For ordinary two-page comparisons, you no longer need a Chrome split-screen extension: Firefox and Chrome both have built-in Split View. Firefox makes pairing two tabs already open in the same window particularly direct with an Alt-click (Option-click on Mac). Chrome documents more ways to start a split, including opening a link beside the current page, and explicitly supports both side-by-side and stacked layouts. Neither browser has a documented comparative usability test proving one is easier for everyone, so the better choice depends on how you work.
What changed: both browsers now have native Split View
Firefox introduced Split View in version 149, first offered to Release channel users on March 24, 2026, according to Mozilla’s Firefox 149.0 release notes. Google says native Split View arrived in Chrome 145 in February 2026; its documentation for extension developers describes an API for extensions to detect, create, and manage native split views starting in Chrome 155. That developer page was last updated September 16, 2026. See Chrome’s Tabs Split View API documentation.
Version and rollout can affect whether the feature is available in a particular installation. If you do not see the controls described below, update the browser and check its help page for your version. A third-party extension may still be useful for specialized layouts or extension-specific functions, but it is not required just to view two pages together.
Which browser is easier depends on how you start
| Your starting point | Firefox | Chrome | Practical difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two pages already open as tabs | Hold Alt (Option on Mac) and click the other tab, or select two tabs and choose Open in Split View. | Right-click a tab and choose New split view with current tab or Add tab to new split view. A keyboard shortcut is also available. | Firefox documents a particularly direct gesture for pairing open tabs; that is not proof it is faster for every user. |
| One page open; you want a second beside it | Open the tab’s context menu and choose Add Split View, then enter an address in the other pane or choose an open tab. | Use a tab context-menu action, drag another tab into the window, open a link in split view, or use the toolbar after pinning its icon. | Chrome offers more documented entry routes, including a direct way to open a link alongside the current page. |
| You want pages above and below each other | Mozilla’s support instructions describe side-by-side panes and resizing their divider. | Chrome documents both side-by-side and stacked, top-and-bottom arrangements. | Chrome’s help explicitly documents both orientations. |
For Firefox’s current steps and controls, see Mozilla Support’s Split View guide. Chrome’s menu labels, drag gestures, shortcut, and layout controls are in Google’s guide to using split view for multitasking.
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How to open two pages side by side
Firefox: pair tabs or add a second page
- To pair two existing tabs: keep both tabs in the same Firefox window, hold Alt (Option on Mac), and click the second tab. Alternatively, select the two tabs and choose Open in Split View.
- To start from one tab: open that tab’s context menu and choose Add Split View.
- In the new pane, enter a web address or select an already-open tab. Drag the divider to resize the two panes.
Chrome: choose the entry route that fits
- Use a tab’s context menu and choose New split view with current tab or Add tab to new split view.
- Alternatively, drag a tab to the target window’s left or right edge for a side-by-side layout, or to its bottom edge for a stacked layout. You can also open a link in split view.
- Chrome documents shortcuts: Shift+Alt+N on Windows or Linux, Cmd+Option+N on Mac, and Ctrl+Alt+N on Chromebook.
- To use the toolbar route, first pin the Split View icon. For orientation, swapping, separating, or closing a view, use Chrome’s Split View controls.
What happens to browser controls while you compare
Firefox
- Each Split View contains two tabs. You can create an unlimited number of separate Split Views, but a single view cannot contain more than two tabs.
- Pinned tabs cannot currently be added to a Split View.
- Find in Page searches the active pane only.
- You can reverse the panes, separate them, close both, and resize the divider. A Split View is restored with its window if reopening previous windows and tabs is enabled; reopening closed tabs does not restore the split.
Chrome
- The active view is visually distinguished. Toolbar actions and tab-specific tools such as Translate, Print, and Reading mode apply to that active view rather than both pages.
- You can scroll the inactive view without activating it.
- General side panels stay open as you switch views; tab-specific side panels collapse.
- Chrome’s controls let you close one view, swap or separate views, and change orientation.
When a Chrome extension is still useful
Consider a third-party extension if Chrome’s built-in two-page view does not provide a particular multi-window layout or other feature you need. For example, the Chrome Web Store listing for SplitView — Split Screen & Side by Side Tabs for Multi Window Browsing advertises six layouts: equal, focus, sidebar, triple, vertical-stack, and grid. Those are listing claims, not independently verified capabilities; the listing showed four ratings when accessed on October 4, 2026. Its advertised layout choices may matter if you need more than the arrangements in Chrome’s native interface.
Extensions that integrate with Chrome’s native split view can use the Tabs Split View API starting with Chrome 155, according to Google’s developer documentation. That is relevant to extension developers or users of an API-based extension, not a requirement for making a basic split.
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