Waterfox is a browser built off of the Firefox codebase. It has all of Firefox's features, and much of its interface. It is available on all operating systems except iOS. In this article, I will review version G5.1.2 of the macOS browser. This article should also be applicable to Windows and Linux versions.
Firefox and Waterfox new tab pages.
Panopticlick results.
For longtime Firefox users (and Chrome as well), Waterfox's interface will look very familiar. At the top is a Chrome-like tab bar instead of Firefox's floating tab style (which you can get by using any third-party theme), and below that, an exact copy of Firefox's toolbar. The new tab page has a search bar, shortcuts, and an optional recent activity panel, basically identical to Firefox. Waterfox has more customization, with an extra section in settings for changing the interface.
Unlike Firefox, Waterfox can install Chrome extensions and Opera add-ons in addition to the Mozilla add-ons library. This allows for greater flexibility and more extension options, as many extensions are only made for Chrome.
In terms of privacy, Waterfox does quite well. It collects no telemetry data, so only you know your browsing history. Its privacy policy is very clear on what data it collects (which is the bare minimum needed to operate the browser). The browser has a tracker blocker very similar to Firefox (with the same interface and probably the same code), which blocked 9 trackers on weather.com to Firefox's 8. I think the difference is probably in the blocklists used. For comparison, Brave blocked 10. Neither Waterfox nor Firefox blocked anything on google.com. When tested on Panopticlick, Waterfox was found to have a 'unique fingerprint', but otherwise has 'strong tracking protection'. These results are very similar to Firefox.
Waterfox has most of the same integrated features as Firefox, with the exception of Pocket and news (Snippets).
Overall, Waterfox is a pretty good browser. I would recommend it for people looking for a private browser without a lot of bells and whistles.
In this section, I will compare Waterfox to other browsers to see how it stacks up. You can see the grades of other browsers here.
Waterfox has a strong privacy policy and collects the bare minimum data necessary to run the browser. The browser does not receive telemetry or usage data from users. Waterfox also has a tracker blocker similar to that of Firefox, but with an improved blocklist. It scored well on Panopticlick, but was found to have a 'unique fingerprint'.
Browsers are graded by how good their tracker blockers are, support for FLoC, malware/nefarious script blocking, and collection of user data.
Browsers are graded on the quality of their interface. Interfaces should be easy to use and should look good.
Waterfox's interface is carried over completely from Firefox (even the weird tabs, from Firefox ESR). It is very clear and easy to use, and is not overly cluttered. Waterfox offers added customizability, allowing you to remove forward and back buttons when they can't be used. The weird tabs can also be replaced with Firefox floating tabs by installing any third-party theme (even a Chrome one).
Waterfox has all of the same features as Firefox, with the exception of Pocket. It has no tab groups and no casting (unless you use AirPlay or Chromecast at the device level). Unlike Firefox, it can run Chrome and Opera extensions, giving it added functionality.
Browsers are graded on the presence of several useful features (tab bar, tab groups, bookmarks), as well as customizability and extra features that the browser has.
This article was published on January 31, 2023 under Browser Reviews.