Google is in the final steps of migrating the extensions system that its Chrome web browser uses. The new Manifest V3 system replaces the decade-old Manifest V2 and becomes the only set of rules for extensions supporting the browser.
While Google says that the new system improves security and performance, critics say that Google is deliberately modifying the capabilities of content blockers and some other types of extensions that threaten the company's main revenue driver: ads.
The world's most popular content blocker uBlock Origin has become the example of that change. It is not compatible with the new Manifest V3 system. While its developer created uBlock Origin Lite, a still fairly capable content blocker that can is compatible, it is less powerful than the full version.
Workarounds exist to still make the extension and others work under Chrome, even the latest Chrome 140 release. While that gives Chrome users another four weeks or so with the extension, it is only a matter of time before the last workaround is removed by Google.
It is then that Chrome users who use the extension need to make a decision. The change, at least until now, has had no impact on Chrome's usage share. Statcounter saw it rise to a usage share of more than 69 percent in August 2025, which is a new height for the browser. While browsers that are privacy-friendly either lose usage share, stagnate, or rise very slowly, Google's browser, which is arguably not the best browser for privacy, is reaching new heights every year.
Not every user runs extensions. There are not official numbers available. According to Wikipedia, uBlock Origin has about 29 million users that use Chrome. That is not even one percentage of the browser's total install base. However, Chrome does not allow extension installs on mobile.
Why bother with Chrome?
Chrome is an easy to use browser that integrates well into Google's ecosystem of products and services. It is fast, offers good security, and is well maintained. Chrome's biggest downside, that it is operated by a company that makes most of its revenue from ads and knowing as much as possible about its uses, does not seem to keep the bulk of users away.
There are better browsers, at least when you value privacy or customization options. Most even use the same core as Google Chrome, giving users the same level of performance and security as Google's browser.
A switch to Brave Browser, which offers better privacy settings and includes a built-in content blocker, or Vivaldi Browser, a browser with tons of customization options, would improve privacy and customization options at the same time.
There is also the open source Firefox browser. It is bleeding users, has been for years, and Mozilla has lost years developing features and products that did not really help it get any traction. Firefox just recently seems to have switched to delivering features that it was missing, with vertical tabs and tab groups just two of them that launched recently.
Probably the main reason that speaks for Firefox is that it continues to support uBlock Origin. Even better, that version is also more capable than the Chrome-version, even the classic Chrome version of the extension that Google is ending support for.
Another feature that speaks for Firefox is that it supports extensions on mobile. You can install uBlock Origin and thousands other extensions on your mobile as well to improve browsing significantly.
Now You: what is your take on this? Do you use Google Chrome or another browser?
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