Opera GX vs Opera: Key Differences & Speed Test

The Opera browser has been present on the market for more than two decades, and over the years it went through various changes.

It is now available on almost all desktop and mobile platforms, and a couple of years ago, Opera has introduced a new member of its browser family called Opera GX.

Opera GX is similar to the regular version of Opera, but with some unique features that gamers would like. In today’s guide, we’re going to compare the two and see how Opera GX compares to Opera, but you can also explore our in-depth review of Opera GX.

Opera GX

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Are Opera and Opera GX the same?

According to the company that made the Opera browser that we all know and love, their Opera GX browser is an improved or specialized version of Opera.

Some enthusiasts see network, CPU, and GPU limiters as critical necessities, while others believe them to be superfluous frills.

The web browsers Opera and Opera GX are created by the same company but target different user groups.

On the other hand, there are numerous similarities between the two, which is to be expected considering that the same company makes them. Both are based on Chromium and use privacy standards that are similar to one another.

Opera

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Opera GX vs Opera, what are the differences?

Opera: stable, fast, and reliable browsing for everyone

Interface

As soon as you start Opera you’ll notice its clean and friendly user interface. The application is divided into two parts, the main window you use for browsing and the sidebar.

The sidebar allows you to quickly access certain features, including bookmarks, history, and integrations from other services.

The interface is customizable, and you can hide the sidebar if you don’t plan on using it. There are also several wallpapers to choose from to spice up your Speed Dial page.

If you’re not happy with the choice of wallpapers, you can download additional ones from Opera’s website, or you can use your own.

Workspaces

The first feature that caught our eye was the Workspaces feature. Well, it allows you to organize your tabs, which is handy if you want to keep your work and personal tabs separated.

By default, there are two workspaces available in the sidebar, and you can switch between them with a single click. Of course, you can add more workspaces if you need to.

Search in tabs

A feature that will go along nicely with Workspaces and multitasking is the Search in tabs one. With this feature, you can search for open tabs on all workspaces and switch instantly to the desired tab.

You enter the tab’s title to search for it, but the feature will also scan the content of open pages and find the desired tab based on its content.

To access it, you can use the search icon in the title bar or hold Ctrl + Space together to enter it quickly.

Privacy Protection  

Opera comes with its ad blocker, so if you don’t want to deal with ads anymore, be sure to enable this feature.

Tracking protection is another feature that you can use to finally say goodbye to tracking cookies that some websites tend to use.

Snapshots

Opera has a built-in snapshot tool that allows you to capture parts of a page and save it. The process is straightforward, and there’s even a simple editor that lets you add highlights and annotations.

Flow

If you use Opera on multiple devices, as you should, there’s a handy Flow feature that lets you share pages, links, and files seamlessly.

Simply pair your phone, access the Flow feature from the sidebar, and share any content that you want with ease.

Music player

Moreover, Opera has support for various audio streaming services, such as Spotify, YouTube Music, and Apple Music, so you can listen to your favorite tunes while browsing the web.

Social media and messenger

If you want to keep in touch with your friends, Opera has support for Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and WhatsApp, and you can have the messenger open in the sidebar while browsing the web.

The same goes for social networks; currently supported networks include Twitter, Instagram, and VK. More might be added in the future.

VPN

Opera focuses on user privacy, and therefore it comes with a built-in VPN. It is completely free with unlimited bandwidth, but it only offers three different locations to choose from.

Sadly, this feature isn’t available out of the box, except in Private Mode, so you’ll need to enable it from the settings page first.

Opera GX: Opera, but with a gaming twist

Opera GX is based on the regular version of Opera but with a gaming twist and a couple of unique features.

All the features that we mentioned above are available in Opera GX, so we’ll focus only on the features that are unique to Opera GX.

Interface

The first thing you’ll notice about Opera GX is its dark theme with a red neon glow that has a cyberpunk feel to it.

The theme is customizable, and you can change both the primary and secondary colors to any value, or you can use one of many available themes if you don’t feel like experimenting.

GX Corner

The GX Corner feature is designed to bring you the latest gaming information at a glance. Using this feature you can view the release dates of the upcoming games on a specialized calendar.

