There are a number of different web browsers any user can choose from these days. Each browser tries to differentiate itself by adding exclusive features but at one point, they all feel the same.
In this article, we’re comparing Opera’s gaming focussed browser, Opera GX to the most popular web browser ever, Google Chrome to see which one’s the better pick for you.
Also read: Chrome vs Edge vs Firefox: Which browser should you pick?
UI and design
The look and feel of a browser is a major factor in choosing one. Chrome is an everyday browser with just about everything you’d need to get your work done and browse the internet. Opera GX however, is a whole another thing.
First up, Opera GX has Razer Chrome integration built-in, which means the browser can sync its colour scheme with your Razer peripherals. Users can also pick a colour of their choice as the browser’s highlight colour and immerse into the extreme gamer aesthetic.
Opera GX and Chrome both offer customisable themes and wallpapers as well, but if you’re looking for a more gamer-y aesthetic, OperaGX is your choice.
Performance
Both the browsers are just about identical when it comes to performance. Opera, however, has a major advantage when it comes to resource management. You see, Chrome is sort of notorious for being a memory hog. Opera, on the other hand, uses far less memory and even comes with built-in CPU and RAM limiters that give users further control over the browser’s resource allocation.
Features
While Chrome gets the job done, Opera GX goes above and beyond to add tons of features that are of great help to users. GX has a built-in dark mode option that automatically forces a website to render in a dark mode. There’s a snapshot mode as well that lets users take screenshots, annotate them or even add a selfie to the screenshot if they want.
There are in-built ad and tracker blocking options as well. Other than that, GX has an in-built music player that can stream music from YouTube Music, Spotify and Apple Music, and a feature called GX Cleaner, a browser-based utility that can clean up browsing history, downloads, caches and cookies as well as sidebar icons.
Finally, there’s “My Flow” a feature unique to Opera browsers that let you connect all your devices running the same browser to send messages and files between your PC, phone, tablet and whatnot. Chrome’s data syncing feature is just as good, it just won’t let you share files (yet).
However, while Opera GX does have an edge in the feature department, just about all of those features are related to gaming, making the browser not-so-special when it comes to regular use.
Extension Support
In terms of Extension support, Chrome runs away with the win thanks to the massive Chrome App Store that has hundreds of thousands of extensions for all sorts of different things you’d need to do in your browser.
Opera GX however, can run extensions from the Opera Store as well as the Chrome Store. While this might sound like an advantage, running extensions from the Chrome Store can be a bit challenging for the Opera browser and the Opera Store isn’t anywhere close to what the Chrome Store offers.
Security and Privacy
Since Chrome is a Google product, it has always been under scrutiny and suspicion of data stealing and privacy loopholes. The browser does block third-party cookies and has a browser clean-up tool to remove any malicious software and identify potentially dangerous or malicious extensions, downloads and websites.
Opera GX has all these features, but it brings an embedded VPN client as well as ad and tracker blocking to the table, giving it a slight edge over Chrome.
Conclusion
| Opera GX | Chrome | |
|---|---|---|
| Security and Privacy | Built-in VPN and ad tracker Basic security features including malicious file/website detection. | Basic security features including malicious file/website detection. |
| Performance | Nearly identical to Chrome, but lower memory consumption. | High memory consumption. |
| Design and UI | Heavy gamer aesthetic Razer Chroma support | UI and design more focused on everyday use. |
| Extension Support | Supports extension from the Opera Store, might run extensions from the Chrome | Supports extensions from the Chrome Store |
On paper, the Opera GX might seem like the obvious winner, but just like a lot of things in the tech world, the right choice comes down to what you’ll be doing most of the time in your browser.
If you’re looking to get work done and just browse around the internet casually, you’ll be just fine with Chrome. Yes, you can use Opera GX just fine, but all the extra added gaming features will quickly become a hurdle.
On the other hand, if you’re a gamer and play a lot of browser-based games or keep your browser running when you’re gaming, Opera GX is definitely worth a shot.
Also read: Opensea not working on Chrome: 6 Fixes
