Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Opera VS Freenet

Compare Opera VS Freenet and see what are their differences

Opera logo Opera

Opera is a browser with innovative features, speed and security.

Freenet logo Freenet

Mae-enjoy mo na ang LIBRENG INTERNET ACCESS mula sa freenet! Ang libreng net na bet! freenet is an app where you can access the internet for free. Get 24/7 free access to our partner apps and sites. FREE INTERNET!
  • Opera Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-20
  • Freenet Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12

Opera features and specs

  • Speed
    Opera is known for its fast browsing experience due to its optimized browsing engine and efficient resource management.
  • Built-in VPN
    Opera includes a free, unlimited VPN service, providing users with increased privacy and security by masking their IP addresses.
  • Battery Saver
    The browser features a battery saver mode that extends the battery life of laptops by reducing the browser's power consumption.
  • Ad Blocker
    Opera has an integrated ad blocker that enhances browsing speed and user experience by blocking intrusive ads.
  • Customizable Interface
    Users can personalize their browsing experience with a variety of themes and workspace options to suit their preferences.
  • Opera Turbo
    This feature compresses data to make web pages load faster, especially useful for those with slower internet connections.
  • Sidebar Integration
    Opera's sidebar allows quick access to social media, messaging apps, and other tools, enhancing multitasking and productivity.

Possible disadvantages of Opera

  • Market Share
    Opera has a smaller user base compared to other major browsers like Chrome and Firefox, which can lead to less community support and fewer extensions.
  • Extension Support
    Though Opera supports Chrome extensions, the overall availability and variety of native Opera extensions are limited compared to its competitors.
  • Sync Issues
    Some users have reported occasional problems with syncing data across devices, which can be inconvenient for those who rely on seamless access to their bookmarks and settings.
  • Compatibility
    Certain websites and web applications may not be fully optimized for Opera, potentially leading to compatibility issues.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Despite its built-in VPN, some users are cautious about Opera's privacy policies, especially given its ownership by a Chinese consortium.

Freenet features and specs

  • Privacy and Anonymity
    Freenet is designed to allow users to publish and retrieve information with strong privacy guarantees. This is achieved through decentralized data storage and routing, which makes it difficult to trace the source or destination of data.
  • Censorship Resistance
    Due to its decentralized nature, Freenet is built to resist censorship. Data is spread across various nodes, making it hard for any single entity to control or block access to information.
  • Decentralized Network
    Freenet does not rely on centralized servers; instead, data is distributed across a network of volunteers. This reduces single points of failure and lowers the risk of network shutdown.
  • Self-Healing Technology
    Freenet incorporates self-healing algorithms to ensure data redundancy and resilience. If a node goes offline, the network automatically redistributes the data, maintaining availability.
  • Free Software
    Freenet is open-source software, meaning its code is freely available for anyone to inspect, modify, and distribute. This openness fosters transparency and collaboration among developers around the world.

Possible disadvantages of Freenet

  • Performance Issues
    Due to the encryption and decentralization methods used, Freenet can be slower than traditional internet services. Users may experience longer wait times for data retrieval and downloads.
  • Complexity
    Setting up and using Freenet can be more complex compared to conventional internet applications. Users may need to invest time to understand the system and properly configure it.
  • Limited Content Availability
    Freenet's user base is smaller compared to the traditional internet, leading to less content being available. Additionally, because it's decentralized, finding specific content can be more challenging.
  • Storage Load
    As a node in the Freenet network, users contribute storage space to help host distributed data. This can consume significant disk space, affecting the performance of the host machine.
  • Potential for Malicious Content
    The anonymity and decentralization that protect privacy and resist censorship can also be exploited to distribute illegal or harmful content. This raises ethical and legal concerns.

Analysis of Opera

Overall verdict

  • Opera is a solid choice for users looking for a fast and feature-rich browsing experience. Its unique offerings, such as the VPN and built-in ad blocker, set it apart from other browsers. However, for users heavily invested in the Google ecosystem, Chrome might still be preferable.

Why this product is good

  • Opera is a web browser known for its speed, innovative features, and user-friendly interface. It includes an integrated ad blocker, a free VPN for enhanced security, and a battery saver mode for extended mobile browsing. Additionally, Opera is based on the Chromium engine, providing compatibility with most web standards and extensions.

Recommended for

  • Users who prioritize speed and memory efficiency.
  • Those looking for integrated privacy features like VPN and ad blocking.
  • Individuals who prefer customization options offered by a variety of extensions and themes.
  • Users who frequently switch between desktop and mobile browsing and want a seamless experience.

Analysis of Freenet

Overall verdict

  • Freenet can be considered a good option for users who prioritize privacy and anonymous communication over the Internet. However, its effectiveness depends on the user's needs regarding censorship resistance and anonymity. While it is beneficial for secure communication, it might not be as user-friendly as standard web services for casual users. Users must be aware of its limitations, such as potential slow network speeds and the complexity of setup and use.

Why this product is good

  • Freenet is a peer-to-peer platform designed to enable users to browse and publish on the Internet anonymously. It prioritizes privacy, censorship resistance, and decentralized, secure communication. Freenet is valuable for those concerned about freedom of speech, privacy, and overcoming governmental and corporate surveillance and censorship. Its architecture allows users to access and share 'freesites' without exposing their identity, making it a tool against censorship and maintaining user anonymity. The network is decentralized, meaning it does not rely on central servers, which reduces the risk of a single point of failure or control.

