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Waterfox is a free and open-sourceweb browser and fork of Firefox. It claims to be ethical and user-centric, emphasizing performance and privacy. There are official Waterfox releases for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. It was initially created to provide official 64-bit support, back when Firefox was only available for 32-bit systems.
Divisions
Waterfox
Waterfox shares core features and technologies like the Gecko browser engine and support for Firefox Add-ons with Firefox. It is also compatible with Google Chrome and Opera extensions. It disables telemetry and Pocket by default, which are present in Firefox builds. However, it collects technical information about the user's device to update properly.
Waterfox Classic
Waterfox Classic is a version of the browser based on an older version of the Gecko engine that supports legacy XUL and XPCOM add-on capabilities that Firefox removed in version 57. It is still partially maintained with fixes and patches from Waterfox and Firefox ESR releases. However, its development has been separated due to several changes from Waterfox that are otherwise unapplicable.
Vulnerabilities
Waterfox Classic has multiple unpatched security advisories. The developer states that "changes between versions so numerous between ESRs making merging difficult if not impossible".
Privacy
Exodus Privacy Analysis demonstrates that Waterfox uses the following trackers:
According to Exodus, these are the same as the trackers used by Firefox, with the notable exclusion of the Adjust marketing platform that only Firefox uses.
History
Waterfox was first released by Alex Kontos on 27 March 2011 for 64-bit Windows. The macOS build was introduced on 14 May 2015 with the release of version 38.0, the Linux build was introduced on 20 December 2016 with the release of version 50.0, and an Android build was first introduced on 10 October 2017 in version 55.2.2.
From 22 July 2015 to 12 November 2015, Waterfox had its own search-engine called "Storm" that would raise funds for charity and Waterfox. Storm was developed with over £2 million of investor funding and powered by Yahoo! Search.
In December 2019, System1, an advertising company which portrays itself as privacy-focused, acquired Waterfox. In July 2023, Alex Kontos announced that Waterfox had been turned into an independent project again.
An Android release of the browser was made available via the Google Play Store in November 2023.
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Screenshot of Waterfox G6.0.5 running on Windows 10, showing the English Misplaced Pages.
Waterfox logo used until 2015
Waterfox logo used from 2015 to March 2019
Waterfox logo used from March to June 2019
Waterfox logo used from May 2019 to August 2023
Waterfox logo used from August to September 2023
Waterfox logo used from September 2023 to present
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