Web browsers based on Firefox
Mozilla Firefox
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Mozilla Firefox is a free and open-source web browser made by Mozilla Foundation and Mozilla Corporation.
Firefox uses the Gecko and SpiderMonkey engine to load web pages. Both engines use the newest standards, making it easier for others to be used as a base.[1] Firefox in iOS, however, does not use the said engines.
Firefox was created in 2002 by Mozilla community members. Even back in early testing, it was praised for speed and other features, as compared to its major competitor Internet Explorer 6.
List of web browsers based on Firefox (active)
[change | change source]Listed below in alphabetical order, are the web browsers that are based on Firefox.
Floorp
[change | change source]Floorp is a free and open-source web browser based on Firefox ESR, emphasizing user privacy and offering extensive customization options like layout, design, and dual sidebar functionalities. It prioritizes privacy by blocking malicious trackers, preventing fingerprinting, and not collecting user data. Regular updates, including security patches before official Firefox releases, ensure its stability and functionality. Being completely open-source allows users to contribute to its development and fosters community involvement.
Ghostery Private Browser
[change | change source]Ghostery Private Browser is a browser based on Firefox with Ghostery extension built-in.
GNU IceCat
[change | change source]GNU IceCat (called GNU IceWeasel back then) is a completely free version of Mozilla Firefox made by the GNU Project.
Mozilla makes free and open-source software, but some files are non-free. The GNU Project aims to keep up IceCat with Firefox Extended Support Releases while replacing non-free files with free ones.
It is available for IA-32, x86-64, and PowerPC architectures. The current copies are only for Linux and macOS, with unofficial copies for Windows and Android.[2]
Librewolf
[change | change source]Librewolf is a free and open-source browser with a focus on privacy and security.
Some features from Firefox, like Pocket are turned off. It also removes telemetry (gathering user data) and has uBlock Origin pre-installed.[3][4]
It is available for Linux, Windows, and MacOS. There are also some unofficial builds for FreeBSD and OpenBSD.[5]
Pale Moon
[change | change source]Pale Moon is an open-source web browser, with a focus on customization. It is available for Microsoft Windows, FreeBSD, macOS and Linux.
Pale Moon has become different from Firefox in a lot of ways:
- It uses Strata design from Firefox 4-28
- Supports XUL and XPCOM extensions
- Supports "Complete Themes" that can change all designs of the browser
- Supports NPAPI plugins
- Replaces Gecko engine with Goanna (fork)
- Always runs in single-process mode
Waterfox
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Waterfox is a free and open-source browser, focused on speed and privacy. It was first made for 64-bit systems, back before when Firefox was only for 32-bit. It also works with Chrome and Opera extensions. It turns off telemetry and Pocket by default.
List of web browsers based on Firefox (discontinued)
[change | change source]Listed below in alphabetical order, was the web browsers that are based on Firefox. There have been discontinued.
Cliqz
[change | change source]Cliqz was a privacy-focused search engine and web browser made by Cliqz GmbH. It was available for desktop, mobile, and as an add-on for Firefox.
It came with an anti-tracking feature and its search engine that uses its list of web pages to give search bar suggestions.[6]
On April 29, 2020, Cliqz said that it would end development for its browser and search engine.[7]
CometBird
[change | change source]CometBird was a web browser based on Firefox, made by BitComet. It works with Windows 98 up to Windows 11.
It has a bookmark auto-sync, which helps to use the bookmarks with many devices. It also had a built-in media downloader and translator.
By 2015, its development ended.[8]
Comodo IceDragon
[change | change source]Comodo IceDragon was an open-source web browser made by the Comodo Group for Windows.
IceDragon has SiteInspector that checks if a web page is malicious before the user visits it.
It also uses Comodo's Secure DNS service instead of using the DNS of the internet service provider. The Secure DNS aims to load pages faster and make browsing safer as it blocks malicious website connections live.[9][10]
Waterfox Classic
[change | change source]Waterfox Classic is a copy of Waterfox for older systems. It uses an older copy of Gecko that works with XUL and XPCOM add-ons. It is currently being kept up with security changes from Waterfox and Firefox ESR but on a slower pace compared to Waterfox and Firefox ESR.[a]
Notes
[change | change source]References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Why we forked Firefox and not Chromium". Tech @ Cliqz. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ↑ "GNU Icecat — Free Software Foundation — Working together for free software". www.fsf.org. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ↑ Hasan, Mehedi. "LibreWolf: A Trusted Open-source Firefox Fork for Linux". Ubuntu Pit. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ↑ "LibreWolf: a privacy-focused Firefox fork". ubunlog. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ↑ "LibreWolf, a Firefox prepared to be more private as soon as you start it". Linuxaddicted. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ↑ Lomas, Natasha. "Mozilla invests in Germany's Cliqz, a private search browser". TechCrunch. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ↑ Stommel, Dorothy. "Cliqz closes areas for browser and search technologies". Hubert Burda Media. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ↑ "CometBird". Cnet. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ↑ "Comodo IceDragon". Download.com. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ↑ "Comodo IceDragon and Comodo Dragon browsers for Windows PC". TheWindowsClub. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ↑ "Release Waterfox Classic 2022.11 · BrowserWorks/Waterfox-Classic". GitHub. Retrieved 2024-06-22.