this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2025

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Privacy

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Firefox alternatives? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 15 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

48 comments fedilink hide all child comments

On Linux and Android. What are privacy oriented alternatives to Firefox now that it's no longer trustworthy?

The ability to sync between devices would be a huge bonus, even just on a local network.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

https://digdeeper.club/articles/browsers.xhtml has a somewhat comprehensive analysis of a large number of browsers you might consider, illuminating depressing (and sometimes surprising) privacy problems with literally all of them.

In the end it absurdly recommends something which forked from Firefox a very long time ago, which is obviously not a reasonable choice from a security standpoint. I don't have a good recommendation, but I definitely don't agree with that article's conclusion: privacy features are pointless if your browser is trivially vulnerable to exploits for a plethora of old bugs, which will inevitably be the case for a volunteer-run project that diverged from Firefox a long time ago and thus cannot benefit from Mozilla's security fixes in each new release.

However, despite its ridiculous conclusion, that page's analysis is still useful in in deciding which of the terrible options to pick.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 hours ago

Ironfox on Android, easily is the best.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

librewolf, mullvad, zen browser? all fork of firefox

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

Not really an option because he said Android

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 hours ago

You can use any firefox fork on Linux and any other firefox fork on Android. They sync fine.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 hours ago

useful to me, a non-android user who clicked because the title doesn't say anything about it.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 hours ago

So I haven't been following the Firefox thing that closely. Fennec isn't an alternative because it uses Firefox's Sync and Brave is out of the question because it's crypto Chrome?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 hours ago

Floorp :)

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

I've been using LibraWolf on desktop for several years now. It's just far simpler than modifying standard Firefox. for my personal needs.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 hours ago

LibreWolf is great ! Coming from ArkenFox, I found LibreWolf's override cfg a bit easier.

They also have a pacdiff cfg to see what changes from version to version without the need to roam arkenfoxes github repo for hours to find what changed or what to change.

I installed it yesterday to see how it goes :) If it doesn't fit, will go back to Arkenfox.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 hours ago

power of 'community-driven' projects

[–] [email protected] 17 points 11 hours ago

I just installed Librewolf today, using it now. Being a fork of FF it makes a very smooth transition.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

If you want to keep the Gecko Engine from Mozilla to support an alternative to Google's monopoly here are a couple alternative for Linux :

Librewolf
Mullvad Browser
Zen Browser

For Android you have to be aware that unfortunately every firefox based browser lack of per-site isolation unlike chromium browsers.

IronFox (active fork of Mull by DivestOS)
Fennec

On the dark side of the spectrum you have chromium browser such as :

Brave (Linux & Android) (disable cryptocrap, sponsor backgrounds and it's quite good)
Cromite (Android)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 hours ago

I use ungoogled-chromium & thorium are worth a mention.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

For Android you have to be aware that unfortunately every firefox based browser lack of per-site isolation unlike chromium browsers.

Wait really? Its 2025, seriously, what is Mozilla doing?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

Collecting paychecks for being controlled opposition?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

Yes, I learned that thanks to DivestOS which was comming with Mull, they had a comparison table and yes no FF based browser support that basic security feature yet...

[–] [email protected] 14 points 15 hours ago (4 children)

I use a similar set up. Librewolf on Linux and IronFox on Android. You could still use a Firefox account to sync, but I wouldn’t. I’ve heard there’s a way to host an older version of Firefox sync locally, but I haven’t looked into it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 hours ago

This + xBrowserSync for bookmarks.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 12 hours ago

Second the Ironfox recommendation.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

Not OP, but I've never heard of IronFox. Is it a comparable replacement for Mull? Gods I'm still a bit salty over how sudden that was...

[–] [email protected] 6 points 13 hours ago

It's a fork of Mull, in fact!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

Yes IronFox is a fork of Mull, and though it does have a couple of differences in opinion on the balance of privacy and usability, it's very similar. I've been using it since shortly after we lost Mull.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

This is what I use.

