5h ago

Firefox alternatives comparison - asking for advice/opinion

Meta note : am not sure if this is on topic for this community, please tell me if it is not. I could not find rules, so I assume it's okay, but i'll remove it if its not.

So, after the recent Mozilla privacy drama, I saw multiple recommendations of alternative browsers, each one with their pros and cons. I was trying to get a better understanding of which one was good/bad for which reasons, and I thought i might share it here so people with more knowledge can correct my takes.

Here is what I could get so far, based mostly on Lemmy comments and Wikipedia pages. This is aimed at browser that share some of Firefox values (foss, independency, (maybe) privacy, etc), so I excluded Chrome, Edge, and others. I'm open to any feedback/infos/browser suggestions to get a more accurate summary !

Browser	FOSS	Privacy	Features	Engine	Platforms	Notes
Firefox	✅	❌	✅	Firefox	WMLAI	AI interest
Brave	✅	🟠[^braveprivacy]	✅	Chromium	WMLAI	Crypto interest[^{bravecrypto], bigot CEO[}braveceo]
Vivaldi	🟠[^vivaldifoss]	🟠[^vivaldiprivacy]	✅	Chromium	WMLAI	Aims to be a better Opera
Ungoogled Chromium	✅	✅	✅	Chromium	WMLA	Removes Google tracking and specific components
Cromite	✅	✅	✅	Chromium	WLA	Removes most Google tracking and keeps some specific components
Zen Browser	✅	✅	✅	Firefox	WML
Librewolf	✅	✅	🟠[^lwfeatures]	Firefox	WML	[^lwsecurity]
Waterfox	✅	🟠[^wfprivacy]	✅	Firefox	WMLA
Floorp	✅	✅	✅	Firefox	WML
GNU IceCat	✅	❓	✅	Firefox	WML	Firefox without copyrighted content and with a bit more privacy
Tor Browser	✅	✅	🟠[^torfeatures]	Firefox	WMLA
IronFox	✅	✅	❓	Firefox	A
Mullvad Browser	✅	✅	❌[^mullvadfeatures]	Independent	WML	Made by the Tor team and Mullvad (VPN providers)
Ladybird	✅	❓[^lbprivacy]	🟠	Independent	ML	Very early development stage, bigot devs[^lbdev]
Orion Browser	✅	✅	✅	Independent	MAI	In beta, claims to be top browser in terms of tracker blocking, considers making a Windows version, AI interest[^\orionai]

Notes : Privacy is based on Firefox level, which I considered "bad" for the sake of the comparison. Engine is the browser on which each is browser is based, if there is. Features is to identify barebones browsers and how much risk there is to find websites not compatible with those browsers. Question mark is for when there is a debate or I could not find infos. Platforms is for the platforms on which the browser is available. To keep it tight, only one letter per platform : W for Windows, M for macOS, L for GNU/Linux, A for Android, I for iOS.

contributors : Blazing8215fedia.io, CubitOominfosec.pub, cabbagepiefed.social, null_dotlemmy.dbzer0.com, Mwalemm.ee, dojanlemmy.world, BananaTrifleViolinlemmy.world

Edit 1 : added Vivaldi, Floorp and Ironfox, clarify 'Engine dependency' column, add 'Platforms' column, add bigot warning for ladybird.
\ Edit 2 : added Mwalemm.ee table (Tor, Ungoogled chromium, Cromite) and IceCat, updated info on Vivaldi
\ Edit 3 : add Orion Browser, corrects lines to group browser together by engine, added users whose infos I used via edits
\ Edit 4 : corrected Brave and Opera Privacy rating.
\ Edit 5 : removed Opera since both Privacy and FOSS would be bad. Updated Vivaldi Privacy rating.

[^{braveprivacy]: they have a lot of optional data collecting, from their [Privacy Policy](https://brave.com/privacy/browser/)
[}bravecrypto]: from Brave's Wikipedia page. [^{braveceo]: from his [personal Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Eich).
[}vivaldifoss]: some parts are open source, but the UI is proprietary [^{vivaldiprivacy]: they collect data for statistics, from their [Privacy Policy](https://vivaldi.com/privacy/browser/)
[}lwfeatures]: some websites may be blocked due to stricter privacy setups, according to LinuxSecurity's article cited on Wikipedia. [^{lwsecurity]: some users [seemed to fear](https://lemmy.world/comment/15373725) that having a small team, Librewolf would be late on security patches, but their [FAQ](https://librewolf.net/docs/faq/#how-often-do-you-update-librewolf) seems to say it's ok.
[}wfprivacy]: from Waterfox's Wikipedia page, linking to Exodus report stating that android version of Waterfox uses same trackers as Firefox. [^{torfeatures]: some websites might block tor network
[}mullvadfeatures]: lemmy users said it is barebones and their FAQ says it has little features by design to prevent fingerprinting. [^{lbprivacy]: could not find infos on their website or wikipedia page. Probably not that bad, but since it is in early development, it may evolve in better ways than other.
[}lbdev]: from their github, considering gender neutral wording is politics and does not belong in ladybird. [^\orionai]: from the Kagi Wikipedia page and lemmy comments.

41 comments

Opera is a terrible idea these days. Vivaldi picked up where Opera got bought up, and it might be the best Chromium based browser at the moment. @Vivaldi@vivaldi.net
I wrote a post here for those seeking engine independence. For those hesitant to stick with Gecko/FireFox forks, WebKit is the best bet right now.
It seems premature to suggest Ladybird when the alpha is set to release next year.
- I'll add Vivaldi or replace Opera with it, thanks for the info!
  Yeah, Ladybird is in very early stage, but it may still be useful in a 'keep an eye on this one' way I think. I should maybe make it clearer.
  
  While Vivaldi isn't open source, but some source available after release, they do avoid the AI and crypto interests in their blog.
  https://vivaldi.com/blog/why-vivaldi-will-never-create-thinkcoin/
  https://vivaldi.com/blog/technology/vivaldi-wont-allow-a-machine-to-lie-to-you/
  
  I also find it neat that they run an open Mastodon instance (vivaldi.social) and seem dedicated to the social web in opposition to mainstream social media.