Safari and Firefox are two of the last major browsers that don’t use Google’s Chromium rendering engine. Firefox uses the Gecko engine while Safari uses Webkit. With each iteration of macOS, Apple has improved the default browsing experience on the Mac.
The majority tend to use Safari on macOS as the browser comes by default (you can’t change it anyway) and can seamlessly pass user browsing data between devices.
Firefox emphasizes the rapid development of the browser to attract users and stand out from its competitors.
In this article, we will compare the Safari browser with Firefox on Mac. Unlike iOS, the battlefield is here for both contenders as the system lets you change the default browser.
The comparison will be based on UI, features, themes, news integration, password management and more. Let’s start with cross-platform availability.
Cross-Platform Availability
As with every Apple software, the Safari browser is only available on iOS and Mac. In Firefox’s state, you can access the browser from anywhere. It is available on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and even Linux.
User Interface and Theme
Safari adheres to reliable interface design for navigation. It hasn’t changed much over the years. The default page shows favorites tabs, frequently visited websites, and Siri’s suggestion below.
Extensions (more on this later), history, reading list and share menu are at the top. I recommend mastering keyboard shortcuts to quickly access and navigate the Safari browser. It also supports the system-wide dark theme introduced in macOS Mojave.
Firefox has gone through some interface changes and I found that it looks slightly better than the Safari browser. It displays the default search engine, top sites, and highlights. Highlights are a useful addition.
It is a combination of recently visited pages, bookmarks, downloads and articles saved in Pocket service. You can customize this from the Settings menu.
Firefox has a different take on the theme engine. Go to Preferences > Extensions & Themes > Themes and choose from the various options available. Firefox also offers the ability to custom build the theme from scratch.
The added changes apply to the search bar, tabs bar, and settings menu.
Features
A browser experience is not limited to just loading and reading a web page. Users today demand a rich experience with added functionality. Safari offers a clean-looking reading mode that eliminates unnecessary elements on a web page like ads, social integration, and comments.
It can also be customized. You can change the font style, size and background color of the reading mode.
Safari has seamless integration between iOS and macOS. Tap the tab switcher and the browser will show the tab opened on your iPhone. Similarly, while browsing on iOS, the export function allows you to move the same webpage forward on macOS.
You can also use the default Spotlight Search (Command + Space shortcut) and start typing the web page name; It will show suggestions from Safari history. I often use it to visit a web page without opening the browser. The functionality is not available in third-party browsers.
Firefox also offers a sync feature, but it’s hidden in the Options menu. Go to Options > Library > Synced Tabs and there you will see Firefox tabs open on iPhone or Android. Yes, it also works with Android.
Firefox’s reading mode is one step ahead of Safari. Not only does it offer a way to change the font size and style, but it also allows you to save an article directly to Pocket and have it read it for you.
The browser also provides a capable built-in screenshot tool to crop and save web information on Mac.
Firefox recently introduced advanced privacy protection options with live data and graphs. The browser displays the number of trackers and cookies blocked during the browsing period. Tap the shield icon in the search bar and have peace of mind.
Search engine
Both browsers feature Google as the default search engine out of the box. You can change this by going to Preferences > Search in Safari and choosing between Bing, Yahoo, or DuckDuckGo.
Firefox has once again outstripped Safari. In Firefox, the user does not need to go to settings to search using a different engine. When you start typing a keyword in the search bar, it displays the available search engine options at the bottom. You can search using Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Twitter and Wikipedia.
Extensions
In terms of extension support, Safari lags behind Firefox. The list of extensions is limited and you will have a hard time searching for an extension for every need. Go to Safari > Safari Extensions and install from the list.
You can manage them and integrate them into your browser experience by going to Preferences > Extensions.
Firefox offers a rich collection neatly divided into different sections. There is an extension for every use case.
Password Management
Seamless password management is an important aspect of today’s browser experience. By default, Safari stores all credentials in the iCloud keychain. So the next time you try to sign into an account, use the login information from the iCloud keychain or tap on Touch ID to automatically fill in the details.
Firefox introduced Firefox Lockwise to save and store every login details. It’s not full-featured password management, but it has enough functionality to get the job done. As a bonus, the service is also available on Android and iOS.
Convenience or Features?
The answer is simple here. If you have an iPhone, Apple’s tight integration between the Safari browser on iOS and macOS might win you over. It also has good extension support, capable password management, and just the right number of features to get you started.
Firefox is cross-platform, meaning your data can be accessed from any platform. The software also provides a better extension and a theme engine to truly customize the browsing experience.
Next: Interested in the same comparison on iOS? Read the post below to find the details between Safari and Firefox on iPhone.
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