And this is the latest sync server that doesn't rely on discontinued versions of Python: https://github.com/mozilla-services/syncstorage-rs/. It's not a full, plug and play solution, and it doesn't support PostgreSql so I haven't set it up in my self hosted environment yet, but plan to eventually.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 hours ago

I made this https://github.com/jeena/fxsync-docker/ which supports PostgreSQL but sadly they broke the upstream images in newer versions.

Someone did the work to rebuild the images and fix the problems in new versions, looks promising: https://github.com/porelli/firefox-sync

[–] [email protected] 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Use any fork of Firefox without the sync option.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

Sorry I've been out of the loop, the encrypted sync isn't safe anymore? I'm using forks since a while but I rely heavily on sync

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

You can also selfhost sync!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 hours ago

Yes, that's a great idea. I'm tempted to do that but my old NAS is hardly keeping up with all the services I've deployed on it so far

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

Can’t trust Mozilla anymore with the data, so you’re better off finding alternatives. You can check out: xBrowserSync

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

You can check out: xBrowserSync

I wish, but at 10MB size limit, it won't do

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

You can also just selfhost Firefox sync!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 hours ago

Oh, I didn’t know that. Thanks for the suggestion. It’s gonna be on my home server soon! ✅

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Cromite

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 hours ago

Cromite is exceptional.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Floorp and librewolf, among others.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

neither of them are aviable for android

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 hours ago

Ironfox for Android

[–] [email protected] 4 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

LibreWolf is what I use, but I heard Zen Browser is another fork that's been getting some traction. I don't use it though, but I've heard from someone who does that it works for them. thumbs-up

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

Zen looks good, but being more unique couldn't it get fingerprinted more easily?

Also their community is on Discord, which to me is a red flag quite frankly. I realize it's separate from the browser, but still. Discord no good.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 hours ago

Been using Zen for the past week. It takes some getting used to, but it's been great so far.

[+] [email protected] -6 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Just amazing how people wake up, watch a bit of YouTube and run to social media saying the sky is falling in.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)

Or you can stay on a sinking ship convince yourself "It's fine !" until it's too late?

Whatever chose your poison 🤷

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Interesting metaphor.

At what point is too late ? What the consequences here, of giving it a few days? Of understanding to steps you can take protect your data ?

Because what you have now, is a bunch of idiots, running round yelling “Firefox is untrustworthy “. And jumping straight on the next fork of 20 million lines of code, because Internet bro says it’s better .

They havent the faintest, and I mean the faintest idea of what trust is,

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

I get you ! And you're right. It's never to late though, until it is. We/they have been betrayed more than once by big tech and monopoly, so I think it's justified to feel a bit anxious when something out of bound to user's privacy/consent is implemented in the only real alternative we have right now...

I mean, sure Firefox is the only last bastion against big tech's monopoly and all forks are depending on Firefox... So that's not truely a real long term solution as alternative (If something is going to happen...). But as a long term Firefox user, I also have the feeling they are slowly following a dark/uncertain path.

Sure, right now it's not that of a big deal, but what if in 3 years it becomes a big deal? Imagine a scenario where all web browsers become controlled by one single entity? Wouldn't it be good to have an alternative? (Yeah there is Tor already) This is only possible in this kind of "hysteria" where some people take the lead before it's too late, otherwise we will be stuck for years without any working solution, while depending on big data's scrapper/hoarder riddled with ads and privacy invasive browsing...

Hope it make sense and that my arguments are somehow comprehensible? Not my first language so giving my best haha !

Edit: It's not a matter of if, but when (but I hope that doesn't apply to Firefox)

Edit2:

Just think about the Linux kernel, right now it's the only best alternative to Windows/MacOS and everything is perfect. But what will happen in a few years when Linus steps down? Will it still be as good as today? Will big tech take a step into the kernel? Will it become the next Windows/MacOS? Who knows... That's why alternatives are always a good thing to have before it's too late !!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 hours ago

Understood .

I’m sad to see Firefox moving in this direction - it difficult to deny any more - but I don’t like the drama causing everyone to dump it like it’s a virus !