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Side-by-side comparison ยท AI Browsers & Agents

Firefox vs Google Chrome vs Manus

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Firefox

3.6

Free to start

Best overall

Google Chrome

4.1

From $19.99/mo

Manus

3.7

From From $20/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Pick it if: Business owners who want a trusted, independent browser and want to decide for themselves whether AI is on or off.

Best overall

Pick it if: Anyone already using Chrome and Google's apps who wants AI help reading, comparing and researching without switching browsers.

Pick it if: People who want to hand off whole tasks and don't want to build the automation themselves.

Overview

AttributeFirefoxGoogle ChromeManus
In one lineMozilla's free browser with optional AI you can switch off with one setting.The world's most used browser, now with Gemini built in to read pages and do tasks.A general-purpose agent that takes a goal and works through it in its own browser.
Pricing modelFreeFreemiumFreemium
Starting priceFree$19.99/moFrom $20/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code No No Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeFirefoxGoogle ChromeManus
Overall rating3.64.1Winner3.7
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.5
4.5
4.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
3.0
4.0
4.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
3.5
3.5
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.5
4.5
3.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
3.5
4.0
3.5

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeFirefoxGoogle ChromeManus
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes Yes
Browser extension No Yes Yes
API access No No Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace No Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files No Yes Yes
Understands images No Yes Yes
Makes images No Yes Yes
Makes video No No Yes
Writes code No No Yes
Runs agents or automations No Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style No No No
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score6/ 1712/ 1715/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeFirefoxGoogle ChromeManus
Plans

FirefoxOur pick

Free

Everyone, with AI on or off as you choose.

FreeOur pick

Free

Most people: summaries, tab comparisons and AI search.

Free

Free

Quick questions and seeing what it can do.

Smart Window beta

Free

Heavy researchers in the US, Canada or France.

Google AI Pro

$19.99/mo

US users who want Gemini to do tasks on websites for them.

ProOur pick

From $20/mo, less with yearly billing

Anyone who wants to hand off real research and build jobs.

Google AI Ultra

From $99.99/mo

Heavy users who hit Pro's limits.

Pro (higher tier)

From $40/mo, less with yearly billing

Heavier users and anyone publishing websites with it.

Team

From $20/seat/mo

Teams that want shared credits and admin controls.

Enterprise

Custom

Large organisations.

Which plan to pickThere's nothing to pay. Use the sidebar with whatever AI account you already have. If you're in the US, Canada or France, try Smart Window with a free Mozilla account. Everyone else can join the waitlist.Use it free. The side panel is what most business owners will actually use, and it's free in Australia. Only pay for AI Pro if you're in the US or India and want auto browse, or you want Gemini's better models anyway. Nobody needs Ultra for the browser.Try the Free plan for a week to get a feel for how many credits a real task uses, then move to the $20 Pro tier. Only go higher if you run out most months or you want it to publish websites for you.

Key features

AttributeFirefoxGoogle ChromeManus
Standout features
  • Smart Window (beta)
  • Pick your chatbot
  • Link previews
  • Choice of models
  • Optional memory
  • AI Controls
  • Gemini side panel
  • Auto browse
  • Works with Google apps
  • AI Mode in the address bar
  • Skills
  • Scam protection
  • Autonomous agent
  • Wide Research
  • Slides, websites and docs
  • Scheduled automations
  • My Browser
  • Mobile and desktop apps

Pros and cons

AttributeFirefoxGoogle ChromeManus
Pros
  • Every AI feature is optional and free
  • One switch blocks all AI, and stays off through updates
  • Open source, from a non-profit-owned company
  • Use the chatbot you already pay for
  • Link previews run on your own computer
  • Most people already use it, so there's nothing to switch
  • Free Gemini side panel, available in Australia
  • Works with Gmail, Calendar and YouTube
  • Huge extension library
  • Asks before sign-ins and purchases during auto browse
  • You describe the result, not the steps
  • Strong at research, reports and first-draft decks
  • Scheduled tasks turn it into a hands-off research assistant
  • Apps for phone, desktop and browser
Cons
  • Smart Window is only in the US, Canada and France, and still beta
  • No agent that clicks through sites or fills in forms
  • The sidebar is just the chatbot's website in a panel
  • Smart Window needs a Mozilla account and has daily limits
  • A Smart Window bug pulled in browsing from before people opted in, since fixed
  • Auto browse is paid, US and India only, and not on iPhone
  • Early reviews found auto browse unreliable and prone to claiming tasks it hadn't done
  • Page content you share with Gemini is sent to Google
  • Not yet available in the EU
  • Gemini prompts are increasingly pushed into the browser whether you want them or not
  • Credits are hard to predict and one big task can drain the monthly allowance
  • Output needs checking, and it can waste credits on dead ends
  • Not suited to automations that must run the same way every time
  • Few direct app connections compared with the automation tools
  • Pricing page does not load without JavaScript, so plan details are hard to confirm

Who each one is for

AttributeFirefoxGoogle ChromeManus
Best for
  • Keeping AI out of the browser entirely
  • Using your own ChatGPT or Claude in a sidebar
  • Summarising and tidying lots of open tabs (US, Canada, France)
  • A browser not owned by an ad or AI company
  • Summarising pages and YouTube videos
  • Comparing products or suppliers across tabs
  • Adding events to Google Calendar from a page
  • Google Workspace users who don't want a new browser
  • Multi-step research with a report at the end
  • Lead lists and data gathering
  • Scheduled recurring tasks
  • Quick prototypes and slide decks
You'll find it used by
  • Privacy-minded owners
  • Researchers
  • Developers
  • Teams with AI rules
  • Small business owners
  • Marketers
  • Students
  • Google Workspace users
  • Founders
  • Marketers
  • Researchers
  • Consultants

Questions people ask

Which is better, Firefox, Google Chrome or Manus?

Google Chrome scores highest overall in our ratings (Firefox 3.6/5, Google Chrome 4.1/5 and Manus 3.7/5). Firefox is best for Keeping AI out of the browser entirely and using your own ChatGPT or Claude in a sidebar. Google Chrome is best for summarising pages and YouTube videos and comparing products or suppliers across tabs. Manus is best for multi-step research with a report at the end and lead lists and data gathering.

Which is cheaper, Firefox, Google Chrome or Manus?

Firefox: It's free and open source. Google Chrome: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo. Manus: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at From $20/mo.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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