Waterfox

Open-source web browser based on Firefox

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|

Waterfox

Screenshot of Waterfox G6.0.5 running on Windows 10, showing the Main Page of the English Wikipedia

Original author(s)| Alexandros Kontos
Developer(s)| Alexandros Kontos, BrowserWorks Ltd.
Initial release| 27 March 2011; 14 years ago (2011-03-27)
Stable release|

6.5.10[1] / 24 June 2025; 28 days ago (24 June 2025)

Preview release|

G6.0 Beta 5 / September 14, 2023; 22 months ago (2023-09-14)

Repository|

* github.com/BrowserWorks/Waterfox

Written in| C, C++, CSS, JavaScript, XUL
Engine| Gecko, SpiderMonkey
Operating system|

* Android 5 and later
* Linux
* macOS 11 and later
* Windows 7 and later

Platform| x64, ARM64, PPC64LE
Type| Web browser, mobile web browser, feed reader
License| MPL-2.0
Website| www.waterfox.net

Waterfox is a free and open-source web browser and fork of Firefox. It claims to be ethical and user-centric, emphasizing performance and privacy.[2] There are official Waterfox releases for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android.[3][4] It was initially created to provide official 64-bit support, back when Firefox was only available for 32-bit systems.[5]

## Divisions

[edit]

### Waterfox

[edit]

Waterfox shares core features and technologies like the Gecko browser engine[6] and support for Firefox Add-ons[7] with Firefox. It is also compatible with Google Chrome and Opera extensions.[2] It disables telemetry and Pocket by default, which are present in Firefox builds. However, it collects technical information about the user's device to update properly.[5]

### Waterfox Classic

[edit]

Waterfox Classic is a version of the browser based on an older version of the Gecko engine that supports legacy XUL and XPCOM add-on capabilities that Firefox removed in version 57.[8][9] It is still partially maintained with fixes and patches from Waterfox and Firefox ESR releases. However, its development has been separated due to several changes from Waterfox that are otherwise unapplicable.[10]

#### Vulnerabilities

[edit]

Waterfox Classic has multiple unpatched security advisories. The developer states that "changes between versions so numerous between ESRs making merging difficult if not impossible".[11][10]

## History

[edit]

Waterfox was first released by Alex Kontos[12][5] on 27 March 2011 for 64-bit Windows. The macOS build was introduced on 14 May 2015 with the release of version 38.0,[13] the Linux build was introduced on 20 December 2016 with the release of version 50.0,[14] and an Android build was first introduced on 10 October 2017 in version 55.2.2.[15]

From 22 July 2015 to 12 November 2015, Waterfox had its own search-engine called "Storm" that would raise funds for charity and Waterfox. Storm was developed with over £2 million of investor funding and powered by Yahoo! Search.[16][17][18]

In December 2019, System1, an advertising company which portrays itself as privacy-focused,[19] acquired Waterfox.[20][21] In July 2023, Alex Kontos announced that Waterfox had been turned into an independent project again.[22]

An Android release of the browser was made available via the Google Play Store in November 2023.[23]

In April 2025, Waterfox launched a privacy-friendly metasearch engine, using Google's search results.[24]

### Logos

[edit]

* Waterfox logo used until 2015

* Waterfox logo used from 2015 to March 2019

* Waterfox logo used from March to June 2019

* Waterfox logo used from May 2019 to August 2023

* Waterfox logo used from August to September 2023

* Waterfox logo used from September 2023 to present

## See also

[edit]

