Firefox vs Chrome: Which Browser Wins on Indian Networks like Jio and Airtel?

At a time where the internet is filled with websites and apps with varying degree of complexity, choosing a browser optimized for speed is a real need. You are likely to come across web applications flaunting complex dashboards and sites loaded with videos. If that is not all. ads of all forms and kinds are found in every other site. 

Now if you happen to be in India and are trying to figure out which browser to use and are confused between Chrome and Firefox, we plan to help you out of this predicament by pitting them against each other on a speed test. We tried out both the browsers and choose Jio for our mobile internet reference test. For broadband test, we opted for Airtel broadband which has a very significant distribution and has millions of users. Let’s see what insights Chrome Vs Firefox speed test gave us.

Test Setup

These tests were conducted on a Windows 11 HP laptop with an Intel i3 13th Gen processor – a mid-range computer that can be considered as a representation of what a significant part of Indian professionals actually utilize. The two browsers were up to date in 2026 with no extensions to clean their results.

The broadband connection from Airtel fiber was expected to be stable and is known for its reliability with negligible latency. For mobile we created a hotspot using a Jio 5G connection which is also highly regarded. To test the speed, we narrowed down on Speedometer 3.1 version and only kept one tab open on both the browsers. Multitasking was completely avoided

Speedometer 3.1 Results

On Airtel broadband, Chrome received a score of 18.2 compared to 15.0 of Firefox, which made it a clear winner. The difference seemed conclusive and Chrome would undoubtedly be the first choice for professionals working a stable broadband connection

While Firefox came up second, an average user may not feel the difference in day to day normal use

The two browsers scored 12.5 and 12.4 points respectively on the 5G hotspot of Jio, which is a very small difference of 0.1 points, and quite within normal run variations.

On the Jio mobile network between the two browsers; neither of them is a significant winner. Test seemed come nearly the same on different runs and it was not possible to conclusively label one as a favorite.

Our Take on Real World Experience

In Airtel broadband, Chrome is much faster to use since it is much quicker to open heavy websites, such as Google Analytics dashboards, Meta Ads Manager, and streaming services like Hotstar. So, if you are likely to stream movies, you should stick to Chrome.

A quick point one must note is Chrome seems to be resource hungry and at times the system feels slower. In contrast Firefox looks easy and lenient on resources. It has a lighter footprint, so if you are using a mid-range machine, Firefox should be kept handy.

Final Verdict by Network

On Airtel broadband the results of Chrome Vs Firefox speed test was quite clear. A 21% advantage on Speedometer 3.1 is a worthwhile difference, in the case of Airtel fiber, Chrome is just the quicker web application and browser designed to deal with complex sites.

It is a flip of the coin in the Chrome Vs Firefox speed test on the Jio 5G hotspot. The difference in the score of 0.1 is not really significant, and thus, both browsers do not differ in terms of speed in Jio 5G. That said if you are working with multiple tabs on an average machine, Firefox feels smother and less resource hungry.