IEbridge vs IE Tab vs Edge IE Mode: Features, Price and Deployment

If your company still depends on sites built for Internet Explorer, three names come up again and again: Microsoft Edge IE mode, IE Tab and, more recently, IEbridge. All three use the same Internet Explorer engine that remains inside Windows. They differ in where they run, how they are managed and what they cost.

This comparison is written by the IEbridge team, so we have tried to be especially careful: prices come from each vendor's website (checked October 2026), and we point out where the others are the better choice.

The short version

Edge IE mode is free and built into Edge, but it only works in Edge and is managed with an XML site list.
IE Tab runs IE inside Chrome, is mature and widely deployed, and costs $39 per user per year.
IEbridge runs IE inside Chrome, Edge and Firefox, costs $9.99 per computer per year ($14.99 with central management) and offers a 30-day trial with no card.

Feature comparison

	Edge IE mode	IE Tab	IEbridge
Browsers	Edge	Chrome	Chrome, Edge, Firefox
IE engine inside the same tab	Yes, in Edge	Yes	Yes
Document modes IE7 to IE11	Yes	Yes	Yes
ActiveX controls	Yes	Yes	Yes
Automatic rules by URL	Site list (XML)	Yes	Yes, with exceptions and per-site document mode
Shared cookies and sessions	Yes	Yes	Yes
Group policy	Yes	Yes (ADMX)	Enterprise plan (ADMX)
Central configuration without a domain	No	No	Enterprise plan (Sync Options)
Licence panel per computer	—	—	Yes
Free trial	Free product	2 weeks	30 days, no card

Browsers and user experience

Edge IE mode is the most integrated option if Edge is your browser: a small IE icon in the address bar tells you the engine has changed. The limitation is simple: people who work in Chrome or Firefox have to switch.

IE Tab and IEbridge both bring the engine into the browser people already use. A page opens in IE mode inside a normal tab, with its own toolbar, and you go back to the modern engine with one click. IEbridge also works in Firefox, which matters in organisations that standardise on it.

Automatic rules

All three can open specific addresses in IE mode without a click.

In Edge, rules live in the Enterprise Mode Site List, an XML file that IT publishes through group policy. Users can add pages themselves, but those entries expire after 30 days.
In IE Tab, users or administrators define Auto URLs in the options, with wildcards or regular expressions.
In IEbridge, each rule can also pin the document mode for that site and you can add exceptions for parts of a portal that already work in the modern engine. Rules export to an Excel workbook, which makes them easy to review and share. See how URL rules work.

Deployment and management

For one computer, the three are easy: Edge needs nothing, IE Tab and IEbridge need the extension plus a small helper application.

For a whole company:

Edge IE mode needs group policy and someone who maintains the XML site list.
IE Tab offers ADMX templates and an MSI installer for the helper.
IEbridge Enterprise offers ADMX templates (one configuration for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera) and Sync Options: you define profiles in a web panel and the computers download them, signed, once a day. It works for computers outside the domain, at home or in another office, where group policy does not reach. See group policy and Sync Options in the documentation.

Price and total cost

Team size	Edge IE mode	IE Tab ($39/user/year)	IEbridge Pro ($9.99/computer/year)	IEbridge Enterprise ($14.99/computer/year)
1	Free	$39	$9.99	$14.99
10	Free	$390	$99.90	$149.90
50	Free	$1,950	$499.50	$749.50
200	Free	By quote	$1,998	$2,998

Edge is free in licence terms, but count the hours spent on the site list and the friction of switching browsers. IE Tab licenses per user and IEbridge per computer: if each person uses one computer, the numbers above compare directly.

Which one should you choose?

Choose Edge IE mode if your company already runs on Edge and has IT staff to maintain the site list.
Choose IE Tab if it is already deployed, people know it, and the per-user price is not a problem.
Choose IEbridge if your people work in Chrome or Firefox, you want a lower yearly cost, or you need central configuration for computers outside the domain.

The fastest way to decide is to try it with your own portal. IEbridge's trial starts by itself the first time you use it and includes every feature for 30 days. Not sure where to start? Read how to open Internet Explorer-only websites in Chrome.

Frequently asked questions

Do all three use the same Internet Explorer engine?

Yes. Edge IE mode, IE Tab and IEbridge all use the Internet Explorer engine (MSHTML) that remains part of Windows. That is why ActiveX and document modes behave the same in all three.

How long will the Internet Explorer engine keep working?

Microsoft has committed to supporting IE mode in Edge through at least 2029, and the engine receives Windows security updates in the meantime.

Can I use IEbridge and Edge IE mode at the same time?

Yes. They do not interfere with each other. Some companies keep Edge IE mode for a few users and use IEbridge for teams that work in Chrome.