I’m currently exploring Firefox forks and would like to understand how they stack up in terms of privacy and day-to-day usability. Specifically, I’m comparing Firefox, Floorp (with Betterfox tweaks), Waterfox, LibreWolf, and Mullvad Browser. All of them would have uBlock Origin installed. I’m particularly interested in knowing which one is the most privacy-focused—even at the cost of breaking websites—and which one strikes a better balance for regular personal use. I’d really appreciate input from people who’ve tested or daily-driven these browsers.
I’ve worked with a lot of browsers, but when privacy is the top concern, Mullvad Browser truly stands out. If you need maximum privacy with minimal fingerprinting, this one’s designed for you. Co-developed with the Tor Project, it focuses on making sure all users appear the same, effectively hiding your online identity. It disables telemetry, isolates sessions, and avoids storing any history, which is great for security. But here’s the catch – this level of privacy sometimes leads to broken sites, especially those that depend on cookies or persistent sessions.
I wouldn’t recommend it for daily use unless you’re okay with site breakage or are comfortable with some friction in login-based workflows. That said, for developers working on privacy-respecting apps, it’s critical to ensure your website is compatible with these kinds of environments. LambdaTest comes in handy here, allowing you to test how your site performs in these privacy-centric environments like Mullvad without compromising security. You can ensure that everything works seamlessly while keeping user privacy at the forefront.
Now, for something that strikes a great balance between privacy and usability, I’ve found LibreWolf to be a solid choice. It takes the best of Firefox but removes its telemetry and applies stricter privacy defaults. It’s really the sweet spot for anyone looking for a browser that’s still functional while offering better privacy out-of-the-box. Unlike Mullvad, you won’t run into as many issues with modern websites; it’s practical for everyday use.
For developers and QA engineers, testing on browsers like LibreWolf is important to ensure your application can handle privacy-focused configurations without breaking things. LambdaTest is perfect for this—it allows you to test your website on configurations close to LibreWolf. That way, you can be sure your app functions properly while respecting privacy settings, like content blocking and referrer policies. It’s all about offering users privacy without sacrificing their browsing experience.
I’ve spent some time with Floorp, and when paired with Betterfox optimizations, it’s a great combination of privacy and performance. It’s essentially Firefox with customizations that make it faster and more privacy-focused while still being friendly for daily browsing. It doesn’t go as far as Mullvad or LibreWolf in terms of hardcore privacy features, but it’s way more convenient for day-to-day use, especially if you juggle multiple tabs, watch media, or rely on online services regularly.
For testing and QA purposes, if you’re building rich user interfaces or handling performance-heavy sites, checking how your app works on optimized environments like Floorp is crucial. This is where LambdaTest really helps out. It lets you simulate various custom browser forks, so you can validate how your site will perform on different privacy settings before it reaches users. It’s all about ensuring that your app works across a wide range of environments while maintaining the optimal user experience.