NightOwl is a Firefox extension that applies dark mode automatically based on your location's sunset and sunrise times.
Here is an honest review of what it does, what it does well, and what it does not do.
What it does
NightOwl reads your location (by city or coordinates) and calculates local sunset and sunrise. When sunset arrives, it applies dark mode to all websites. When sunrise arrives, it switches back to the standard (light) display.
It can also be configured to follow a fixed schedule (e.g., dark mode from 9 PM to 7 AM) rather than astronomical sunset/sunrise.
You can whitelist specific sites where you do not want dark mode applied — useful for sites with their own dark mode implementation that conflicts with the extension's CSS injection.
Setup
- Install from Firefox Add-ons
- Open the extension popup
- Set your location (city name or lat/long)
- Choose: sunset/sunrise auto, or fixed schedule
That is it. After setup, the extension runs without further input.
What works well
- Automatic scheduling is the differentiator. Dark Reader, the dominant dark mode extension, does not auto-schedule. NightOwl does. If you wanted automatic sunset/sunrise switching, this is currently the simplest way to get it in Firefox.
- The setup takes under 2 minutes. Location, schedule type, done.
- Site exclusions work reliably. Add a site to the whitelist, the extension leaves it alone.
What it does not do
- Fine-grained CSS control per site (Dark Reader has more knobs)
- Sync across devices
- Cloud backup of settings
Who it is for
If you work at a computer into the evening and want dark mode to activate without remembering to toggle it — NightOwl is the right tool. It handles the switching automatically.
If you need maximum per-site control or compatibility with unusual site CSS, Dark Reader's larger community and more configurable algorithm may serve you better.
NightOwl is one of 11 Firefox extensions I built — see the full series.
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