Firefox New Tab Extensions Ranked by Privacy: The Honest Comparison

Not all Firefox new tab extensions are equal when it comes to privacy. Some require accounts, some track usage, some make network requests you didn't expect. Here's how the main options compare.

Privacy Evaluation Framework

For any new tab extension, the privacy-relevant questions are:

1. Does it require an account? — Account = persistent user record = data you can't fully control
2. What are its permissions? — Does it have <all_urls> (runs on every page) or just tabs (new tab only)?
3. Is it open source? — Open source means you can verify what it does with your data
4. What network requests does it make? — A weather extension needs to call a weather API; it shouldn't also call analytics endpoints
5. Does it have a privacy policy? — Does the policy match what the extension actually does?

The Extensions Ranked by Privacy

Weather & Clock Dashboard — Excellent

• Account required: No
• Permissions: tabs + optional location (for weather)
• Open source: Yes (MIT)
• Network requests: Location → weather API only
• Privacy policy: Minimal/open source project
• AMO listing: Firefox Add-On

Verdict: Best privacy profile of any weather new tab extension. No persistent user record, location sent only to weather API, fully auditable code.

Tabliss — Good

• Account required: No (for basic features)
• Open source: Yes (MIT)
• Permissions: storage, tabs, and newTabOverride
• Network requests: Background images from Unsplash API; weather from weather API if configured

Verdict: Good privacy, open source, no account required. Slightly more network surface than Weather & Clock Dashboard (Unsplash API).

Nighttab — Good

• Account required: No
• Open source: Yes (MIT)
• Permissions: Minimal
• Network requests: Minimal for clock

Verdict: Excellent privacy for its features. No weather API calls means less network surface.

Momentum — Fair

• Account required: Yes (Momentum account, email required)
• Open source: No
• Network requests: Account sync, analytics, weather API, Unsplash
• Privacy policy: Yes, exists; collects usage data for product improvement

Verdict: The least private option. Account + analytics + not open source. If you use Momentum, your new tab usage is logged.

The Permission Check

You can verify any extension's actual permissions in Firefox: about:addons → click the extension → "Permissions" tab.

For Weather & Clock Dashboard: tabs permission + optional geolocation. That's the complete permission set.

A new tab extension that requests <all_urls> (access to every website you visit) is requesting far more than it needs. Any new tab extension with <all_urls> should prompt serious scrutiny.

The Open Source Verification

For open source extensions, you can check the source code directly:

• Weather & Clock Dashboard on GitHub: look at the background scripts and the geolocation usage
• Find where navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition is called
• Verify that the next operation is a weather API call, not a third-party analytics call

This verification takes 5-10 minutes and gives you complete confidence in what the extension does with your location.

The Bottom Line

For privacy-conscious users: choose open source, account-free, minimal-permission new tab extensions. Weather & Clock Dashboard and Nighttab are the best options in this category. Avoid extensions that require accounts without clear benefit from the account.