* Free and open-source software portal
* Internet portal

* LibreWolf
* GNU IceCat
* Pale Moon
* Basilisk
* K-Meleon

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Release 6.5.10". 24 June 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
2. ^ a b "What Is Waterfox and Is It Safe?". MUO. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
3. ^ "Waterfox, Free Web Browser". www.waterfox.net. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
4. ^ "Waterfox: Privacy Web Browser - Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
5. ^ a b c Proven, Liam. "Waterfox: A Firefox fork that could teach Mozilla a lesson". www.theregister.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
6. ^ "FAQ". www.waterfox.net. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
7. ^ "Find and install add-ons to add features to Waterfox". www.waterfox.net. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
8. ^ Kev Needham (21 August 2015). "The Future of Developing Firefox Add-ons". blog.mozilla.org. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
9. ^ Villalobos, Jorge (16 February 2017). "The Road to Firefox 57 – Compatibility Milestones". blog.mozilla.org. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
10. ^ a b "Waterfox Classic development will continue, but as a separate project from G4". ghacks.net. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
11. ^ "Unpatched Security Advisories · BrowserWorks/Waterfox-Classic Wiki". GitHub.
12. ^ "About Waterfox". www.waterfox.net. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
13. ^ Kontos, Alex. "Waterfox 38.0 Release". www.waterfoxproject.org. Archived from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
14. ^ Kontos, Alex. "Waterfox 50.1.0 Release (Windows, Mac & Linux)". www.waterfoxproject.org. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
15. ^ Kontos, Alex. "Waterfox 55 Release (Windows, Mac, Linux and Android)". www.waterfoxproject.org. Archived from the original on 21 December 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
16. ^ Kontos, Alex (12 May 2015). "4 Year Anniversary: Waterfox Charity and Storm Search". www.waterfoxproject.org. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
17. ^ "New search engine from Waterfox founder aims to take a punch at Google". www.telegraph.co.uk. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
18. ^ Lake, Howard (7 August 2015). "'Ethical search engine' Storm to generate funds for charities". UK Fundraising. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
19. ^ Brinkmann, Martin (14 February 2020). "Waterfox web browser sold to System1". ghacks.net. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
20. ^ "Waterfox has joined System1". www.waterfox.net. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
21. ^ "Welcome Waterfox!". www.system1.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
22. ^ Kontos, Alex (3 July 2023). "A New Chapter for Waterfox". www.waterfox.net. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
23. ^ Eswarlu, Venkat (30 November 2023). "Firefox fork Waterfox is now available for Android with strict privacy defaults". MSPowerUser.
24. ^ Brinkmann, Martin (1 May 2025). "Waterfox Private Search: a first look at the privacy-friendly search engine". Chipp.in Tech News and Reviews. Retrieved 18 June 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
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Mozilla

Projects

| Mozilla
Labs|

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|

Mozilla
Research|

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| Firefox|

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|

Origins|

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Forks|

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Client
software|

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Email clients|

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Plugins|

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Web apps or
mobile apps|

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Media
aggregators|

| Podcast client|

* Adobe Media Player
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|

RSS + BitTorrent|

* BitLord
* BitTorrent 6
* Deluge
* Miro
* qBittorrent
* Tribler
* μTorrent
* Vuze

Related
articles|

* Comparison of feed aggregators
* History of media aggregation
* RSS enclosure

Italics indicate discontinued software.

* v
* t
* e

Timeline of web browsers

General

* Comparison
* lightweight
* History
* List
* for Unix
* Usage share

1990s

| 1990|

* WorldWideWeb (Nexus)

|

1991|

* Line Mode Browser
* libwww

1992|

* Erwise
* MacWWW (Samba)
* MidasWWW
* tkWWW
* ViolaWWW

1993|

* AMosaic
* Arena
* Cello
* Emacs/W3
* Lynx 2
* NCSA Mosaic
* VMS Mosaic

1994|

* AirMosaic
* Internet in a Box
* ANT Fresco
* Argo
* IBM WebExplorer
* SlipKnot
* Minuet
* Navipress
* Mosaic/Mosaic Netscape/Netscape Navigator
* Spyglass Mosaic
* TCP/Connect II

1995|

* Agora
* ALynx
* AMSD Ariadna
* Cyberjack
* eWorld Web Browser
* Grail
* Internet Explorer 1
* Internet Explorer 2
* Netscape Navigator 2
* NetShark
* OmniWeb
* HotJava
* UdiWWW
* WebShark
* w3m

1996|

* Cyberdog
* Arachne
* AWeb
* IBrowse
* Amaya
* Internet Explorer 3
* MSN Program Viewer
* Netscape Navigator 3
* Opera 2
* Oracle PowerBrowser
* tcpCONNECT4
* Voyager

