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Comparison
celenity edited this page 2025-03-22 13:01:06 -04:00
🫂 Comparison Table
This table is based off of default configurations
NOT Exhaustive... impossible to cover everything!!
Make sure to read the notes below!
Please report any issues or inaccuracies!
Last updated March 22, 2025
⚠️ Avoid forks if possible
Forks:
- Can result in delayed updates, posing security concerns
- Are usually unnecessary & what they accomplish can generally be accomplished through other means (ex. configs/policies/user.js files)
- Cause serious harm if simply treated as a hobbyist project - Remember that your browser is one of the, if not the, most security-sensitive components in your life. It must be taken seriously!
In nearly all cases (With the most notable exceptions being Mullvad Browser & Tor Browser) you should opt to use configs/policies/user.js files (or whatever else suits your fancy) instead.
It should be noted that the situation is far different on mobile. The first and final risks noted above do still apply, but due to Firefox on mobile being fundamentally limited in what it can and can not do, forks can provide benefits to offset these risks, as they can provide functionality that can't be achieved through simply changing settings, installing a config file, or other means. (Ex. Removing proprietary libraries)
General
| Maintained | Default DNS over HTTPS Resolver | Default search engine | Enables Peformance Optimizations | Geolocation Provider | Supports DRM | Supports E2EE Browser Sync | Telemetry | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firefox - Upstream | Yes | Cloudflare | No | Windows: Microsoft, macOS: Apple, Linux: Google, Fallback: Google | Yes | Yes (Firefox Sync) | Yes | |
| Phoenix - Policies/Config | Yes | Quad9 | DuckDuckGo | Yes | macOS: Apple, Windows & Linux: BeaconDB, Fallback: BeaconDB | No | Yes (Firefox Sync) | No |
| Arkenfox - user.js | Yes | Cloudflare | No | Yes | Yes (Firefox Sync) | No | ||
| Betterfox - Policies/user.js | Yes | Cloudflare | Yes | Windows: Microsoft, macOS: Apple, Linux: Google, Fallback: Google | Yes | Yes (Firefox Sync) | No | |
| Brace - Policies/user.js | Yes | Quad9 | Some - (Ref.) | No | No | No | ||
| Cachy Browser - Fork | Yes | Cloudflare | DuckDuckGo | Yes | Windows: Microsoft, macOS: Apple, Linux: Google, Fallback: Google | Yes | Yes (Firefox Sync) | No |
| FireDragon - Fork (ESR) | Yes | Quad9 (No filtering) | searX | Yes | N/A | No | Yes (Firefox Sync) | No |
| Floorp - Fork (ESR) | Yes | Cloudflare | No | Windows: Microsoft, macOS: Apple, Linux: Google, Fallback: Google | Yes | Yes (Firefox Sync) | No | |
| Ghostery Private Browser - Fork | ⚠️ No | Cloudflare | Ghostery | Yes | Windows: Microsoft, macOS: Apple, Linux: Google, Fallback: Google | Yes | No | No |
| IceCat - Fork | ⚠️ Yes, but constantly behind | Cloudflare | ? | No | N/A | No | No | No |
| LibreWolf - Fork | Yes | Quad9 (No filtering) | DuckDuckGo | No | N/A | No | No | No |
| Mercury - Fork | ⚠️ No | Cloudflare | Yes | Windows: Microsoft, macOS: Apple, Linux: Google, Fallback: Google | Yes | Yes (Firefox Sync) | No | |
| Mullvad Browser | Yes | Mullvad | Mullvad Leta | No | N/A | No | No | No |
| Narsil - Policies/Config | Yes | Quad9 | No | N/A | No | No | No | |
| PostMarketOS mobile-config - Policies/Config | Yes | Cloudflare | No | Yes | Yes (Firefox Sync) | No | ||
| Pulse - Fork | ⚠️ No | Cloudflare | ? | Yes | Windows: Microsoft, macOS: Apple, Linux: N/A, Fallback: N/A | Yes | Yes (Firefox Sync) | No |
| pyllyukko - user.js | Yes | Cloudflare | No | N/A | Yes | Yes (Firefox Sync) | No | |
| rusty-snake - user.js | Yes | AdGuard | No | No | No | No | ||
| Tor Browser | Yes | N/A | DuckDuckGo | No | N/A | No | No | No |
| Waterfox - Fork | Yes | Cloudflare (w/ oDoH) | Bing | Yes | Windows: Microsoft, macOS: Apple, Linux: N/A, Fallback: N/A | Yes | Yes (Firefox Sync) | No |
| Zen - Fork | Yes | Cloudflare | Yes | Windows: Microsoft, macOS: Apple, Linux: Google, Fallback: Google | Yes | Yes (Firefox Sync) | No |
Privacy
| Enables Strict Tracking Protection | Partitions cookies (See here) | Fingerprinting Protection | Content Blocking (See here) | Blocks Cookie Banners (See here) | Removes URL Tracking Parameters (See here) | Enables Global Privacy Control | Enables Do Not Track | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firefox - Upstream | No | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Standard windows: Very basic, Private windows: Basic (FPP) | Very basic | No | No | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes |
| Phoenix - Policies/Config | Yes | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Strong (Hardened FPP) | Strongest (Hardened uBlock Origin) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Arkenfox - user.js | Yes | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Basic (FPP) | Basic | No | Basic | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes | Yes |
| Betterfox - Policies/user.js | Yes | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Basic (FPP) | Strong (uBlock Origin) | Partially | Basic | Yes | Yes |
| Brace - Policies/user.js | Custom | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Strong (RFP) | Strong (uBlock Origin) | No | Basic | Yes | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes |
