We believe there are better options available in this category, read below to learn what this software does well, and what they could do better. ⤵
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No shady privacy policies or back doors for advertisers. Just a lightning fast browser that doesn’t sell you out.
Firefox is one of the only privacy-focused browsers that is not built atop Chromium, in theory giving it further distance from the stronghold that Google has in the browser market.
What this ultimately means is all the Chrome extensions that people use and rely on are not compatible with Firefox unless rebuilt specifically for it. Think of it like iOS, Android, and Windows Phone/BlackBerry (which neither exist anymore, but the point is), you'll typically get developers building for iOS first (think of as Chromium/Chrome), Android second (think of as Webkit/Safari), and then Quantum Browser Engine third (Firefox).
Because of that, while you may be choosing a "privacy-focused" browser like Firefox, you're also getting substantially less third-party app support, and a higher chance of websites not performing as intended (like legacy banks or modern sites using newer technology). It simply comes down to there not being enough marketshare for web developers to focus on making everything work properly in Firefox as it only accounts for less than 3% of global marketshare.
Given this foundational difference, it means that the millions of Chrome extensions that are accessible to people, are not in Firefox, unless they rebuild it for Firefox, giving people less options if they choose Firefox as their primary browser.
For that reason, most people who use Firefox also use a second browser as well (typically based on Chromium), like Arc Browser, Chrome, or Brave for when they need full features and functionality like full Chrome Extension support.
That said, while they are a non-profit and privacy focused, they still make the far majority of their money from Google ($500M/yr) by having Google as the default search engine. So if you want to be a sustainable browser, you really need to just make a deal with Google in some way.
Some argue that Google is in some way strategically paying Firefox at this point just to make it seem like Chrome is not a monopoly.
Sidekick makes the Internet distraction-free. It speeds up your workflow and protects against attention killers
What is promised as a "productivity browser for focused work", is really just a Chrome browser with a sidebar containing pinned apps which are essentially just a way to access those apps in split-view. Is that what productivity means to you?
What Sidekick requires a completely new browser for, can be solved by simply using Chrome or Firefox alongside an extension like Workona.
(Yes, I'm saying that Sidekick Browser is more of a feature than it is a standalone product).
The most promising feature with Sidekick is being able to easily jump between different work and personal accounts from the sidebar, in apps like Gmail, Notion, and Google Drive. For those who are using different Chrome profiles to achieve this currently may appreciate this.
With that, only 2 sessions (accounts) are supported for free, to add more than that, you'll be jumping into a pro tier, and the question is, are you open to paying for these "productivity features"? It's a tough call as to if there's enough value here to justify paying, when browsers like Arc Browser offer unlimited sessions/spaces, and effectively sidebar apps for free.
You'll also never get a mobile app with Sidekick, so if you invest much of your time into building out your spaces, it'll be restricted just to desktop. Now that doesn't sound very productive to me, you? 😅
On this note, if you're considering Sidekick Browser instead, well, good luck noticing a difference between these two, they are quite similar and uninspiring.
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