Firefox version 100 is here - is it finally time to switch from Google Chrome?

A bunch of new features arrive to mark the occasion

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Mozilla has brought out the latest version of itsweb browsertoday (May 3), withFirefoxreaching version 100, bringing new and improved features for users acrossoperating systems.

WhileGoogle Chrome reached version 100in March, there wasn’t much in the way of substantial features that marked this milestone, but Firefox 100 looks to be different. Available forWindows 11 and macOS,Android, andiOS, it looks like Mozilla has included plenty of new features to try out.

There’s an improved picture-in-picture mode, for example, which is similar toApple’s feature in its ownSafaribrowser where a video can pop out of an app, and be viewed anywhere, even when you’re using other apps or browsing other websites. Firefox’s version of this feature now supports subtitles and captions, something that Apple’s take still doesn’t have. There’s also new wallpapers for Firefox mobile users, and an HTTPS-first setting for Android users, enabling an extra layer of security while you browse.

With these useful features, it may tempt some users who useGoogleChrome,Safari, and others to finally move to Firefox.

Analysis: this could be the version that moves Chrome users to Firefox

Since its debut in 2004, Firefox was seen as the first real alternative toMicrosoft’sInternet Explorerbrowser, mainly due to having tabs, something that we all use in our web browsers today, but at the time was something of a novelty.

However, Mozilla’s web browser has somewhat disappeared in recent years, mainly due to Chrome, Safari, and Microsoft’s Edge web browser being more visible thanks to the marketing budget that Apple, Google, and Microsoft have.

Being an underdog can bring innovation to features that users have been clamoring for, and betterpicture-in-picture supportis an example of this. Since its debut in iOS 9, the feature has barely been updated by Apple, with no way of scrubbing the timeline of a video or placing a video anywhere on an iPad display.

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

But with support for subtitles, and support for Netflix,YouTube, and Prime Video, it could be the sole feature that tempts users to move to Firefox. Imagine using another tab for Google Docs, or just for scrolling through Twitter, but you want to make sure that you’re watching a video at the same time. Combine this with subtitles and you’re essentially browsing two bits of content at once, without switching between tabs.

While Google Chrome often boasts about how fast it can load websites, it’s had a reputation for being a battery-hog for years, with no sign of improvements. Having tried Firefox on aMacBook Pro 14-inchfor much of this year, we’ve found the web browser to be less of a burden on memory, which could tempt some users to make the switch.

However, version 100 gives us hope that Firefox could finally have a real chance of being a rival to Google Chrome, and it makes us wonder if a new generation of browser wars is about to occur on your desktop.

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he’s written a book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider’. His second book, ‘50 Years of Boss Fights’, came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called ‘Springboard’. He’s usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that’s about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.

NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Sunday, November 10 (game #252)

NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Sunday, November 10 (game #518)

Quordle today – hints and answers for Sunday, November 10 (game #1021)