Waterfox

Waterfox is one of the browsers I recommend if you want more control over your browsing experience without giving up compatibility with Firefox extensions. I like its focus on privacy, the absence of unnecessary telemetry, and the extra customization options that appeal to power users. At the same time, it still feels familiar and easy to switch to. If you're looking for a browser that balances performance, privacy, and flexibility, Waterfox is definitely worth trying.

I used Waterfox for a while, and it was the first browser based on Firefox that I used extensively (after Chrome) as my primary browser for a long time. We can say that it is between the Firefox browser and the unnecessary things that come with it and LibreWolf and the high privacy it enjoys, which may not appeal to some. I went back to using it, but not like I used to as the main browser. Now I noticed somethings that I did not pay attention to it, which is the UI it seems a bit old, but of course you can customize it to the highest levels, but I am talking about the default options. There are several things that count for them, including that they removed unnecessary things from Firefox, and they have a wide variety of search engines that come with the browser by default. Also, the settings menu is simple and clear, and you won't get lost in it, unlike some browsers. Another plus of the browser is the good documentation it has which you can read here: https://www.waterfox.com/support/waterfox-help/ .

What is blamed on them is that the Android version is not as efficient as the computer version. I mean, when I search for a specific topic or domain every three times , there is a time (and sometimes more) when the search fails and a page pop up saying that the server you are searching for does not exist. I am sure that I am connected to the Internet and that this link exists, but it often fails even when searching using the DuckDuckGo search engine. The problem may be mine, but I don’t think so. Yes, my device is kind of old, but not to the point that it fails to run a browser? The last one that I hope the developers improve, which is the menu bar icons that make the browser a kind of appearing undesirable, and they may confuse you sometimes. They can replace them with something simpler or even delete them, such as LibreWolf, where only the options are written. In general, the browser is good for the advantages I mentioned, and it is not the default option that I would recommend for use on mobile phones. But the computer version, it is excellent after some tweaks.

I am a very new user of Waterfox, but thus far am very pleased. I was looking to switch off of Mozilla Firefox and initially tried LibreWolf, but I felt their modifications to Firefox were poorly executed (in the version I tried). Waterfox feels very slick and professional in comparison. On initial start, there is a very simple way to instantly pull your existing Firefox or Firefox ESR (great for Debian users!) information in, and Waterfox also supports Firefox Sync (disabled by default as a privacy feature which I appreciate). All of the "AI" features were disabled by default as far as I could tell, including more hidden bits in the about:config. Waterfox's original developer has returned and owns the project again via the BrowserWorks company, and released a good statement about his opinions on AI, which is another big reason I made the switch. I appreciate the additional exposed settings in the about:settings menu too, which includes a few security settings that LibreWolf set without letting you customize! I personally prefer the condensed UI choice as well, and the extra settings for the theme are great. You can always go back to Firefox's other themes too. Firefox's new ads for Mozilla's other services are removed, too. All of the extensions I use work great, and I opted to use the Tarball for Linux, so no Flatpak-related issues with permissions or access. Overall, I'm a happy user for now!

Kind of like Ungoogled Chromium in that it's Firefox minus the Mozilla telemetry and services, except Waterfox feels like a complete application instead of one with a bunch of gaps.

Using it is about the same as using Firefox. Less stuff breaks than in LibreWolf (which goes a lot further in its privacy protection). Waterfox tracks Firefox's ESR releases, so it can run behind the main browser in terms of features, but they seem to track security updates quickly. It's compatible with Firefox Add-ons, and the one Firefox service it does use is Sync, which is end-to-end encrypted.

The Android version is solid. When I first tried it out, in-browser translations were missing, but they're back now.

Real installers with updaters for Windows and Mac (unlike LibreWolf), Flatpak and tarballs for Linux (but not ARM Linux yet). The Flatpak has the usual issues talking to KeePassXC

It changes some of my settings after each restart. I like it otherwise, but its hard for me to trust.