Recommended for

  • Journalists and activists working under oppressive regimes
  • Individuals seeking to avoid censorship and surveillance
  • Privacy enthusiasts wanting to protect their identity online
  • Researchers interested in exploring decentralized networks

Opera videos

Opera VPN Review: Walkthrough, Speed Test (and 🚩#1 Weakness 🚩)

More videos:

  • Review - Opera Browser | Review
  • Review - Opera GX Browser - Is It Any Good?

Freenet videos

Aaron Jones: Introduction To Freenet

More videos:

  • Review - Internet Security: TOR and Freenet

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Opera and Freenet)
Web Browsers
100 100%
0% 0
VPN
0 0%
100% 100
Security & Privacy
85 85%
15% 15
Cloud VPN
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Opera and Freenet

Opera Reviews

Brave Alternative - 8 Privacy-Focused and Reliable Options
Both Opera and Brave support a wide range of extensions, but with Opera, you’ll require fewer third-party extensions as most features are in-built.
Source: mspoweruser.com
List of 10 Best Ad Blockers in 2024
Opera VPN: Opera VPN is a premium ad blocker that also includes a VPN service. It costs $3.99 per month or $39.99 per year.
Top browsers: features, comparison and stats (2022)
Opera is the fifth most popular web browser; it currently holds 2.4% of the web browser market share. It was released in 1995 by Opera. So, it is one of the oldest web browsers which is still actively developed. The Opera web browser is based on Chromium, Google’s free and open source software project.
6 Best Browser Alternatives to Google Chrome
Because it is built on Chromium, Opera supports Chrome extensions, so the transition away from Google should be a smooth one. I particularly love Opera’s battery saver feature, which promises to improve battery life by up to 35%. When it comes to the user experience, Opera is a pretty straightforward browser with a clean user interface featuring a handy sidebar and some...
Source: gizmodo.com
The best web browsers for 2022
Opera also features a built-in “Stash” for saving pages to read later. There’s no need to sign up for a Pocket or Evernote account to save a page for later reading. Similarly, Opera features a speed-dial menu that puts all your most frequently visited pages in one place. Google Chrome also does this, but only on a blank new tab. Finally, Opera has a built-in unlimited VPN...

Freenet Reviews

The 10 Best Open Source VPN Apps
Although you can get this VPN free of cost, the creators recommend making donations so that the software can be updated more frequently. Lastly, you can install this application on Windows, Linux, and macOS, but Freenet is not available on mobile platforms like some of the other entries on our list.

Social recommendations and mentions

Freenet might be a bit more popular than Opera. We know about 33 links to it since March 2021 and only 23 links to Opera. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Opera mentions (23)

  • Can anyone tell what is this?
    This is not opera.com it's "api2 dot com" so it's a malware site posing as an opera one by including opera in its name. I had a popup like this. It opened every time I opened the browser. Turned out it was coming from a video downloader extension. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Is there a way to download the official browser through a torrent or a mirror link?
    The opera.com domain is banned where I live but I still want to download the browser without a VPN (because those are also banned). Is there a torrent link or an alternative/mirror link where I can download the latest Opera One release? Thanks! Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Opera Adblocker pinging opera.com?
    Apparently it "urgently needed to be removed off the network" (bullshit, you could've blocked opera.com, dumbass) I don't see why its so bad to have one kid with an unmanaged browser, like seeing "your browser is managed by your organisation" sucks enough. They disabled basically everything good about Chrome, for a time, they locked down the performance tab so we couldn't even use battery saver. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Opera Adblocker pinging opera.com?
    One day, I got called to my Deputy Principal's (Dep. For short) office because my laptop was doing wacky shit to the network. He informs me that my laptop had sent 64k pings to opera.com. It was about the 2nd term, we receive new laptops every couple of years. He first told me about my searches for a VPN, which I guess is on me. But when he brings up the 64k pings, he tells me whatever the app is doing it has to... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • How big is the chance of getting malware while downloading roms?
    I use uBlock Origin on Chrome but it is available for Opera GX as well. You install it by finding uBlock Origin in addons section of opera.com and then clicking the "Add to Opera" button. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

Freenet mentions (33)

  • We're getting some positive attention on HN right now
    You are linking "original Freenet" to a PDF on freenet.org instead of linking to freenetproject.org ? Source: about 2 years ago
  • Freenet 2023: A drop-in decentralized replacement for the world wide web
    It clashes with the Freenet project https://freenetproject.org/. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: What Are Alternatives to the Internet?
    There's a few abstractions of the web you can use today. https://freenetproject.org/ https://geti2p.net/en/ https://www.gnunet.org/en/ https://www.ipfs.tech/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • A player-owned RPG - would you want to participate in such a game?
    Instead of use of Blockchain you could also use Freenet . The only bad thing here data could be lost, but mostly only data is lost when not used. This could be used to auto purge forks that most people dislike. If for example some reason there are multiple alternatives how the story goes some of them will die after a while and removed from system. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Internet Archive Takes Down BBC’s Documentary on PM Modi: Report
    An automatically space balancing solution would be Freenet. Given that it's content addressing, it's possible to push data into it and have it deduplicate automatically. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Opera and Freenet, you can also consider the following products

Brave - Fast and secure, ad and tracker blocking browser.

I2P - The I2P network provides strong privacy protections for communication over the Internet.

Google Chrome - Google Chrome is a fast, secure, and free web browser, built for the modern web. Give it a try on your desktop today.

Tor Browser - Tor is free software for enabling anonymous communication.

Mozilla Firefox - Get the browsers that put your privacy first — and always have

Psiphon - Psiphon is circumvention software for Windows and Mobile platforms that provides uncensored access to Internet content. Read more about Psiphon.