1997|

* Netscape Communicator
* Internet Explorer 4
* Opera 2.1

1998|

* NeoPlanet
* Mozilla Application Suite
* Opera 3–3.21

1999|

* iCab
* Internet Explorer 5
* OmniWeb 3
* Opera 3.5–3.62

2000s

| 2000|

* Beonex Communicator
* Galeon
* K-Meleon
* Konqueror
* MediaBrowser
* Netscape 6
* Opera 4–4.02

|

2001|

* iCab 2.5
* Internet Explorer 6
* MSN Explorer
* OmniWeb 4
* Opera 5–5.12

2002|

* Camino
* Epiphany
* Netscape 7
* Opera 6–6.1

2003|

* GreenBrowser
* Maxthon
* Opera 7–7.3
* Safari
* SlimBrowser

2004|

* Phoenix/Firebird/Firefox
* Opera 7.5–7.55

2005|

* AOL Explorer
* Deepnet Explorer
* Firefox 1.5
* Netscape Browser
* Opera 8–8.54
* Safari 2

2006|

* Firefox 2
* Internet Explorer 7
* Opera 9–9.27

2007|

* Maxthon 2
* Opera 9.5–9.64
* Safari 3
* SeaMonkey 1.1

2008|

* Chrome
* Firefox 3
* Netscape Navigator 9
* NetSurf 1.2

2009|

* Chrome 2–3
* Firefox 3.5
* Internet Explorer 8
* Opera 10–10.63
* Pale Moon
* Safari 4
* SeaMonkey 2.0

2010s

| 2010|

* Chrome 4–8
* Firefox 3.6
* Lunascape 6.0.1
* Maxthon 3
* NetSurf 2.5
* Opera 11–11.64
* Safari 5

|

2011|

* Chrome 9–16
* Firefox 4–9
* Internet Explorer 9
* Lunascape 6.5
* Opera 12–12.17
* SeaMonkey 2.1–2.4
* Waterfox

2012|

* Chrome 17–23
* Firefox 10–17
* Internet Explorer 10
* Lunascape 6.7
* Maxthon 3.4
* NetSurf 2.9
* Safari 6
* Yandex

2013|

* Chrome 24–31
* Firefox 18–26
* Internet Explorer 11
* Opera 15–18
* Safari 7
* SeaMonkey 2.15–2.22

2014|

* Chrome 32–39
* Firefox 27–34
* Lunascape 6.9
* NetSurf 3.1
* Opera 19–26
* Safari 8
* SeaMonkey 2.23–2.31

2015|

* Chrome 40–47
* Firefox 35–43
* Lunascape 6.10–6.12
* Microsoft Edge 20, 25
* Opera 27–34
* Safari 9
* SeaMonkey 2.32–2.39
* Vivaldi Technical Preview 1–Beta 2

2016|

* Brave 0.7–0.12
* Chrome 48–55
* Firefox 44–50
* Lunascape 6.13–6.15
* Microsoft Edge 38
* Opera 35–42
* Safari 10
* Vivaldi Beta 3–1.6
* Yandex 16

2017|

* Brave 0.13–0.19
* Chrome 56–63
* Firefox 51–57
* Microsoft Edge 40, 41
* Opera 43–49
* Safari 11
* SeaMonkey 2.46–2.49
* Vivaldi 1.7–1.13
* Yandex 17

2018|

* Basilisk
* Brave 0.20–0.60
* Chrome 64–71
* Firefox 58–64
* Microsoft Edge 42–44
* Opera 50–57
* Safari 12
* Vivaldi 1.14–2.2
* Waterfox 56.0–56.2
* Yandex 18

2019|

* Brave 0.61–1.1
* Chrome 72–79
* Firefox 65–71
* Microsoft Edge 44
* Opera 58–65
* Safari 13
* Vivaldi 2.3–2.10
* Waterfox 60.1–68.0a2
* Whale 1.4–1.5
* Yandex 19

2020s

| 2020|

* Brave 1.2–1.18
* Chrome 80–87
* Firefox 72–84
* Microsoft Edge 79–87
* Opera 66–73
* SeaMonkey 2.53
* Vivaldi 2.11–3.5
* Yandex 20
* Safari 14

|

2021|

* Brave 1.19–1.33
* Chrome 88–96
* Firefox 85–95
* Microsoft Edge 88–96
* Opera 74–82
* SeaMonkey 2.53.10.2
* Vivaldi 3.6–5.0
* Yandex 21
* Safari 15

2022|

* Arc 0.46–0.81
* Brave 1.34–1.46
* Chrome 97–108
* Firefox 96–108
* Microsoft Edge 97–108
* Opera 83–94
* Vivaldi 5.1–5.6
* Yandex 22
* Safari 16