| Cachy Browser - Fork | Yes | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Basic (FPP) | Strong (uBlock Origin) | No | Somewhat | Yes | Yes |
| FireDragon - Fork (ESR) | Custom | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Standard windows: Basic (FPP), Private windows: Strong (RFP) | Strong (uBlock Origin) | Partially | Yes | Yes | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes |
| Floorp - Fork (ESR) | No | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Standard windows: Very basic, Private windows: Basic (FPP) | Very basic | No | No | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes |
| Ghostery Private Browser - Fork | Custom | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Standard windows: Very basic, Private windows: Basic (FPP) | Medium (Ghostery) | Partially | Basic | Yes | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes |
| IceCat - Fork | No | Yes, via First Party Isolation (FPI) | Strong (RFP) | Very basic | No | No | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes | Yes |
| LibreWolf - Fork | Yes | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Strong (RFP) | Strong (uBlock Origin) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mercury - Fork | No | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Standard windows: Very basic, Private windows: Basic (FPP) | Strong (uBlock Origin) | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mullvad Browser | N/A | Yes, via First Party Isolation (FPI) | Strongest | Strong (uBlock Origin) | Partially | Somewhat | Yes | No |
| Narsil - Policies/Config | No | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Strong (RFP) | Very basic | No | No | Yes | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes |
| PostMarketOS mobile-config - Policies/Config | No | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Standard windows: Very basic, Private windows: Basic (FPP) | Strong (uBlock Origin) | No | No | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes |
| Pulse - Fork | Yes | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Standard windows: Very basic, Private windows: Basic (FPP) | Strong (uBlock Origin) | Partially | Basic | Yes | Yes |
| pyllyukko - user.js | No | Yes, via First Party Isolation (FPI) | Strong (RFP) | Very basic | No | No | Yes | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes |
| rusty-snake - user.js | Yes | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Medium (FPP with minor hardening) | Basic | No | Basic | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes | Yes |
| Tor Browser | N/A | Yes, via First Party Isolation (FPI) | Strongest | None | No | Basic | Yes | No |
| Waterfox - Fork | No | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Standard windows: Very basic, Private windows: Basic (FPP) | Very basic | Partially | No | Yes | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes |
| Zen - Fork | No | Yes, via Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) | Standard windows: Very basic, Private windows: Basic (FPP) | Very basic | No | No | Yes | Standard windows: No, Private windows: Yes |
Implicit Connections
| Enables DNS Prefetching | Enables Early Hints | Enables Link Prefetching | Enables Preconnect | Enables search suggestions | Enables speculative pre-connections | Trims cross-origin referers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firefox - Upstream | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Phoenix - Policies/Config | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Arkenfox - user.js | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Betterfox - Policies/user.js | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Brace - Policies/user.js | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Cachy Browser - Fork | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| FireDragon - Fork (ESR) | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Floorp - Fork (ESR) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Ghostery Private Browser - Fork | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| IceCat - Fork | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| LibreWolf - Fork | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Mercury - Fork | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Mullvad Browser | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Narsil - Policies/Config | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| PostMarketOS mobile-config - Policies/Config | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Pulse - Fork | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| pyllyukko - user.js | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | On Bookmarks & History | Yes |
| rusty-snake - user.js | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Tor Browser | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Waterfox - Fork | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Zen - Fork | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Security
