Opera GX VS Firefox – Which Is Better For You in 2023?
Opera GX vs Firefox, the showdown
- If you are confused when choosing between Opera GX and Firefox as your daily browser, our comparison is the best place to get started.
- Firefox offers great performance, good privacy, as well as an extensive add-on library.
- Opera GX is the special version of the Opera browser built specifically for power users.
- Discover which of these two offers the best features, user security, and performance even on low-end PCs.
Now if you are considering making a switch and wondering if Opera GX is a better alternative than Firefox, this is the article you need.
You are no stranger to the fact that Firefox is a popular web browser available across platforms with over 10% browser user market share.
With excellent add-on abilities, good privacy, and security features, it is one of the best web browsers available across platforms.
Google Chrome, on the other hand dominates when it comes to web browser market share.
While its extensive Chrome Store extensions are enticing, but not the first choice of browser for individuals skeptical of privacy concerns.
Fortunately, there are multiple Chromium-based browsers like Opera GX from different companies. Opera GX is aimed at gamers and offers some unique features unrivaled by any other browser for PC users.
For more useful information, don’t hesitate to read our in-depth review of Opera GX.
Is Opera GX better for low-end PC?
The advantage of Opera GX is that you can customize the resources it uses. In other words, it can squeeze any of the specs you’ve got to run.
When you think that the browser was created for gaming, you might imagine that it was made for a high-configuration PC, but it’s the opposite.
Is Firefox slower than Opera?
To find out which browser is faster, we tested them with 3 different tools: Speedometer, JetStrem 2, and MotionMark, and here’s what we’ve found:
| Tester (runs per minute) | Opera | Firefox |
|---|---|---|
| Speedometer | 108.20 | 98.40 |
| JetStream 2 | 123.26 | 82.30 |
| MotionMark | 403 | 258 |
Clearly, Opera GX beat Firefox on all grounds at speed so there is no doubt about that. Since it has its bandwidth limiters available, it surely is a better browser for low-end PC.
Opera GX is slim and it has low resource consumption just so it doesn’t interfere with your gaming needs and that makes it perfect for low-end PCs.
Opera GX
Take advantage of the network limiters, RAM and CPU controllers, and battery savers for your laptop and phone.We have compared the two browsers and evaluated them carefully, so don’t hesitate to take a closer look right away.
Opera GX vs Firefox – features, design, & security compared
🖌️ UI & Design
Firefox and Opera GX are nothing alike but are intuitive to use. Opera has made a conscious effort in improving the user experience by offering some unique features with its GX browser.
Starting with Firefox, the design language is modern yet simple. Any type of user can get used to the functions and features offered by the browser.
Opera GX is a gaming-inspired browser. With a dark and red accent theme and Razer Chroma integration, GX can complement your gaming rig and match the theme.
You can pick from one of the pre-selected colors or any color you like by opening the Easy Setup function from the top right corner. Furthermore, you can customize the browser with custom wallpapers.
Due to better tab management and easier navigation to access advanced settings, Opera GX wins the battle between the two web browsers in Firefox vs Opera GX based on the user interface.
⚡Performance
Firefox is known for its excellent memory management. It helps in faster data retrieval and response interval and is ideal for multi-tab users. It can handle heavy sessions without hogging and restrict RAM usage.
Opera GX is on par with Firefox when it comes to RAM management. However, the built-in resource management tool GX Control gives it an edge over Firefox.
Opera GX vs Firefox RAM usage
GX Control comprises a few tools, including CPU, RAM, and Network Limiter. Once enabled, it allows you to limit how much RAM, CPU, and network usage your browser takes up.
So, this would be a hard assessment since there are several factors and variables.
However, Opera GX doesn’t have to deal with any RAM issues since you can allocate it as much as you want.
In fact, this is one of the differences in an Opera browser vs Opera GX comparison.
Regarding the Hot Tab Killer feature, note that it allows you to slash tabs that steal your resources.
While both browsers offer excellent performance and use system resources efficiently, Opera GX offers more for advanced users to prioritize the resources depending on the task.
🧩 Features
Firefox has an extensive add-on library. Although it may not be as large as Chrome’s web store, you can find all the major extensions you want there.
The browser also comes with some handy built-in features, such as the screenshot tool. Right-click on any web page and choose the Take Screenshot option.
You can capture the full screen, choose a specific area or save a full web page. The images can be copied or downloaded to your computer.
Other handy features include a Reading mode that strips off unwanted contents from the web page and Pocket integration to save web pages.
Opera has its add-on library, but it is not as good as the Firefox add-on library. However, this Chromium browser fully supports Chrome Web Store extensions.
In our testing, all the Chrome extensions worked normally without any issues.
Similar to Firefox, Opera GX also offers some handy built-in tools, including a screenshot tool. You can take screenshots, add text, and emojis and annotate and share it on social media.
Additionally, it also offers an intuitive Dark Mode feature. Right-click on any webpage and choose the Force Dark Mode option. Opera GX will show the webpage in dark mode.
As a gaming browser, GX comes with built-in streaming apps and social media integration.
The sidebar allows you to access popular streaming and social media apps, such as Twitch, Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Discord, and more directly from the browser.
Security and Privacy
Firefox offers excellent privacy features. You can choose what to block and allow from the settings. The company being non-profit means it is much easier to trust the company when it comes to user data.
Users can block trackers, cookies, crypto miners, and fingerprints from the settings. The Enhanced Tracking Protection blockers target over 2,000 trackers including trackers from companies like Facebook, Twitter, and more.
As for the Firefox Monitor feature, it can automatically notify you if your password has been breached.
Opera GX offers a similar set of privacy and security features as Firefox, in addition to a free VPN and ad blocker.
The built-in ad blocker blocks suspicious and annoying ads on web pages. As for the VPN, you can access restricted content securely.
Both browsers warn you about suspicious pages by checking the active page against its database of phishing and malware websites.
Opera GX vs Firefox privacy
Firefox and Opera GX offer great security features, including a third-party cookie tracker blocker.
Opera GX, however, has an edge with its adblocker and built-in, which is not a standard feature across browsers, including Firefox.
Opera GX vs Chrome vs Firefox
Chrome beats the two other browsers in terms of market share and extensions, but it’s not ideal when it comes to sheer functionality.
We’re not even getting to features because we constantly deal with Chrome’s multitude of errors and problems that we addressed until now.
While Chrome and Opera have a Chromium engine, Firefox has its own Gecho engine, which makes it a bit different.
In features, Opera GX stands out again with its social network integration and a free VPN that you usually need to pay a lot of money for.
Which one is your choice?
Mozilla Firefox is an excellent browser when it comes to performance, design, security, and features. However, for gamers and power users, Opera GX offers more.
Apart from the unique GX control feature that allows you to limit the CPU, memory, and network usage of your browser, it also comes with social media and streaming app integration.
For those who want to switch from Firefox to a Chromium-based browser, Opera GX is an excellent alternative. It offers more features, better security, and greater control over your browser.
You should also consult our list of the best browsers with low memory usage if you want an efficient browser.
Which one did you choose? Share your insights with us in the comments section below.
