:38
Both are great browsers. lots feature. Firefox is strong in addon only because of variety of plugins
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Oct 3, 2008 at 22:56:21
I do like opera but firefox has a lot more functionality. Google chrome is one to watch too though
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Oct 11, 2008 at 07:43:53
FireFox is amazing! The plugin help you do everything… I’m surprized IE is still more populat though!
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Nov 7, 2008 at 16:45:16
I’d say that, for me, it has to be the extent of the plugins that Firefox produces from the community. I love a good number of things about Opera, including its extensive modern thinking about mobile support, but I keep coming back to Firefox. Thanks for a good post.
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Nov 26, 2008 at 19:30:11
I vote for opera..
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Nov 30, 2008 at 00:41:13
Firefox 3 rules man. The coolest i would ever say ……. yet !!!
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Dec 4, 2008 at 15:18:03
I choose firefox for many plugins I just like. I found the way to release RAM used by my browser when minimizing. It’s something in about:config if you need to find it. Hope it helps!
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Dec 22, 2008 at 17:51:17
Opera maybe faster than firefox , but i use firefox
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Jan 3, 2009 at 22:06:00
Both are great browsers and have lots feature. But I prefer to choose Firefox because it have more variety of plugins
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