The default Firefox new tab page is fine. It's not great. It shows recent sites and sponsored content tiles, which is useful but passive — it doesn't help you start anything intentionally.
If you've been using the default new tab page for years, here's a comparison of the main alternatives and what each one is good for.
1. Momentum
What it does: Full-screen photo background with time, a daily focus prompt, to-do list, weather, and inspirational quotes.
Best for: People who want motivational energy at the start of each browser session.
Drawbacks: The Pro version ($4/month) unlocks most useful features. The photos occasionally feel random. Quotes can feel forced.
Privacy: US-based, stores your to-do items. Not the most privacy-conscious option.
2. Tabliss
What it does: Highly configurable — you choose which widgets to display (clock, weather, background, to-do, custom greeting, etc.).
Best for: People who want exactly what they want and no more, and are willing to spend 10 minutes configuring it.
Drawbacks: More setup friction than alternatives. Some widgets require API keys.
Privacy: Open source. No tracking. Data stays local.
3. Speed Dial 2
What it does: Visual grid of pinned sites — the classic "speed dial" new tab with thumbnails of your most-visited or manually pinned URLs.
Best for: People whose primary new tab use case is navigating to frequent destinations quickly.
Drawbacks: More cluttered than minimalist alternatives. Visual style can feel outdated.
4. New Tab Override
What it does: Set any URL as your new tab page — your own hosted page, a Notion dashboard, anything.
Best for: Technical users who already have a preferred page (dashboard, bookmark manager, etc.).
Drawbacks: You need to have something to point it at. Not a self-contained solution.
5. Weather & Clock Dashboard
What it does: Replaces new tab with live weather + 3-day forecast, world clocks for multiple time zones, and a search bar. No more, no less.
Best for: People who regularly check weather and work across time zones — or who just want something useful without the noise.
What I like about it: It's specific. There's no bloat, no to-do list I'll ignore, no quotes, no news feed. When I open a new tab I see: current weather, 3-day forecast, what time it is in the cities I care about, and a search box. That's genuinely useful.
It's MIT licensed, pure HTML/CSS/JS, open source on GitHub. AMO listing.
Drawbacks: If you want a to-do list or productivity system in your new tab, this isn't it.
6. Custom startpage (self-hosted)
What it does: Host your own HTML page and point New Tab Override at it.
Best for: Developers who want full control and have the time to build and maintain it.
Resources: jnmcfly/awesome-startpage has examples and frameworks.
Drawbacks: Requires maintenance. Breaks when you update the server or hosting.
How to Choose
| I want... | Use... |
|---|---|
| Motivation + daily focus | Momentum |
| Maximum customization | Tabliss |
| Fast navigation to frequent sites | Speed Dial 2 |
| Weather + world clocks | Weather & Clock Dashboard |
| Complete control | New Tab Override + self-hosted |
The right answer depends entirely on what you actually do when you open a new tab. If you're mostly clicking to specific sites, Speed Dial 2 makes sense. If you're mostly searching, the default or any minimal extension works. If you check weather multiple times a day, an integrated weather new tab saves a step.
What new tab setup are you running? I've gone through most of these over the years and am curious what others have settled on.
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