Microsoft Edge vs Opera

2023. Microsoft is bringing AI Copilot features to Edge



It appears that Microsoft is striving to establish Edge as the leading browser for business. The company recently announced several AI-powered enhancements for its Edge browser, with the most significant being the integration of Microsoft 365 Copilot. This enterprise-focused AI system will be seamlessly embedded within the browser. The main objective of Microsoft Copilot is to leverage AI technology in order to enhance productivity and streamline workflows. By accessing and analyzing various Microsoft data sources such as calendars, chats, emails, and documents, Copilot assists users through conversational requests. For instance, if you ask it to "inform my team about today's updates to our product strategy," it will generate a response based on relevant information from the day.


2023. Microsoft launches new Bing and Edge browser with ChatGPT



Microsoft is intensifying its efforts to compete with Google by making significant advancements. In an official announcement, the company confirmed the integration of OpenAI's GPT-4 model into Bing, fulfilling long-standing rumors. This integration introduces a ChatGPT-like interaction within the search engine. As expected, the updated Bing now presents a chat option in its toolbar, leading users to a conversational experience reminiscent of ChatGPT. Additionally, Microsoft is launching a fresh version of its Edge browser, incorporating these new AI capabilities into the sidebar. With this enhanced browser, internet users can now leverage AI assistance to summarize search results and engage in conversations with AI chatbots to obtain answers to their queries, among other functionalities.


2022. Microsoft’s Edge browser gets shared Workspaces



Microsoft has introduced several notable updates to its Edge browser, focusing on enhancing the user experience. Among these updates, Edge Workspaces stands out as a significant feature currently available in preview. This feature enables teams to collaborate by sharing browser tabs. Microsoft emphasizes its usefulness when onboarding new team members to an ongoing project. Instead of sharing numerous links and files, teams can simply share a single link to an Edge Workspace. This workspace will contain various links and files related to the project, offering a centralized and organized collaboration environment. As the project progresses, the shared tabs are updated in real-time, ensuring everyone stays up to date. While similar extensions have been introduced in the past, they have not gained significant popularity. It is worth noting that teams also utilize alternative methods to share links and files, such as through platforms like Confluent and others.


2021. Microsoft Edge now starts up faster and gets vertical tabs



The much-anticipated vertical tabs feature in Microsoft Edge is finally available to all users. Furthermore, the updated Edge browser now offers significant performance improvements, with Microsoft's preliminary tests indicating a potential speed boost of up to 41%. To achieve this, the Edge team has implemented a background loading mechanism that initiates the browser when you sign in, allowing it to remain operational even after closing all browser windows. Should you prefer not to use this feature, it can be easily disabled to suit your preferences.


2020. Microsoft’s Edge browser is coming to Linux



When Microsoft made the decision to transition its Edge browser to the Chromium engine, it made a commitment to make it available on all major platforms. Initially, Linux was not included in that list, but towards the end of last year, it became evident that Microsoft was actively developing a Linux version. As of now, Linux users have the option to obtain the browser either from the Edge Insider website or through their native package managers. Linux users will enjoy the same Edge browsing experience as users on Windows and macOS, along with access to its integrated privacy and security features.


2020. Microsoft Edge gets a Pinterest integration, sidebar search and automatic profile switching


The Microsoft Edge browser is introducing a range of exciting new features. Firstly, it will integrate with Pinterest, enhancing Edge's collections feature. Alongside the Pinterest integration, collections will now allow users to send items to Microsoft's OneNote note-taking tool in addition to its existing Word and Excel integrations. Another notable addition to Edge is Sidebar Search, which enables users to conduct searches within a sidebar without the need to open a new tab in the main browser window. This sidebar will remain visible as users navigate between tabs, making it a convenient feature likely to be emulated by others in the future. Moreover, Edge now offers automatic profile switching, catering to users who frequently switch between personal and business accounts within the same browser on their device.


2019. Opera became more secure with built-in tracking protection


The latest release of the Opera browser introduces a new tracker blocker feature designed to enhance your online privacy by making it more challenging for advertisers and other entities to track your browsing activities. A notable advantage of this feature is its ability to accelerate your browsing experience. According to Opera, enabling both the tracking protection and the built-in ad blocker can lead to a page load speed improvement of up to 23 percent. By default, the new tracking protection feature is deactivated, similar to the existing ad blocker. The tracking feature relies on the widely used EasyPrivacy Tracking Protection List, which has been available for several years.


2019. Opera Touch brought website cookie blocking to iOS



Opera Touch for iOS has introduced an important new feature: cookie blocking. This feature enables the blocking of intrusive dialogs that request your consent for website cookies. These dialogs can be particularly troublesome on mobile devices, often completely interrupting the ability to view content. In contrast, desktop websites typically present a pop-up banner at the top or bottom of the page, which can be (somewhat) ignored. With the widespread implementation of cookie dialogs due to Europe's GDPR regulations, many users find them excessively intrusive. Currently, dismissing these prompts requires an additional click, which slows down web browsing—especially when quickly navigating through multiple websites in search of specific information.


2019. Opera for Android added built-in VPN



In 2016, Opera introduced a free VPN app for Android, which was later discontinued. However, Opera is now bringing back the free VPN service as part of its Opera browser for Android. The feature is currently in the testing phase and is gradually being rolled out to Opera beta users. Once activated, users can select their desired virtual location, although the options may not be as extensive as those offered by commercial VPN services. Users can choose to appear virtually located in Europe, America, or Asia. Opera assures users that it does not retain any usage logs. Additionally, Opera already provides a free and unlimited VPN within its desktop web browser. Similarly, the mobile browser allows users to bypass the VPN when accessing search engines.


2018. Microsoft Edge gets password-less authenticator



Users of Microsoft Edge now have the convenience of logging into their favorite websites without the need for passwords. Microsoft has introduced a new web authenticator that leverages features such as fingerprints, facial recognition, and special PINs. This authentication method, accessible through Windows Hello, is similar to the authenticators launched by Google and Firefox several months ago. While this feature represents a significant advancement for Microsoft, the company is playing catch-up, as reflected by Edge's current market share of 4.19 percent. The Web Authenticator's virtual nature ensures that if someone gains access to a user's device, they cannot log in since there is no longer a locally stored system to exploit. The entire security process is outsourced to Microsoft as a trusted third party.