You can also find major discounts as well as free games on all digital distribution platforms. The latest trailers and gaming news are also available, so you can keep up with the world of gaming.

GX Control

GX Control is one of those features that make Opera GX stand out from other browsers on the market. With this feature, you can limit network, RAM, and CPU usage.

This is useful if you’re on a low-end PC, or if you’re gaming and your browser is using more resources than it should, thus affecting your performance.

Another feature that is worth mentioning is Hot Tabs Killer. This feature lets you see both CPU and RAM usage of all your open tabs at a glance.

Is some open tab using more RAM than it should or slowing down your browser? End it instantly right from the Hot Tabs Killer section.

GX Cleaner

GX Cleaner is nothing revolutionary since it’s just a quick way to clean your browsing data. Nonetheless, it is easy to access, thus incentivizing users to use it more often.

Moreover, the feature allows you to see how much data and files your browser has stored. This is useful if you are the curious type like us.

Integrations

The software offers all the same integrations as the regular version of Opera, but Opera GX comes with both Twitch and Discord integration.

Want to follow your favorite streamers or watch streams while browsing? Just open Twitch from the sidebar, and that’s it.

The same goes for Discord, enable it, sign in, and you can stay in touch with your friends over at Discord at all times.

⇒ Get Opera GX

Since these browsers are almost the same, we decided to give you a short overview of the available features that both have in the list below.

	Opera	Opera GX
Built on Chromium	✅	✅
Support for Chrome extensions	✅	✅
Workspaces	✅	✅
Ad blocker	✅	✅
Tab searching	✅	✅
Snapshot tool	✅	✅
Opera Flow	✅	✅
Video pop-out	✅	✅
Music player	✅	✅
Free VPN	✅	✅
Twitter integration	✅	✅
Instagram integration	✅	✅
VK integration	✅	✅
Facebook Messenger	✅	✅
WhatsApp	✅	✅
Telegram	✅	✅
Twitch	❌	✅
Discord	❌	✅
GX Corner	❌	✅
GX Control	❌	✅
GX Cleaner	❌	✅

Is Opera GX safer than Opera?

Regarding the security of your browsing experience, we can confidently claim it is quite secure. The web browser utilizes the Chromium engine, just like Opera, so their security is similar. In addition, Chromium itself is a highly protected online environment.

But, if you want to be safe, check out the 15 best security settings you need to enable in Windows 11.

Opera vs Opera GX, which is faster?

The Opera GX browser is a speedy one that opens new tabs in a very short amount of time. It’s about as fast as other popular browsers like Opera, Chrome, or Firefox, which is to say it’s pretty fast.

When you have many tabs open in the browser, it utilizes somewhat more RAM than Chrome does. Nonetheless, these variations should not impact the overall speed of the browser.

Don’t miss out on our guide on how to make browser games run faster since they are becoming more and more popular.

Opera GX vs Opera RAM usage

You may pick how much RAM to use when surfing the Internet thanks to Opera GX’s RAM control function.

As a result, it may use less RAM than any other browser on the market. If you do not change those options, it will utilize a similar amount as Opera.

Additionally, you may opt for a RAM cleaner or optimizer that works with Windows 10/11 to optimize your PC’s storage and speed.

Opera GX vs Opera, our final thoughts

As you’ve seen already, Opera GX offers all the great features that regular Opera has. Plus a few ones that gamers might like.

Features such as GX Control, Twitch, and Discord integrations are more than welcome. Some users might not like the aesthetics of it, but in our opinion, the design looks sleek and minimalistic.

Should you use Opera GX? If you’re a gamer or you use Twitch and Discord frequently, then it will be perfect for your needs.

Even if you’re not a gamer, the Control GX feature can be useful for everyday users. Especially if you want to stop your browser from using all your resources.

We recommend that you also look at our full comparison between Opera GX vs Chrome and decide whether you should ditch Chrome altogether.

Alternatively, for a more detailed description of Opera GX, check out our post with an in-depth review of Opera GX.

If you’re not into gaming and you want something that is less gaming-oriented, then the regular version of Opera will provide you with all the features that you need.

Was this guide useful to you? Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments section below.