Chrome Vs. Edge: A battle for the internet's future
By: Oliver Rahman
Here's a fun fact you probably didn't know: The Microsoft browser Edge on desktops usage has increased 12-fold over the past 5 years, peaking at an all-time high of 16.7% early last year. But what has been driving this growth? And is this the end for google chrome in the future? What is Microsoft doing right that google doesn't seem to understand. I will go over all this and more in this post and show my prediction for the future.
 |
| market share of Edge over the past 10 years |
So, what's been driving this CRAZY growth?
There are a few general things that are causing the switch and these are:
- Speed
- Battery life
- More built-in features
- Benefits
While some of these might seem obvious, others might surprise you and might even save you money! let's go down the list:
1 & 2 Speed and battery life
Up first, surprisingly, is speed! But not for everyone. Lots of tests have been conducted recently and what people found out is that edge is better utilizing resources and uses significantly less RAM per tab.
With 6 tabs: Edge ~665 MB vs Chrome ~1.4 GB.
With 60 tabs: Edge ~2.9 GB vs Chrome ~3.7 GB.
Edge’s Sleeping Tabs feature helps conserve memory and CPU, making it ideal for multitasking and lower-spec PCs.
While edge still leads in general loading page speed and some other metrics, edge is not far behind. Edge might even take over in a few years if it can optimize its optimization with lower end PCs. Edge seems to be the choice for those who multitask more often considering it does extremely well when dealing with dozens of tabs, even on older models.
3 & 4. Built in features and benefits
Edge has certain built in features like a VPN, vertical tabs, shopping tools, Split screen, AI integration, and dozens more. These are causing many to switch because of the potential savings and ease of use on the internet compared to chrome. Another important thing to mention, which is really important on this list, is search itself. Google has been adding way more ads on chrome recently, causing them to pile up when you search for things online sometimes, and becoming a hassle trying to find what you need. Chrome and Edge's method of putting ads on their search browsers is becoming very different. Since edge has more areas for putting ads (like in its shopping section, MSN, or content feeds) edge can make the personal experience of the user feel much smoother.
 |
| The rows of ads for google were so long I almost couldn't get all of them! |
Google has also been integrating ai in the wrong way most of the time. When you search up something on google (e.g, what is a rock?) you'll get a massive ai response that shows up first on google, with an option to explore even more in "Ai mode'. With edge, you get a smaller response (and sometimes a Copilot explanation) but edge generally doesn't push their ai agenda as much to the user. This benefits Edge while posing challenges for Chrome for two key reasons. First, when Chrome’s AI mode is active, users are more likely to engage with the Gemini response rather than scrolling down to sponsored ads. This reduces ad click-through rates, making advertisers reconsider their investment in Chrome’s ecosystem. In contrast, Edge’s more balanced approach, offering AI assistance without overshadowing traditional search results, encourages users to scroll further. This increases visibility for publishers and advertisers, generating revenue for both them and Microsoft, and potentially benefiting you as well!
What do I mean, that searching can benefit you as well? Well, on edge, whenever you search up anything, you get 10 points (up to 150-250 points/day*). There are also multiple other ways users can earn points per day, which you can then redeem in Microsoft's rewards page. These rewards stem from gift cards to sweepsteaks and much more. The deals aren't terrible either. For instance, with 39k points you can redeem a $30 amazon gift card, just from doing what you normally do- searching!
 |
| A list of some of the rewards Microsoft Rewards offers |
The average user on edge searches on average 10-20 searches per day. Adding up the points over a single year, you could save yourself roughly $30 a year simply from switching to edge! (depends how you redeem your points). Below is the total accumulated points I have made since September 2024 searching moderately:
 |
| My total accumulated points using edge for the past year |
All of these are starting to help edge catch up in the desktop sphere. But why not mobile? Edge has a mobile app... however its hardly used, with the edge mobile app taking up less than 1% of mobile searches. This is mainly due to IOS's Safari being deeply integrated on iPhone and Google being deeply integrated on android. Also, since Microsoft does not have a dedicated phone lineup, it makes them hard to compete in this area for now. If edge were to make their mobile app easier to integrate on android by making deals with Samsung, Motorola, and others they might be able to break into mobile too.
Is this the end for google?
It's not exactly the end of google, but it is a step in the wrong direction for them. Google has been the default search engine since the early 2000s, and relatively speaking, it's losing ground fast. If google wants to adapt, they need to change how they see search and revenue for chrome and start offering things like rewards and other incentives to keep people from switching.
One personal thing I've noted from my life is that once I got to college, I've barely used google product and have practically switched entirely to Microsoft. Microsoft's PowerPoint is better than Google's Slides, Excel is better than sheets, and now edge is better than chrome. Gemini is integrated in docs, slides, and others but if few use those services there's no point. If one uses all the other Microsoft products edge will soon follow. This is crucial as people who spend the most money are those in their Middle Ages. Google's services (besides chrome) only seem to be relevant until high school is finished for most in the corporate world. And the fact that Google is now losing ground on chrome is troubling for them.
Google needs to adapt and quickly, preferably targeting individuals who are older with more wealth to spend, as I feel they target college and high school students too much. And if you didn't know already: Us college and high school kids are broke as hell.
The takeaway
The battle for the internet is well under way, and Microsoft for the first time is starting to lose lots of ground, making way for others to take over their monopoly on the internet. AI has also been shifting how we search and out behaviors online, which can deeply impact Google's bottom line as search is what they're known for. If ChatGPT starts taking over their base too, there's nowhere for them to run unlike Microsoft, has more of a business-to-business model than Google.
Google needs to change or at least reevaluate their space and mission on the internet in the coming years, as the following years will be the most exciting in all of the internet's history.
If you have decided to switch to Bing and want to join Microsoft Rewards, you can use my referral link here! It gives me some extra points on Microsoft rewards helping me out a little, so thank you! This article wasn't sponsored by Microsoft nor am I related to it in any way.
Make sure to read my disclaimer page, and if you want to, subscribe to my newsletter or donate! Thank you!
Join Microsoft Rewards here: https://rewards.bing.com/welcome?rh=3A5DBEEA&ref=rafsrchae
*150-250 points depending on what "level" you are in Microsoft rewards, the higher the level, the more points you can earn per day as a more loyal user.
Sources
Comments
Post a Comment