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Side-by-side comparison ยท AI Browsers & Agents

Firefox vs Manus vs Opera One

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

Opera One

3.9

Free to start

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.

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: Anyone who wants a free Chrome alternative with a capable AI sidebar, tab organisation and a built-in VPN, without paying for anything.

Overview

AttributeFirefoxManusOpera One
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.Opera's free everyday browser with a built-in AI sidebar that reads your tabs.
Pricing modelFreeFreemiumFree
Starting priceFreeFrom $20/moFree
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.

AttributeFirefoxManusOpera One
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
3.0
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
3.0
4.5
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.

AttributeFirefoxManusOpera One
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes Yes
Browser extension No Yes No
API access No Yes No
Teams & business
Team workspace No Yes No
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes No
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 No
Learns your brand or style No No No
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score6/ 1715/ 178/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeFirefoxManusOpera One
Plans

FirefoxOur pick

Free

Everyone, with AI on or off as you choose.

Free

Free

Quick questions and seeing what it can do.

Free

Free

Everyone. There is no paid tier for the AI.

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.

Free with an Opera accountOur pick

Free

Anyone who wants chat history across devices and more images.

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.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.It's all free. Sign in with a free Opera account if you want your chats saved and more images; otherwise just download it and click Ask AI. Opera sells a separate VPN Pro, but you don't need it for the AI.

Key features

AttributeFirefoxManusOpera One
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
  • Opera AI sidebar
  • Tab Islands
  • Files and video
  • Browser Connector
  • Built-in extras
  • Privacy switches

Pros and cons

AttributeFirefoxManusOpera One
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
  • Free, with no account needed for the AI
  • Tab Islands make the AI's context easy to control
  • Handles files, YouTube videos and images, not just web pages
  • Free VPN, ad blocker and translator built in
  • Page access is off until you allow it
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
  • No agent: it can't click, fill in forms or finish tasks on sites
  • Browser Connector for ChatGPT and Claude is still an opt-in test feature
  • Opera doesn't say which Gemini model you get or publish chat limits
  • Sponsored speed dials and news on the start page by default

Who each one is for

AttributeFirefoxManusOpera One
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 YouTube videos
  • Comparing suppliers or products grouped in a Tab Island
  • Quick drafts and translations while you browse
  • Keeping work and personal tabs organised
You'll find it used by
  • Privacy-minded owners
  • Researchers
  • Developers
  • Teams with AI rules
  • Founders
  • Marketers
  • Researchers
  • Consultants
  • Small business owners
  • Students
  • Researchers
  • Anyone switching from Chrome

Questions people ask

Which is better, Firefox, Manus or Opera One?

Opera One scores highest overall in our ratings (Firefox 3.6/5, Manus 3.7/5 and Opera One 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. Opera One is best for summarising long pages and YouTube videos and comparing suppliers or products grouped in a Tab Island.

Which is cheaper, Firefox, Manus or Opera One?

Firefox: It's free and open source. Manus: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at From $20/mo. Opera One: It's free to use.

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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