Mozilla Firefox vs Waterfox
Mozilla Firefox
firefox.com
Waterfox
waterfox.comSide by side
| Figure | Mozilla Firefox | Waterfox |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $5/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Web browsers | 9.0 (#11) | 9.3 (#3) |
| Browser engine | gecko | gecko |
| Built-in ad blocking | Yes | Yes |
| Cross-device sync | Yes | Yes |
| Founded | 2004 | 2011 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Supported platforms | both | Downloads are listed for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android; Windows requires Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.15 or later, and Linux glibc 2.17 or later. |
| Privacy | Firefox's privacy notice says browsing history, form data, temporary files and cookies are processed on the device unless the notice says otherwise. | The privacy policy says Waterfox telemetry, health reports and crash reports are disabled and locked off at build time. |
| Product | Firefox is a web browser that Mozilla describes as fast, private and useful across devices. | Waterfox is a free, open source web browser focused on privacy and customisation. |
| Support | Mozilla provides Firefox help resources for desktop, enterprise, Android and iOS. | Waterfox provides help articles for browsing, privacy and security, customization, troubleshooting and Android. |
| Tracking protection | standard | advanced |
Plans
In their own words
Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla Firefox is a free, open-source web browser that uses the Gecko engine. It is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and as a browser extension, and its download page lists availability in more than 90 languages. Standard tracking protection and built-in ad blocking are included. Total Cookie Protection isolates cookies so they cannot follow users between websites, while Tab Groups organize open tabs by project, mood, or task. A Mozilla account can sync bookmarks, passwords, and open tabs across devices. Firefox also offers access to multiple AI chatbots in one place, letting users choose whether to use them. Thousands of free extensions are available through addons.mozilla.org. Mozilla’s privacy notice says browsing history, form data, temporary files, and cookies are processed on the device unless stated otherwise. Automated translation and PDF alt-text suggestions use downloaded language models locally; Firefox says those features do not send page content, PDFs, images, or tab URLs to Mozilla. Firefox is listed at free.
Waterfox
Waterfox is a free, open-source web browser built around privacy and customisation. It uses the Gecko engine and is listed for Android, browser extensions, Linux, macOS and Windows. On desktop, it blocks ads, trackers, pop-ups and overlays by default; filter lists and site exceptions can be adjusted. Private tabs use their own container, and Waterfox removes that container’s site data when the final private tab closes. DNS requests are encrypted and passed through an Oblivious HTTP relay; users can change or disable the default Fastly-operated relay and Cloudflare-operated resolver. Tree tabs nest pages under the page that opened them, with branches that can be collapsed or moved together. Firefox WebExtensions work, but Chrome-only extensions do not transfer automatically. Regular updates incorporate Mozilla security fixes using the Firefox ESR model. Waterfox says telemetry, health reports and crash reports are disabled at build time. Sync is off until Mozilla-account sign-in, and synced data is end-to-end encrypted. The browser plan is free, with no premium tier or required payment.