2023|

* Arc 0.85–1.21
* Brave 1.47–1.61
* Chrome 109–120
* Firefox 109–121
* Microsoft Edge 109–120
* Opera 95–106
* Vivaldi 5.7–6.5
* Yandex 23
* Safari 17

2024|

* Arc 1.25–1.74
* Brave 1.62–1.73
* Chrome 121–131
* Firefox 122–133
* Microsoft Edge 121–131
* Opera 107–115
* Vivaldi 6.6–7.0
* Yandex 24
* Safari 18

2025|

* Arc 1.77–
* Brave 1.74–
* Chrome 132–
* Firefox 134–
* Microsoft Edge 132–
* Opera 116–
* Vivaldi 7.1–
* Yandex 25
* Safari 26

Related topics

* 3D Markup Language for Web
* ALIWEB
* ARPANET
* ASCII
* BITNET
* Browser wars
* CompuServe
* Elm
* Email
* File Transfer Protocol
* Gopher
* HTML
* HyperCard
* HyTelnet
* NCSA Telnet
* NLS
* Prodigy
* Teletext
* Telnet
* Usenet
* UUCP
* Videotex
* Viewdata
* Virtual Reality Markup Language
* Web page
* Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog
* World Wide Web
* X.25

* v
* t
* e

Web browsers

* Features
* standards
* protocols

| Features|

* Bookmarks
* Extensions
* Privacy mode

|

Web standards|

* HTML
* v5
* CSS
* DOM
* JavaScript
* WebAssembly
* Web storage
* IndexedDB
* WebGL
* WebGPU

Protocols|

* HTTP
* Encryption
* Cookies
* third-party
* OCSP
* WebRTC
* WebSocket

Active

| Blink-based|

| Proprietary|

* Google Chrome
* Arc
* Avast
* Cốc Cốc
* Comodo
* Ecosia
* Epic
* Huawei
* Maxthon
* Microsoft Edge
* Opera (Mobile)
* Puffin
* QQ
* Samsung
* Silk
* Sleipnir
* SRWare
* UC
* Vivaldi
* Whale
* Yandex

|

FOSS|

* Chromium
* Brave
* Dooble
* Falkon
* Otter
* Supermium
* ungoogled

Gecko-based|

* Firefox
* Floorp
* GNU IceCat
* LibreWolf
* Midori
* SlimBrowser
* Tor
* Zen
* Gecko forks
* Basilisk
* K-Meleon
* Pale Moon
* SeaMonkey
* Waterfox

WebKit-based|

* Safari
* GNOME Web
* iCab
* Orion

Multi-engine|

* 360
* DuckDuckGo
* Konqueror
* Lunascape
* NetFront
* qutebrowser

Other|

* Dillo
* eww
* Flow
* Ladybird
* Links
* Lynx
* NetSurf
* Opera Mini
* w3m

Discontinued

| Blink-based|

* Beaker
* Citrio
* Flock
* Redcore
* Rockmelt
* SalamWeb
* Sputnik
* Torch

|

Gecko-based|

* Beonex
* Camino
* Classilla
* Conkeror
* Firefox Lite
* Galeon
* Ghostzilla
* IceDragon
* Kazehakase
* Kylo
* Lotus
* MicroB
* Minimo
* Mozilla suite
* PirateBrowser
* Pogo
* Strata
* Swiftfox
* Swiftweasel
* TenFourFox
* Timberwolf
* xB

MSHTML-based|

* Internet Explorer
* AOL
* Deepnet
* GreenBrowser
* MediaBrowser
* MSN Explorer
* MSN Program Viewer
* NeoPlanet
* NetCaptor
* SpaceTime
* ZAC

WebKit-based|

* Arora
* BOLT
* Dolphin
* Fluid
* Google TV
* Iris
* Mercury
* Nokia Symbian
* OmniWeb
* Opera Coast
* Origyn
* QtWeb
* Shiira
* Steel
* surf
* Uzbl
* WebPositive
* xombrero

Other|

* abaco
* Amaya
* Arachne
* Arena
* Blazer
* Cake
* CM
* Deepfish
* Edge Legacy
* ELinks
* Gazelle
* HotJava
* IBM Home Page Reader
* IBM WebExplorer
* IBrowse
* Internet Explorer for Mac
* KidZui
* Line Mode
* Mosaic
* MSN TV
* NetPositive
* Netscape
* Skweezer
* Skyfire
* ThunderHawk
* Vision
* WinWAP
* WorldWideWeb

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