Waterfox

Last updated

Waterfox
Original author(s) Alexandros Kontos
Developer(s) Alexandros Kontos, BrowserWorks Ltd.
Initial release27 March 2011;14 years ago (2011-03-27)
Stable release
6.5.10 [1] / 24 June 2025;34 days ago (24 June 2025)
Preview release
G6.0 Beta 5 / September 14, 2023;22 months ago (2023-09-14)
Repository
Written in C, C++, CSS, JavaScript, XUL
Engine Gecko, SpiderMonkey
Operating system
Platform x64, ARM64, PPC64LE
Type Web browser, mobile web browser, feed reader
License MPL-2.0
Website www.waterfox.net   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

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]

Contents

Divisions

Waterfox

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

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

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

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

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Release 6.5.10". 24 June 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  2. 1 2 "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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 "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.
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