Waterfox
A Firefox build with telemetry stripped out, ad blocking and encrypted DNS turned on from the start.
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5 more ways to get Waterfox
Other download sites
Run by third parties, not by Waterfox. Prefer the official page above when it works.
Package managers
- winget
winget install --id Waterfox.Waterfox - Chocolatey
choco install waterfox - Homebrew
brew install --cask waterfox
About Waterfox
Waterfox is a long-running independent Firefox fork. Its pitch is a browser that does not phone home: data collection and telemetry are removed rather than switched off in a settings page, and ad blocking and anonymised DNS come configured out of the box.
It keeps Firefox's engine and extension support, so add-ons and profiles carry over. As with any fork, you are trusting one small team to keep pace with Mozilla's security releases, and Waterfox has changed ownership before, which is worth knowing if your reason for switching is trust rather than features.
Strengths
- Telemetry and data collection are removed from the build, not just disabled in preferences
- Ad blocking and private, anonymised DNS are on by default
- Firefox extensions and profiles work unchanged
- Builds for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android
Limitations
- One small team tracking Mozilla, so security updates land after Firefox's
- The project has changed hands in the past, which matters if you are picking it on trust
- Fewer eyes on the code than Firefox itself
- Some Firefox features tied to Mozilla accounts and services are absent
Details
- Pricing
- Free · Free and open source under MPL-2.0. Development is funded by donations.
- License
- MPL-2.0
- Developer
- Waterfox
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- No
- Best suited for
- Someone who wants Firefox with the telemetry taken out and a blocker already running
- Categories
- Web browsers
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (Browsers); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 2 sources on file.