Scope And Related Documents
This file focuses on privacy posture and broad browser-to-browser differences.
Related project documents:
- Data Collection and Privacy Notice explains what data stays local and what can still use the network
- ARCHITECTURE.md explains the high-level runtime design
- SECURITY.md explains the public security policy and reporting expectations
- 5-TAB-PERFORMANCE-TEST.md covers one repeatable Windows performance test
High-Level Comparison
This table is intentionally high-level. Mainstream browsers change over time, and the non-Bubbles columns should be read as broad summaries rather than legal or vendor-authoritative claims.
| Capability | BubblesTheDev Web Browser | Google Chrome | Microsoft Edge | Brave | Firefox | Safari | Opera | Vivaldi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sync model | No built-in cloud sync requirement | Google Account sync | Microsoft account sync | Brave Sync | Mozilla account sync | iCloud sync | Opera Sync | Vivaldi Sync |
| Browser profiles | Isolated local browser profiles | Chrome profiles | Edge profiles | Brave profiles | Firefox profiles | Safari profiles | Multiple browser profiles | User profiles |
| Profile count model | The browser currently supports up to 10 local profiles in one installed browser setup | Varies by browser and platform | Varies by browser and platform | Varies by browser and platform | Varies by browser and platform | Varies by browser and platform | Varies by browser and platform | Varies by browser and platform |
| Guest / temporary browsing | Guest Mode plus incognito-style browsing | Guest and Incognito | InPrivate | Private Window | Private Browsing | Private Browsing | Private mode | Private Window |
| Connected-account identity per profile | One linked connected-account identity can be attached to a profile for profile-card name and avatar display | Browser sign-in and sync models vary | Browser sign-in and sync models vary | Browser sign-in and sync models vary | Browser sign-in and sync models vary | Browser sign-in and sync models vary | Browser sign-in and sync models vary | Browser sign-in and sync models vary |
| Split view / tab tiling | Built-in split-view browsing | No built-in split view documented | Split screen features available | No built-in split view documented | No built-in split view documented | No built-in split view documented | Split Screen | Tab Tiling |
| Built-in home / browser surface | Built-in bubbles://home page | New Tab / Google surfaces | Edge new tab and Microsoft surfaces | Brave new tab surfaces | Firefox new tab surfaces | Safari start page | Opera start page | Vivaldi start page |
| Task / process visibility | Built-in Task Manager and runtime surfaces | Chrome Task Manager | Edge Browser Task Manager | No equivalent documented here | Firefox Task Manager / about:processes | No comparable built-in task manager documented here | No comparable built-in task manager documented here | No comparable built-in task manager documented here |
| Local-first browser data | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in telemetry by default | No | Yes | Yes | Limited | Limited | Limited | Limited | Limited |
| Built-in ad / tracker controls | Built-in ad and tracker blocking | Ad Privacy controls, not a built-in blocker | Tracking Prevention | Brave Shields | Enhanced Tracking Protection | Privacy Report and cross-site tracking protections | Built-in Ad Blocker and Tracker blocker | Built-in Tracker and Ad Blocker |
| Per-site permissions | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Passkey / WebAuthn support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Download protection model | Windows-native browser-managed download protection | Safe Browsing and download protections | Microsoft Defender SmartScreen and browser protections | Safe Browsing plus Brave protections | Safe Browsing and browser protections | Platform and Safari protections | Browser protections | Browser protections |
| Streaming hub | Built-in Streaming Hub for supported services | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented |
| Streaming session isolation | Supported services run in isolated browser-managed sessions | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented |
| Streaming sign-in hardening | Browser-managed popup limits and sign-in controls for supported services | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented |
| Per-service session clearing | Supported for built-in streaming sessions | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented |
| AI panel / in-browser AI controls | AI & Diagnostics panel | AI features exist, but not as a direct equivalent | AI features exist, but not as a direct equivalent | AI features vary by Brave services | AI features vary by Mozilla services | AI features vary by Apple platform features | No comparable built-in AI panel documented here | No comparable built-in AI panel documented here |
| Local AI memory model | Encrypted profile-isolated local AI memory where supported | No direct equivalent documented here | No direct equivalent documented here | No direct equivalent documented here | No direct equivalent documented here | No direct equivalent documented here | No direct equivalent documented here | No direct equivalent documented here |
| Diagnostics surface | In-browser diagnostics and runtime status surfaces | Performance and crash-reporting controls | Performance and browser-management tools | No comparable diagnostics surface documented here | Firefox Task Manager / about:processes and troubleshooting tools | Privacy Report, but not the same type of diagnostics surface | No comparable diagnostics surface documented here | No comparable diagnostics surface documented here |
| Manual diagnostics export | Encrypted manual diagnostics export where supported | Reporting tools vary | Reporting tools vary | Reporting tools vary | Troubleshooting / reporting tools vary | No comparable export flow documented here | Reporting tools vary | Reporting tools vary |
