Mullvad Browser
Hacker ApprovedRanked 18 of 53 web browsers by recommenders
Firefox-based browser with stronger anti-fingerprinting and privacy defaults, recommended for separating private browsing. Caveat: some sites break under its aggressive protections.
Firefox-based browser with stronger anti-fingerprinting and privacy defaults, recommended for separating private browsing. Caveat: some sites break under its aggressive protections.
43 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 38
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 88%
Recommended in 12 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 38 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 7.6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 12 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Privacy-focused Firefox fork
“If you want an actual private Firefox Browser use a fork like Mullvad Browser, LibreWolf and Tor Browser.”
Comment from 21 Aug 2026 in “AliExpress runs silent WebAudio fingerprinting that breaks Bluetooth multipoint” “better forks like Mullvad Browser and LibreWolf exist that actually deliver what Firefox promises”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Firefox 148 Launches with AI Kill Switch Feature and More Enhancements” “I do think the privacy-focused forks of it are good, and worthy of significant attention.”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “I switched to Brave” - Comment from 30 Mar 2026 in “ChatGPT Won't Let You Type Until Cloudflare Reads Your React State”
- Comment from 2 Dec 2025 in “Mozilla's latest quagmire”
- Comment from 6 Sep 2026 in “Chrome again exempts Google from user site data settings”
- Comment from 15 Sep 2026 in “Firefox 156 shows ads in the address bar (dubbed "Firefox Suggest")”
- Comment from 18 Dec 2025 in “Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features”
- Comment from 18 May 2026 in “Chrome removes claim of On-device Al not sending data to Google Servers”
- Comment from 9 Nov 2025 in “Ask HN: How would you set up a child’s first Linux computer?”
- Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features”
Strong anti-fingerprinting protection
“I don't think any modern browser is better for anti-fingerprinting like the Firefox-based ones, including TOR and Mullvad Browser?”
Comment from 25 May 2026 in “Exit IP VPN servers mitigation rollout” “The only browsers I've found that defeat it on desktop are Mullvad and Tor Browser”
Comment from 23 Jun 2026 in “EU Member States (and Google) suddenly want to keep cookie banners” “mullvad/tor browser is the best we have in terms of fingerprinting resistance”
Comment from 23 Nov 2025 in “The privacy nightmare of browser fingerprinting” - Comment from 20 Dec 2025 in “Privacy doesn't mean anything anymore, anonymity does”
- Comment from 21 Jun 2026 in “Loupe – A iOS app that raises awareness about what native apps can see”
Built with Tor Project's work
“I'd bet something like Mullvad (works with the Tor foundation and their fork of Firefox) is better your speed.”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features” “I really like Mullvad Browser, which is Tor Browser -Tor +uBlock Origin, for clean & ephemeral browsing.”
Comment from 2 Aug 2026 in “How Google helped destroy adoption of RSS feeds (2023)” “They work directly with Tor and are doing exactly what you're asking for.”
Comment from 17 Dec 2025 in “Firefox is becoming an AI browser and the internet is not at all happy about it” - Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “We Accepted Surveillance as Default”
- Comment from 3 Apr 2026 in “LinkedIn Is Illegally Searching Your Computer”
Clean separate browser for sensitive browsing
“I really like Mullvad Browser, which is Tor Browser -Tor +uBlock Origin, for clean & ephemeral browsing.”
Comment from 2 Aug 2026 in “How Google helped destroy adoption of RSS feeds (2023)” “I usually rely on Mullvad Browser as a secondary instance for banking just to have a clean slate”
Comment from 7 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: Haven – Banking needs a safer browser” “You absolutely should not be using the same browser for general browsing and VPN based browsing.”
Comment from 17 May 2026 in “Mozilla to UK regulators: VPNs are essential privacy and security tools”
Other web browsers people recommend
The four most recommended other web browsers, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firefox | 1,572 | 1,371 | 53% | 12 | 16 yrs125 owners | — |
| Google Chrome | 503 | 1,086 | 32% | 12 | 10 yrs11 owners | — |
| Brave | 397 | 248 | 62% | 12 | 4.9 yrs16 owners | — |
| Safari | 307 | 577 | 35% | 12 | 13 yrs27 owners | — |
| Mullvad BrowserThis page | 38 | 5 | 88% | 12 | — | Approved |
What people said
40 of the 72 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I do think the privacy-focused forks of it are good, and worthy of significant attention.”
“all of which blow Brave out of the water for privacy by their own admission”
“obscure config changes to sell me out by using a actual private browser such as librewolf and mullvad browser”
“with a proper fork actually delivering what firefox keeps promising”
“start using a gecko based browser like librewolf, zen, mullvad or firefox”
“ready to go for people in the real world who don't have the time or inclination to mess around with random extensions”
“If you want an actual private Firefox Browser use a fork like Mullvad Browser, LibreWolf and Tor Browser.”
“both of which correctly block static.cloudflareinsights.com and I never have issues with Cloudflare sites”
“I really like Mullvad Browser, which is Tor Browser -Tor +uBlock Origin, for clean & ephemeral browsing.”
“The only browsers I've found that defeat it on desktop are Mullvad and Tor Browser”
“Mullvad and Tor browser are likely the best at anti-fingerprinting”
“I don't recommend it over Brave or Mullvad Browser.”
“I don't think any modern browser is better for anti-fingerprinting like the Firefox-based ones, including TOR and Mullvad Browser?”
“For people wanting to avoid surveillance capitalism, which is a very common threat, I think Mullvad Browser is a fantastic choice.”
“Mullvad browser provides a good balance of usability & privacy.”
“Mullvad Browser is far more aggressive in its privacy preserving measures to the extent that you do sometimes stumble across websites that are "broken"”
“a good middle ground of resistance to tracking and convenience”
“privacy-friendly Firefox forks: LibreWolf and Mullvad Browser”
“You absolutely should not be using the same browser for general browsing and VPN based browsing.”
“I recommend anyone to use email aliasing and perhaps the Mullvad browser”
“unless you run stock mullvad/Tor browser, you're leaking who you are”
“at that point, I'd rather just use Mullvad browser.”
“Mullvad has build in VPN, DoH and proxy as an extension, and comes with uBo and NoScript.”
“They both enforce bundled set of fonts like Tor Browser.”
“I still happily use their privacy-oriented (Firefox-based) Mullvad browser.”
“better forks like Mullvad Browser and LibreWolf exist that actually deliver what Firefox promises”
“the tor project has put the most effort into fingerprinting resistance”
“I'd bet something like Mullvad (works with the Tor foundation and their fork of Firefox) is better your speed.”
“Go use a fork like the Mullvad browser or Waterfox.”
“Waterfox, Librewolf and Mullvad Browser are worth considering.”
“Mullvad browser doesn't have an option to disable all AI features because it doesn't have any.”
“They work directly with Tor and are doing exactly what you're asking for.”
“Firefox is only good for getting forked into better browser like Mullvad Browser”
“I usually rely on Mullvad Browser as a secondary instance for banking just to have a clean slate”
“Just copy librewolf/mullvad Browser and become actually a private browser.”
“That's what Mullvad Browser attempts to solve i guess”
“mullvad/tor browser is the best we have in terms of fingerprinting resistance”
“it makes the connection uniform, to better blend in”
“I wouldn’t say that the Mullvad browser is any better at anti-fingerprinting than Librewolf”
“change the browser to the Mullvad Browser or and librewolf”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.