Firefox has a growing ecosystem of community forks that take Gecko in different directions. Here's a practical comparison of the notable ones.
LibreWolf
The most focused privacy fork. LibreWolf is Firefox with privacy and security hardening pre-applied.
What LibreWolf changes by default:
- Removes telemetry completely (not just opt-out, actually removed)
- Ships with uBlock Origin pre-installed
- Applies a hardened user.js (based on arkenfox)
- Disables automatic update checks (for security — you control update timing)
- Disables Firefox Account integration
- Strips advertising and pocket integration
Tradeoff: Some sites break due to aggressive defaults. LibreWolf ships with settings that would break normal users — it assumes you're willing to troubleshoot breakage for privacy.
Best for: Privacy-focused users who want hardened defaults without manually applying a user.js.
Site: librewolf.net
Floorp
A Japanese Firefox fork focused on productivity and UI customization.
What Floorp adds:
- Vertical tab sidebar (with panels for tabs, bookmarks, history)
- Note panel (built-in markdown notes)
- Progressive Web App (PWA) support
- Custom action buttons in toolbar
- Unified sidebar design (different from Firefox's default)
- Multiple layout options (tree-style, compact, various toolbar positions)
Privacy: Floorp applies some privacy improvements but less aggressive than LibreWolf. Uses Firefox's sync by default.
Best for: Users who want vertical tabs and productivity UI customizations without Firefox's default layout. Particularly popular in Japan but has international users.
Site: floorp.app
Waterfox
An older fork with a different philosophy: maintain older-API compatibility and be more conservative with changes.
What Waterfox offers:
- Maintained separately from Firefox (not just a config fork — separate codebase decisions)
- The "Classic" version maintained older extension APIs longer than Firefox
- "Current" version tracks Firefox more closely
Current state (2024): Waterfox "Current" is roughly Firefox-compatible. The main historical differentiator (older extension APIs) is less relevant as the extension ecosystem has moved on.
Best for: Users who have a specific reason to track a more conservative Firefox-compatible browser. Less clearly differentiated than LibreWolf or Floorp for most users.
Site: waterfox.net
Zen Browser
A newer fork (emerged 2023-2024) with a minimal, vertical-first UI.
What Zen changes:
- Arc-browser-inspired design (minimal, no traditional tab bar)
- Sidebar-centric navigation
- Split view (multiple websites side by side in one window)
- Spaces (workspaces for different contexts)
- Custom themes and color schemes
Status: Still in early development. Less mature than LibreWolf or Floorp.
Best for: Users who want an experimental browser with a modern minimal UI aesthetic.
IceCat
GNU IceCat is FSF's (Free Software Foundation) rebranding of Firefox with all proprietary components removed.
What IceCat does:
- Removes Mozilla branding
- Removes proprietary media codecs
- Includes a set of privacy extensions pre-installed
- Strictly follows FSF's free software requirements
Tradeoff: Often significantly behind Firefox's release cadence. Some media won't play without proprietary codecs.
Best for: Users who need strict FSF-approved software for ideological or policy reasons.
Which Should You Use?
| Fork | Best For |
|---|---|
| LibreWolf | Serious privacy, willing to troubleshoot breakage |
| Floorp | Vertical tabs, productivity layout customization |
| Zen | Experimental minimal UI, split view |
| Waterfox | Conservative compatibility |
| IceCat | Strict free software principles |
| Firefox | Most users — balance of features, privacy, support |
One note on all forks: They trail Firefox in security patches. Firefox patches security issues quickly (every 4 weeks). Forks depend on the fork maintainers to apply patches. LibreWolf and Floorp are active enough to keep up; smaller forks may lag.
For most users, Firefox with a few settings changes (Strict ETP, uBlock Origin, DoH enabled) provides similar protection to LibreWolf without the maintenance burden of a fork.
The Mozilla ecosystem of forks reflects healthy open-source diversity. Each fork serves a different audience — LibreWolf for privacy absolutists, Floorp for productivity customizers, Zen for UI experimenters. If you're happy with Firefox's defaults, there's no pressing reason to switch to a fork.
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