Both firefox and chromium are installed on Ubuntu-mate by default. Why ?Only one should be selected.
Something must have changed as I specifically had to install Chromium on my Ubuntu-Mate installation.
Anyway, it is useful to have two browsers. For example, a number of people use two browsers to keep different sites in separate browsers to avoid browser fingerprinting.
I also have Flash sites enabled in Chromium but not in Firefox.
I also check RSS feeds in a third browser Iridium.
Only Firefox is installed by default on Ubuntu MATE.
This may be different on the Raspberry Pi isos (in order to get hardware accelerated video content on those devices).
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The solution seems simple enough, remove one.
I have 4 browsers on my laptop, and use them all. One I keep dedicated for only financial use. I dislike Google, but keep a Chromium clone (not Chrome or snap) for my phones Gmail accounts. The other two are Firefox and Firefox esr. One is set up general browsing and the other for privacy with all telemetry disabled. Works great for me.
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i am running the latest version on a Hp laptop. I believe only firefox should be installed as well. I have notice strange behavior like automatic updates stopping updates.
@bunnion: This may be your specific case. And if you do not like having additional browsers you may remove the one you do not require.
I use 5 browsers on my Ubuntu MATE 20.10 PC - Firefox, Vivaldi, Chromium, Brave and Google Chrome. Each one has its own strengths / weaknesses. I use each one for different purposes.
I am using Ubuntu MATE on different PCs since August, 2016 and NEVER had an issue with updates caused by a browser! NEVER! Ok, it might not be your case, but then you should debug your installation, isolate the issue, report it here if possible, and I'm sure there will be at least one Ubuntu MATE user / forum user that will help.
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It would be handy if Brave was available in the live disc environment, for shopping with.
It is intuitive the browser of choice - the only browser installed on a fresh system - should be available to select upon hard install of the system, such as it is possible choose whether one wants to encrypt the hard drive or not. Although, Linux has political or historical reasons to push 'Firefox'. Not that 'Firefox' is a bad choice. 'Chrome' is probably more useful nowadays, though.
Yes, I know
It can even be installed on a live session if there is a lot of shopping or banking to do. It's speed makes it worth the hassle.
I have to install it from boutique maybe your mate version is different or older
Hello bunnion
I spent a good part of last year working with a software house to produce a new custom made application that we require where I work. The front end is web-based. We specified that the application had to run on both Chrome and Firefox - because these web-browsers have different "engines" (probably not the best choice of words). Those two "engines" are the only real options out there now (if it is not Firefox, it is based on the same engine as Chrome). We were trying to "future proof" the application and make the development as "engine neutral" as possible.
I always install Firefox and a "Chrome engined" browser, because some websites have not been developed to work well with Firefox. I hope that helps explain the technical aspects of browser choice - without being technical. 
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Speaking particularly of 'Chrome', it is compatible with growing 'Google' infrastructure - that infrastructure, requires THE 'Chrome'; as 'Chromium', for example, would not do in certain cases.