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Side-by-side comparison ยท AI Browsers & Agents

Firefox vs Manus vs Microsoft Edge

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

Manus

3.7

From From $20/mo

Best overall

Microsoft Edge

3.9

From $19.99/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Best value

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

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

Best overall

Pick it if: Windows and Microsoft 365 users who want AI help with reading, comparing and researching in the browser they already have.

Microsoft Edge scores highest overall, but Firefox gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.

Overview

AttributeFirefoxManusMicrosoft Edge
In one lineMozilla's free browser with optional AI you can switch off with one setting.A general-purpose agent that takes a goal and works through it in its own browser.Microsoft's free browser with Copilot built in to read pages, compare tabs and do tasks.
Pricing modelFreeFreemiumFreemium
Starting priceFreeFrom $20/mo$19.99/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code No Yes No

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeFirefoxManusMicrosoft Edge
Overall rating3.63.73.9Winner
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
3.5
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
3.0
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
3.5
3.5
4.0

Feature comparison

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

AttributeFirefoxManusMicrosoft Edge
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 Yes No
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 Yes No
Writes code No Yes No
Runs agents or automations No Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style No No No
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score6/ 1715/ 1712/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeFirefoxManusMicrosoft Edge
Plans

FirefoxOur pick

Free

Everyone, with AI on or off as you choose.

Free

Free

Quick questions and seeing what it can do.

FreeOur pick

Free

Most people: summaries, tab comparisons and Journeys.

Smart Window beta

Free

Heavy researchers in the US, Canada or France.

ProOur pick

From $20/mo, less with yearly billing

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

Microsoft 365 Premium

$19.99/mo, or $199.99/yr

US households and sole traders who want the agent and Office apps in one bill.

Pro (higher tier)

From $40/mo, less with yearly billing

Heavier users and anyone publishing websites with it.

Microsoft 365 Copilot (business)

See website

Companies on Microsoft 365 business plans.

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.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.Stay on free. The side panel, tab comparisons and Journeys cover what most business owners need, and they cost nothing. Microsoft 365 Premium is only worth it if you're in the US and already want Office for the household; don't buy it just for the browser agent, which Microsoft still calls experimental.

Key features

AttributeFirefoxManusMicrosoft Edge
Standout features
  • Smart Window (beta)
  • Pick your chatbot
  • Link previews
  • Choice of models
  • Optional memory
  • AI Controls
  • Autonomous agent
  • Wide Research
  • Slides, websites and docs
  • Scheduled automations
  • My Browser
  • Mobile and desktop apps
  • Copilot side panel
  • Journeys
  • Browse with Copilot
  • Memory and history
  • Study, write, listen
  • Voice and Vision on mobile

Pros and cons

AttributeFirefoxManusMicrosoft Edge
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
  • 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
  • Already installed on Windows, nothing new to learn
  • Free Copilot reads pages and compares open tabs well
  • Journeys makes it easy to pick research back up
  • Chrome extensions and bookmarks work
  • Strong admin controls for businesses on Microsoft 365
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
  • 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
  • The agent is US only and needs Microsoft 365 Premium
  • Several features are US or English-language only, so Australian users get less
  • Microsoft calls the agent experimental and warns it can misread instructions
  • Copilot prompts are pushed into many corners of the browser, which some find cluttered
  • Screenshots from agent sessions are kept with the chat for up to 30 days

Who each one is for

AttributeFirefoxManusMicrosoft Edge
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
  • Multi-step research with a report at the end
  • Lead lists and data gathering
  • Scheduled recurring tasks
  • Quick prototypes and slide decks
  • Summarising long pages and PDFs
  • Comparing products or quotes across open tabs
  • Picking research back up days later with Journeys
  • Businesses already paying for Microsoft 365
You'll find it used by
  • Privacy-minded owners
  • Researchers
  • Developers
  • Teams with AI rules
  • Founders
  • Marketers
  • Researchers
  • Consultants
  • Office workers
  • Small business owners
  • Students
  • Windows users

Questions people ask

Which is better, Firefox, Manus or Microsoft Edge?

Microsoft Edge scores highest overall in our ratings (Firefox 3.6/5, Manus 3.7/5 and Microsoft Edge 3.9/5). Firefox is best for Keeping AI out of the browser entirely and using your own ChatGPT or Claude in a sidebar. Manus is best for multi-step research with a report at the end and lead lists and data gathering. Microsoft Edge is best for summarising long pages and PDFs and comparing products or quotes across open tabs.

Which is cheaper, Firefox, Manus or Microsoft Edge?

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