It has almost been a week now since Google went live ^[1] with Google Chrome Extensions ^[2], and barely over a year since Google Chrome ^[3] itself was introduced. On the other hand, Firefox has been around for 5 years now ^[4] and there are tons of Firefox add-ons ^[5] which are much more than useful.

So are Chrome Extensions better than Firefox add-ons? Well, lets take a look at some Head to Head comparison to get an idea. I must make a note that Firefox without add-ons is just another browser, and most of its popularity is because of the add-ons. Google Chrome on the other hand is much more faster, however it still lacks several useful extensions, which is why many users are not yet switching to Chrome.

Don’t Miss: Best and Most Useful Google Chrome Extensions ^[6]

Round 1: Ease of Installation

The one thing I like about Chrome extensions and themes in general is the ability to install and uninstall Chrome extensions without restarting the browser. On the other hand, Firefox needs to be restarted every time you install an extension or theme. Firefox has made some headway in the form of Personas, however the promised introduction of restartless add-ons and theme installation is nowhere to be seen in Firefox 3.6.

Winner: Google Chrome

Round 2: Browser Performance with Extensions/Add-ons

Since the introduction of Google Chrome extensions, many users were skeptical whether installing extensions would slow down the browser or create an impact on its performance. Let’s just say that nothing of that sort will happen, Chrome runs extensions and tabs in separate processes, so no one extension can affect the entire browser. This is a technology which has made Chrome faster than other browsers and much more manageable.

On the other hand, Firefox is known to crawl if you install too many extensions. This may not be due to the browser itself, but try installing 10-15 add-ons and opening 10 tabs, you will notice high memory usage and a significant snag in Firefox performance.

Winner: Google Chrome

Round 3: Choice of Extensions and Features

Firefox has a huge developer base and the number of add-ons available are far more useful than what you will find for Google Chrome. In addition to that, you will also find several complicated and feature rich add-ons for Firefox. However, there are some really advanced extensions created for Chrome too, including Google’s own Speed Tracer ^[7]. So we can safely assume that you will see some advanced and feature rich extensions for Chrome in the future.

Winner: Firefox

Round 4: Ease of Extension Management

Both Firefox and Google Chrome have decent extension management interfaces. Firefox checks for add-on updates at restarts, however, Chrome automatically updates the extensions. The automatic updates for Chrome extensions can be a bit annoying for users who don’t want to update to a newer version of the extension.

Winner: Firefox

Round 5: Security

Google Chrome runs extensions in a separate process in a sandbox environment, so a problem with one extension should not affect the others. However, Firefox does not have this feature. Quite recently, Firefox disabled some Microsoft add-ons ^[8] forcefully due to security issues caused by the add-ons.

Winner: Google Chrome

Round 6: Extension/Add-on Categorization

The Google Chrome extension ^[2] gallery is in its infancy, and right now there is no categorization, which makes it harder to find extensions you are specifically looking for. On the other hand, Mozilla has a well categorized add-on gallery which makes it very easy to find add-ons for specific needs.

Winner: Firefox

Final Round: Techie Buzz Verdict

Both Firefox add-ons and Google Chrome Extensions have their own plus points and negative points. However, it will take a few months to know which one is better as Chrome extensions are actively being developed as we speak. There is no doubt that many extensions which will be created for Chrome will be ported from Firefox, however, it would be interesting to see how many users switch to Chrome because of extensions.

Have you switched to Google Chrome after it started supporting extensions? Do you still think Firefox is the best browser? Tell us your views and opinions through your comments.