| Performance controls | Gaming / streaming mode, sleeping tabs, stream-stability tuning, runtime checks | Chrome Performance settings | Sleeping Tabs and Efficiency / Energy Saver controls | Performance tools vary | Performance tools vary | Performance behavior varies | Performance tools vary | Performance tools vary |
| Accessibility reading tools | Reader mode, Read aloud, Selection Tools, Reading ruler, Focus mode, Simplified browser UI | Reader-related features vary | Reader-related features vary | Reader-related features vary | Reader-related features vary | Reader-related features vary | Reader-related features vary | Reader-related features vary |
| Language and locale system | Local-only multilingual system with runtime switching and locale-aware formatting | Standard browser localization | Standard browser localization | Standard browser localization | Standard browser localization | Standard browser localization | Standard browser localization | Standard browser localization |
| VPN integration | Local VPN tools, public IP checks, and profile import support | No built-in browser VPN documented | Edge Secure Network | Brave VPN is a separate paid feature | Mozilla VPN is a separate service | No built-in browser VPN documented | Opera VPN | No built-in browser VPN documented |
| Local music features | Local-only Music Player and restricted Music Downloader flows | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented | No built-in equivalent documented |
| Update model | Browser-controlled update download followed by the regular installer, with the end user going through the installer prompts after the browser downloads the new version | Background updater present | Background updater present | Background updater present | Background updater present | OS-managed | Background updater present | Background updater present |
The Bubbles column is intended to describe the current browser directly. The non-Bubbles columns are high-level summaries of vendor-documented features and should be read as broad product comparisons, not exhaustive legal or platform matrices.
What Bubbles Tries To Do Differently
BubblesTheDev Web Browser is designed around a local-first model:
- normal browser data stays on the device by default
- browser profiles remain isolated from one another
- up to
10local browser profiles can exist per installation - each profile can carry one connected-account identity for clearer name and avatar presentation without turning the browser into a required cloud-sync platform
- diagnostics stay local unless the user explicitly exports them or enables privacy-safe reporting
- local AI features are designed to stay on-device where supported
- guest browsing remains non-persistent
- update behavior stays browser-controlled and installer-based rather than a hidden always-on patch service
- certificate trust prompts can be skipped when the same bundled trusted-root certificate is already present, while new bundled replacement certificates may still require Windows confirmation
- installed update handoff now performs an extra local save pass before closing so normal browser data is less likely to be lost during update installation
- the local
AI & Diagnosticspanel now keeps its local draft and preview state when reopened instead of resetting that renderer-side state immediately
Connected-account identity linking is optional. Where a profile is linked to a provider such as GitHub, Discord, or Google, the user can generally revoke that provider access later from the provider's own account settings or authorized-applications page.
This does not mean the browser is offline-only. Websites, search providers, streaming services, authentication systems, and download destinations still receive normal network traffic when the user chooses to use them.
Local-First Behavior
Current local browser behavior includes:
- local storage of browser settings, history, bookmarks, and permissions
- isolated profile data for standard browser profiles
- non-persistent guest browsing behavior
- local accessibility preferences
- local diagnostics generation and manual diagnostics export
- local handling for supported AI features and profile-aware AI memory
- local performance settings and runtime controls
The browser is designed not to automatically upload ordinary browser-state data as part of a built-in telemetry or analytics system.
What Still Uses The Network
Network activity still occurs when the user opens websites or web apps, signs into websites, searches with built-in or external search features, downloads files, uses passkey or WebAuthn flows on supported websites, uses supported streaming services, or checks for updates or downloads an update when that feature is available.
This is normal browser behavior and should not be confused with built-in telemetry.
Diagnostics And Privacy
Diagnostics are designed to remain local by default.
Current behavior includes:
- local runtime diagnostics
- manual encrypted diagnostics export
- privacy-safe diagnostics controls that are opt-in where supported
- no ordinary automatic diagnostics upload path by default
Music, Streaming, And Extra Features
Some browser features involve additional local handling:
- the Music Player is local-only and requires user action before scanning a folder
- the Music Downloader is intentionally restricted and local-first
- supported streaming services run in isolated browser-managed sessions
- profile recovery, accessibility, diagnostics, and language settings are designed to stay local by default
Summary
BubblesTheDev Web Browser aims for a privacy posture that is local-first, user-controlled, and more explicit than many mainstream browser defaults.
In practical terms, that means:
- no built-in telemetry or analytics in ordinary browser use
- no cloud sync requirement
- no fully silent hidden updater model
- local diagnostics by default
- local-first profile handling
- normal website and search traffic still occurs when the user chooses to use the web