| Enables CRLite revocation checks | Enables Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) revocation checks | Enforces Strict Certificate Pinning | Hard-fails OCSP revocation checks | Protects against IDN Homograph Attacks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firefox - Upstream | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Phoenix - Policies/Config | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Arkenfox - user.js | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Betterfox - Policies/user.js | Yes | No | No | N/A | Yes |
| Brace - Policies/user.js | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cachy Browser - Fork | Yes | No | Yes | N/A | Yes |
| FireDragon - Fork (ESR) | Yes | No | Yes | N/A | Yes |
| Floorp - Fork (ESR) | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Ghostery Private Browser - Fork | Yes | No | No | N/A | Yes |
| IceCat - Fork | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| LibreWolf - Fork | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mercury - Fork | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Mullvad Browser | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Narsil - Policies/Config | No | No | Yes | N/A | Yes |
| PostMarketOS mobile-config - Policies/Config | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Pulse - Fork | Yes | No | No | N/A | Yes |
| pyllyukko - user.js | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| rusty-snake - user.js | Yes | No | Yes | N/A | Yes |
| Tor Browser | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Waterfox - Fork | Yes | No | No | N/A | Yes |
| Zen - Fork | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Enables DNS over HTTPS | Enables HTTPS-Only Mode | Enables Post Quantum Key Agreement | Requires safe connection negotiations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firefox - Upstream | Limited Rollout w/ Fallback | No | Yes, except for WebRTC | No |
| Phoenix - Policies/Config | Yes w/o Fallback | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Arkenfox - user.js | Limited Rollout w/ Fallback | Yes | Yes, except for WebRTC | Yes |
| Betterfox - Policies/user.js | Limited Rollout w/ Fallback | No | Yes, except for WebRTC | No |
| Brace - Policies/user.js | Yes w/o Fallback | Yes | Yes, except for WebRTC | Yes |
| Cachy Browser - Fork | Limited Rollout w/ Fallback | Yes | Yes, except for WebRTC | Yes |
| FireDragon - Fork (ESR) | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Floorp - Fork (ESR) | Limited Rollout w/ Fallback | No | No | No |
| Ghostery Private Browser - Fork | No | Yes | Yes, except for WebRTC | No |
| IceCat - Fork | Limited Rollout w/ Fallback | Yes | No | No |
| LibreWolf - Fork | No | Yes | Yes, except for WebRTC | Yes |
| Mercury - Fork | Limited Rollout w/ Fallback | No | No | No |
| Mullvad Browser | Yes w/o Fallback | Yes | No | Yes |
| Narsil - Policies/Config | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PostMarketOS mobile-config - Policies/Config | Limited Rollout w/ Fallback | No | Yes, except for WebRTC | No |
| Pulse - Fork | Limited Rollout w/ Fallback | No | No | No |
| pyllyukko - user.js | Limited Rollout w/ Fallback | Yes | Yes, except for WebRTC | No |
| rusty-snake - user.js | Yes w/o Fallback | Yes | Yes, except for WebRTC | Yes |
| Tor Browser | N/A | Yes | No | Yes |
| Waterfox - Fork | Yes w/ Fallback | No | Yes, except for WebRTC | No |
| Zen - Fork | Limited Rollout w/ Fallback | No | Yes, except for WebRTC | No |
| Enables JavaScript Just-in-time Compilation (JIT) | |
|---|---|
| Firefox - Upstream | Yes |
| Phoenix - Policies/Config | No |
| Arkenfox - user.js | Yes |
| Betterfox - Policies/user.js | Yes |
| Brace - Policies/user.js | No |
| Cachy Browser - Fork | Yes |
| FireDragon - Fork (ESR) | Yes |
| Floorp - Fork (ESR) | Yes |
| Ghostery Private Browser - Fork | Yes |
| IceCat - Fork | Yes |
| LibreWolf - Fork | Yes |
| Mercury - Fork | Yes |
| Mullvad Browser | Yes |
| Narsil - Policies/Config | No |
| PostMarketOS mobile-config - Policies/Config | Yes |
| Pulse - Fork | Yes |
| pyllyukko - user.js | Yes |
| rusty-snake - user.js | No |
| Tor Browser | Yes |
| Waterfox - Fork | Yes |
| Zen - Fork | Yes |
Safe Browsing
| Enables Google Safe Browsing (See here) | Proxies Safe Browsing connections | Sends metadata of downloaded files to Google | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firefox - Upstream | Yes | No | Yes |
| Phoenix - Policies/Config | Yes | Yes | No |
| Arkenfox - user.js | Yes | No | No |
| Betterfox - Policies/user.js | Yes | No | No |
| Brace - Policies/user.js | Yes | No | No |
| Cachy Browser - Fork | No | N/A | N/A |
| FireDragon - Fork (ESR) | No | N/A | N/A |
| Floorp - Fork (ESR) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Ghostery Private Browser - Fork | Yes | No | No |
| IceCat - Fork | No | N/A | N/A |
| LibreWolf - Fork | No | N/A | N/A |
| Mercury - Fork | Yes | No | Yes |
| Mullvad Browser | No | N/A | N/A |
| Narsil - Policies/Config | No | N/A | N/A |
| PostMarketOS mobile-config - Policies/Config | Yes | No | Yes |
| Pulse - Fork | Yes | No | No |
| pyllyukko - user.js | Yes | No | No |
| rusty-snake - user.js | Yes | No | No |
| Tor Browser | No | N/A | N/A |
| Waterfox - Fork | No | N/A | N/A |
| Zen - Fork | Yes | No | No |
ADVANCED HARDENING
The following are advanced features that may cause breakage & some headache at the cost of enhanced privacy & security. Not for everyone. See here for details.
