But how many Firefoxs exist?

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After reading the interesting article by Daniele Scasciafratte we decided to create something similar because we think that sometimes too many Fork may cause confusion among non-experts. So when we talk about Firefox and its variants it is possible that more than one person thinks: but how many Firefoxs exist?

In the meantime, let's start with a curiosity that perhaps not everyone is aware of: have you ever wondered why i Fork of Mozilla Firefox (with the exception of Waterfox, then we'll get to it) have bizarre names that somehow make you guess they derive from Firefox but never have the word Mozilla or Firefox in their name? This is due to the fact that Mozilla Firefox is a registered trademark ¹ and project guidelines Open source deriving from the Mozilla Firefox code ² they must not have anything in their name that suggests they are in any way affiliated with Mozilla. For example, they say: don't call your projects [Something]-fox, Moz-[Something], or [Something]-zilla.

But how many Firefoxs exist?

As always we will dedicate the article first to Browsers for desktop and later ai Browsers for mobile. Also we'll just talk about Browsers cross-platform or that only exist on Windows. We will not discuss, except briefly, the versions of Firefox present only on Linux. This is because, unfortunately, Windows remains the most used operating system and we try to address above all people who have not yet managed to take the "big step" by switching to Linux.

Firefox derivatives on Desktop

So let's start with our usual list of alternatives!

LibreWolf

Lately it has become ours Browsers favorite. Fast and secure, also quick with updates (which is very important for security reasons). LibreWolf it is a totally independent project that does not even accept donations. All Mozilla telemetry is removed (usage statistics etc) and exits of the factory with pre-installed i search engine DuckDuckGo, SearX, Qwant, StartPage, Metager and other. Obviously you can use any Search engine whatever you want, you have no constraints.

LibreWolf It comes with uBlock Origin pre-installed to block ads and more. It also comes out with some changes Arkenfox (a series of important privacy and security changes) to maximize your privacy when using online. The vast majority of sites work well and there are rarely any problems. The only sore point is that, being an amateur project, it has few maintainers. Consequently, if one gets tired or can no longer update it, the project risks remaining stagnant. For now, however, that has never happened. The LibreWolf community is also present on Matrix (things?) And Lemmy (things?).

If you install it on Windows I recommend you also install theextension for automatic updates.

Waterfox

One of the few Fork of Firefox managed by a real company and not by voluntary collaborators. Behind Waterfox in fact there is System1 ³, an advertising company that already owns the Search engine Startpage ⁴. Waterfox does not contain any type of telemetry and allows you to install extensions both dedicated to Firefox and those dedicated to Browsers Chromium. Its business model, as almost always happens with i Browsers, is monetization through collaborations with default search engines, in this case Bing ⁵. There is also a version of Waterfox called “classic” which however has several unresolved security problems therefore we do not recommend its use.

It's not entirely clear to us how they can use part of the Firefox brand because as we said previously they shouldn't be allowed to have [Something]-fox in their name.

Tor Browser

Well yes, maybe not everyone knows but The Browsers official Tor is based on Firefox. It's the most secure version of Firefox you can find, pre-installed NoScript to prevent any script from running. It will also allow you to browse the Tor network and have a good dose of anonymity. Before using it we remind you to read ours Guide to using Tor.

Altri Browser derivanti da Firefox

Finally, there are other variants of Firefox such as Pale Moon or his successor Basilisk gods we spoke carefully here. For Linux you will find instead Iceweasel.

Theoretically it also exists Dot HQ but its releases are stopped until 2021 ⁶. Those who manage it, however, say that the project is not abandoned but that we just need to be patient a little longer ⁷.

One last note. DuckDuckGo he should release a version of his soon Browsers also for desktop. However it seems that it will neither be a derivative of Chromium nor a Browsers based on the engine Gecko (that of Firefox), but should use the Browsers native to the operating system, WebView2 ⁸.

Versions of Firefox on smartphones

Now we will deal with the many versions of Firefox on Android smartphones. Why only Android? Why on iOS it is mandatory to use Apple's WKWebView engine ⁹ therefore the differences between a Browsers and the other are minimal and for this reason we cannot speak of real ones Fork.

We would like to underline one thing about the extensions that you reported to us on Telegram. Extensions can also be installed on Firefox Nightly ¹⁰ and not just up Iceraven (as we wrote previously). Here a little guide.

Mull

This version of Firefox is in our opinion the most interesting. It was created by the operating system developer DivestOS ¹¹ (a'Android alternative, so to speak) and since it landed on F-Droid in our opinion it has become a real must. Mull has many features to protect privacy (Browsers Comparison Table) always taken from arkenfox ¹² and can be defined as "the LibreWolf of smartphones". We recommend it because, in addition to having one of the best default settings, it is also updated consistently and above all quickly.

Fennec

It's a simple Firefox from which Mozilla telemetry is removed and nothing else. It has no other features or settings to better protect privacy.

Firefox Focus

It is an official version of Firefox that takes a different path from the main development. Graphically it is in fact very different even if the engine used to operate is always the same (GeckoView) ¹³. This semi-technical digression aside, Firefox Focus is a Browsers Interesting because it is an official version and therefore constantly receives updatesFurthermore, it has quite high standard protections. Also very interesting basket that you can press at any time to clear all history. It's a Browsers for a different use from the previous ones as it does not allow you to log in to Mozilla.
Unlike the previous ones, it is only available on Play Store.

Iceraven

This Browsers it is interesting mainly for one reason: allows you to easily install any extension, which is otherwise complex with i Browsers precedents. Unfortunately it cannot be downloaded or downloaded from F-Droid and not even from the Play Store. You can only download the installation file (APK) from GitHub. It is not updated regularly and can therefore be risky to use as Browsers daily. However you could only use it as Browsers for certain extensions and open it only when necessary. For updates you can use FFUpdater.

Tor Browser

The same thing we said for the desktop version applies: Tor is excellent and secure even on Android.

1. Mozilla Trademark Guidelines[↩]
2. Open source Project Guidelines[↩]
3. Who owns Waterfox?[↩]
4. Building a more private internet experience with Privacy One Group – Archive link[↩]
5. 6. How does Waterfox make money? – Archive link[↩]
6. Nightly v87.0 – 2021-07-24[↩]
7. Tweet Dot HQ, Nitter link[↩]
8. What engine does the DuckDuckGo desktop Browsers use?[↩]
9. WKWebView[↩]
10. Expanded extension support in Firefox for Android Nightly[↩]
11. Our Apps[↩]
12. It enables many features upstreamed by the Tor uplift project using preferences from the arkenfox-user.js project.[↩]
13. GeckoView in Firefox Focus[↩]

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