Waterfox

What hackers pick instead

• FirefoxRecommended as the main independent alternative to Chrome, with full uBlock Origin support and deep customization; critics fault Mozilla's AI features, unwanted additions and settings buried in about:config.1572recommend
• BraveA Chromium browser with strong built-in ad blocking, privacy hardening and Chrome extension support, though many distrust its crypto features and past donation and affiliate controversies.397recommend
• SafariApple's browser is praised for privacy protections, battery efficiency and Apple device integration, though critics cite aggressive tab reloading, sites that only work in Chrome, and iOS engine lock-in.307recommend
• Orion Browser by KagiA WebKit browser recommended for running Chrome and Firefox extensions like uBlock Origin on iPhone and Mac, with no telemetry, but critics cite bugs and its closed source.206recommend
• LibreWolfA Firefox fork with privacy-respecting defaults, uBlock Origin built in, and Mozilla's AI and telemetry stripped out; strict anti-fingerprinting can break some sites.113recommend

Every quote

The 40 most detailed of 123 comments. Each links to the original.

1. Waterfox is the one with the strongest case that they can continue on even if they have to fully decouple from Mozilla Firefox

   Recommends · Jun 2026 · in “Leaving Mozilla”

2. I am very thankful that they aren't going to be including any of the LLM crud that Mozilla has been talking up.

   Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “No AI* Here – A Response to Mozilla's Next Chapter”

3. projects like Waterfox are valuable precisely because they push back on some of Mozilla's product decisions

   Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “15 Years of Forking”

4. Waterfox has text ads on the default search page based on your search query, not based on tracking you

   Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “15 Years of Forking”

5. telemetry/analytics/experiments disabled at build time and alongside a fair few patches on top

   Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Constructing the Word's First JPEG XL MD5 Hash Quine”

6. My favorite browser by far, especially since Mozilla/Firefox pissed me off one time too many.

   Recommends · Jun 2026 · in “Google is finally killing uBlock Origin in Chrome for good”

7. Did you know that a custom version of TST is the native tab handling mechanism in Waterfox?

   Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Make Tmux the OS”

8. The browser's job is to load web pages, keep your data private, and get out of the way.

   Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “15 Years of Forking”

9. Waterfox is transparent and clearly states who and how they sell their user data to.

   Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “15 Years of Forking”

10. One of the reasons I use Waterfox is to not be subject to the caprices of Mozilla.

    Recommends · Nov 2025 · in “Firefox Forcing LLM Features”

11. The best way to use it is to use the aforementioned forks which remove the excess

    Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Firefox 12.58% for Desktop Browser Market Share in North America June 2026”

12. Native tree style tabs, minimalist UI, built in ad blocking, Firefox extensions.

    Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Google Has Removed MV2 Extensions from the Chrome Web Store, Including UBO”

13. since they're Firefox-based but don't steal your data or claim copyright on it

    Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “LinkedIn Is Illegally Searching Your Computer”

14. It's what I switched to when I finally got sick & tired of Mozilla's shit.

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent”

15. have both plucked out all unnecessary stuff Mozilla added over the years

    Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Mozilla Thunderbolt”

16. I chose WF in large part because its profile remains compatible with FF

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent”

17. Use Waterfox or LibreWolf which rip all this out with prejudice

    Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Browser De-Slop”

18. Why do you think Waterfox and Librewolf leave this crap out?

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Mozilla appoints new CEO Anthony Enzor-Demeo”

19. Waterfox's approach of allowing text ads on the default search partner page is our own decision for sustainability

    Criticizes · Mar 2026 · in “15 Years of Forking”

20. allowing text ads on the default search partner page is our own decision for sustainability

    Criticizes · Mar 2026 · in “15 Years of Forking”

21. can't meaningfully match mozilla's maintenance of the core browser

    Criticizes · Sep 2026 · in “Mistral X Mozilla: Private, Multilingual AI Browsing”

22. Ungoogled Chromium and Waterfox are at best a temporary measure

    Criticizes · Dec 2025 · in “No AI* Here – A Response to Mozilla's Next Chapter”

23. Speaking only for myself, and regardless of whether this is actually true (see sibling comment): yes. Absolutely.

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Is Mozilla trying hard to kill itself?”

24. Yes those are still dependent on Mozilla's upstream changes, but users not trusting them have still options.

    Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Firefox Has Integrated Brave's Adblock Engine”

25. I really like how their partnerships make it more likely that if/when Mozilla fully goes off the deep end

    Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Waterfox 6.7.0 – Supernova”

26. Waterfox, I’ve spent a good amount of time on scouring through the code looking at what to remove

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Ecosia: The greenest AI is here”

27. Waterfox will carry on allowing extensions to access the browsers own privileged JavaScript APIs

    Recommends · Jun 2026 · in “Google is finally killing uBlock Origin in Chrome for good”

28. the best versioins of Firefox are the non official versions like waterfox and zen

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Is Mozilla trying hard to kill itself?”

29. I switched to WaterFox last year and don't have to deal with their shit any more

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Firefox Enterprise”

30. go jump on a fork that isn't going to add those things like Mullvad or Waterfox

    Mixed · Dec 2025 · in “Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features”

31. found WaterFox to be the perfect balance of this with still good usability

    Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Waterfox 6.7.0 – Supernova”

32. stop using chrome and switch to waterfox or some other mozilla derivative

    Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “Punkt. Unveils MC03 Smartphone”

33. I've spent a lot of time making sure users can tweak how they like.

    Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Waterfox 6.7.0 – Supernova”

34. frequently lags behind upstream Firefox in terms of security fixes

    Mixed · Dec 2025 · in “Is Mozilla trying hard to kill itself?”

35. look at everything LibreWolf, Waterfox, etc do to make up for them

    Mixed · Aug 2026 · in “Firefox is now the last major browser that still supports uBlock Origin”

36. Really good experience, been recommending it to all my friends.

    Recommends · Jun 2026 · in “Google Chrome's Next Update Will Mark the End of Popular Ad Blockers”

37. Waterfox, Librewolf and Mullvad Browser are worth considering.

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features”

38. a set of great (and per fork different yet handy) features

    Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features”

39. I've been using Waterfox on deskop for years and adore it.

    Recommends · Jun 2026 · in “Google Chrome's Next Update Will Mark the End of Popular Ad Blockers”

40. it’s just a plain goddamn browser. It’s really delightful.

    Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “Just the Browser”