Notes 
Firefox is a reliable, fast and privacy-friendly browser. It is not the perfect out-of-the-box solution, but it is worth taking the time to set it up properly: install hardening add-ons, enable DNS-over-HTTPS, and sync across all your devices. See the DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) FAQ.
Reviewed by Gabriel Bachmann
Firefox
mozilla.org/firefox 4.2 (46)
Rate Firefox: No account needed
Threat level
Covered
A covered pick. Anyone can use it as a private drop-in, with no setup or know-how. Enough for most people. Threat levels
Our take
Not a private browser out of the box, and pretending otherwise is the mistake people make: the real value is that it is the one major engine not controlled by Google and it rewards a bit of setup. Budget the time to add hardening extensions, enable DNS-over-HTTPS, and tighten the privacy settings, or you get little benefit. Choose it as the foundation you build on; if you want hardening pre-done, a fork like LibreWolf does it for you.
GitHub at a glance
mozilla-firefox/firefox Stars
13,720
+96 this week
Forks
1,735
86 watching
Last commit
today
healthy
Star history
Commits, last 26 weeks
35,778 commits, active 26 of 26 weeks
306 contributors since Jul 2024
Languages
- JavaScript 30%
- C++ 25%
- HTML 22.2%
- Other 22.8%
Updated daily from the GitHub API. Star tracking since Jun 15, 2026.
Website at a glance
mozilla.org
B+ score 80
Solid website security headers
Graded by Mozilla HTTP Observatory, tested today
Inspect this site yourself
Measures the security configuration of the tool's own website, not the privacy of the product itself. A strong tool can still score low here.
Firefox alternatives
LibreWolf A modified version of Firefox designed to increase protection against tracking and fingerprinting techniques, while also including security improvements.
Brave Fast, cross-platform Chromium browser that blocks ads and trackers by default. A complete package out of the box, suitable for beginners or when setup time matters.
Helium Privacy-first Chromium browser with uBlock Origin and tracker blocking on by default. Based on ungoogled-chromium, for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Firefox Focus Dedicated mobile privacy browser with automatic tracking protection and ad blocking. With Focus, your pages load faster and your data stays private.
DuckDuckGo Privacy-focused search engine and mobile browser that blocks trackers and searches without profiling you. Partially open source, based in the US.
Orion WebKit browser by Kagi for macOS and iOS with zero telemetry and support for Chrome and Firefox extensions.