Disadvantages to using portable browsers?

[Duckrabbit]

As I've been reinstalling Windows and tidying up my digital life in general, when examining my browser options I've become aware of portable versions, such as this. Are there disadvantages to using a portable version versus a regular version? Functionality? Updates? Crash prone? The appeal of using portable browsers to me is that I can just throw the browser folder in my OneDrive folder, and then it's ready for me any time I reinstall Windows, buy a new computer, or whatever - if there would be disadvantages specific to putting it in my OneDrive folder let me know also.

Additionally, it gives me a good way to compartmentalize my browsing habits. I would use portable Chrome 64 as my casual browser, portable Firefox 64 as my work browser, portable Firefox 32 for referral link type stuff, and IE/Edge for people who can only be bothered to design webpages for the browsers baked into Windows. I would use a separate work browser because I am forced to unknowingly open compromised links/files occasionally. My security setup has kept me safe so far. The referral link type stuff would be in Firefox 32 with no antitracking of any sort enabled, so referral type stuff works - it's hard to turn down 10% cash back on a $600 order or getting a $50 software license and $5 amazon gift card for doing an hour of clicking.

The browsers would have no way of interacting with each other, correct? Regardless, I was also looking at sandboxing them, I use Comodo AV so I would just need to figure out how to get it to sandbox each browser separately, so it only has access to its own folder (IE, that way it can save bookmarks). I could also look into Shade or Sandboxie for this though, I'm new to sandboxing.

 

[Ketchup]

The only disadvantages I can see are:
1. It sounds like a lot to keep up with - having a portable browser for this, but another browser for that. And yet another browser that. But that is totally up to you.
2. I don't know if I like the one-drive approach, but I don't know how these store cookies. If your personal data is transferring in cookies with the "cloud" this may be more of a risk than you want.
3. If the cookies store on the machine you are on at the time, this may be more of a pain than you realize. For example, many banking sites won't let you on their site unless they see a cookie acknowledging you are there customer. So it would be a pain to have to go through that process (albeit a short one in most cases) every time you change computers for your bank, and whoever else you have that might do this.

 

[Duckrabbit]

One problem I'm encountering at least for the moment is that browsing with the folder in OneDrive is causing OneDrive to eventually crash, due to it trying to keep up to date with all the file changes. At least, that's what I suspect is going on, I don't think other changes I've made could possibly be doing it though. I'm comfortable with it, in terms of security, and extension compatibility seems to be fine. My only concerns at this point are determining the best way to back up my browser folders, but in such a way that they only sync with OneDrive hourly or so, and whether portable browsers keep up to date automatically.