| Disables Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) storage access heuristics | Disables WebGL | Disables WASM | Strips cross-origin referers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firefox - Upstream | No | No | No | No |
| Phoenix - Policies/Config | No | No | No | No |
| Phoenix Extended - Policies/Config | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Arkenfox user.js | No | No | No | No |
| Betterfox Policies/user.js | No | No | No | No |
| Brace Policies/user.js | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cachy Browser - Fork | No | Yes | No | No |
| FireDragon - Fork (ESR) | No | Yes | No | No |
| Floorp - Fork (ESR) | No | No | No | No |
| Ghostery Private Browser - Fork | No | No | No | No |
| IceCat - Fork | No | Yes | No | No |
| LibreWolf - Fork | No | Yes | No | No |
| Mercury - Fork | No | No | No | No |
| Mullvad Browser | N/A | No | No | No |
| Narsil - Policies/Config | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| PostMarketOS mobile-config - Policies/Config | No | No | No | No |
| Pulse - Fork | No | No | No | No |
| pyllyukko - user.js | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| rusty-snake - user.js | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Tor Browser | N/A | No | No | No |
| Waterfox - Fork | No | No | No | No |
| Zen - Fork | No | No | No | No |
NOTES:
Cookie Partitioning
First Party Isolation (FPI) is Mozilla's legacy, deprecated solution for cookie partitioning. Total Cookie Protection (dFPI) should be preferred over FPI, as it is actively developed and causes far less breakage.
Safe Browsing
Safe Browsing is a powerful tool that provides real-time protection against malicious downloads & domains.
Firefox's implementation of Safe Browsing is generally privacy-respecting, with the only concerns being:
- Safe Browsing exposes your IP Address to Google (Use a VPN/Proxy or some other way to mask your IP Address, which you should be doing anyways)
- By default, Safe Browsing also shares metadata of your downloaded files with Google. (Where this applies is documented on the table)
You should take advantage of Safe Browsing where possible.
Content Blocking
Phoenix enhances uBlock Origin's default configuration as explained here.
Cachy Browser enables the following lists on uBlock Origin (in addition to uBo's defaults):
- AdGuard - Ads
- AdGuard URL Tracking Protection
- Block Outsider Intrusion into LAN
- Phishing URL Blocklist
- AdGuard – Social Widgets
- AdGuard – Annoyances
- uBlock filters – Annoyances
- EasyList Germany
Mullvad Browser enables the following lists (in addition to uBo's defaults):
- AdGuard URL Tracking Protection
- EasyList - Cookie Notices
URL Tracking Parameters
Phoenix, Arkenfox, Betterfox, Brace, Cachy Browser, Ghostery Private Browser, Mullvad Browser, Pulse, rusty-snake, & Tor Browser enable Firefox's built-in Query Stripping feature. Unfortunately, this feature only covers a very small list of parameters.
Phoenix, Cachy Browser, Mullvad Browser, & LibreWolf enable the AdGuard URL Tracking Protection filter list in uBlock Origin for stronger coverage.
Phoenix, Cachy Browser, & LibreWolf also enhance Firefox's default query stripping list.
Additionally, Phoenix & LibreWolf also enable the Actually Legitimate URL Shortener Tool filter list in uBlock Origin, for maximum protection and effectiveness against this form of tracking.
Cookie Banners
Phoenix, Betterfox, Ghostery, Pulse, & Waterfox enable Firefox's Cookie Banner Reduction, which attempts to either inject an "opt-out" cookie or automatically reject the banner.
Additionally, Phoenix enables the EasyList/uBO – Cookie Notices & AdGuard/uBO – Cookie Notices filter lists in uBlock Origin by default, which blocks most cookie banners from loading altogether.
Mullvad Browser does not enable the Cookie Banner Reduction feature, but they do enable the EasyList – Cookie Notices filter list in uBlock Origin by default.
Phoenix - A suite of configurations & advanced modifications for Mozilla Firefox, designed to put the user first.