Free web browser
Waterfox is a free web browser that provides a balance between privacy and usability when you’re surfing the web. It collects limited data, uses no telemetry and supports many Chrome, Opera and Firefox store extensions. It also lets you display tabs in different places based on your preferences.
Waterfox developed this free browser for Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. You can download it in English. Alternative browsers include Opera, Safari and Brave.
Browser features
Waterox is a high-performance browser that offers a 64-bit version of Firefox. It has many optimisations to improve its performance, like faster startup time and tab loading. It also supports extensions from popular browsers, like Chrome, Opera and Firefox.
Waterfox protects your privacy too. It only collects necessary data and uses no telemetry to track your browsing activity. The Private Browsing feature gives you complete control over what information you share. It blocks trackers and ads that collect your data and includes a password manager to save your password and login information.
Waterfox vs. Firefox
Waterfox was built using Firefox’s code and created a 64-bit browser with improved features. It’s faster and provides users with improved privacy protection. However, the main difference is that Firefox collects telemetry data and sends it to the developer (Mozilla) to help them improve the browser.
Interaction data informs the developer how you use the browser (for example, how many tabs you have open, the number of pages you visit and the add-ons you use). You can disable this in Firefox, but in contrast, Waterfox doesn’t use telemetry at all.
A disadvantage of Waterfox is the slow release of security updates. The reason for this is because the developer needs to wait for the Firefox security updates before integrating them into Waterfox. These delays can be of a few days to a few weeks, which can put your computer at risk.
Private, but less secure
The Waterfox browser may appeal to users who are serious about their online privacy. It doesn’t use telemetry and gives users complete control over their online privacy. But since it has to wait for Firefox security updates, it might put your PC at risk at times. For those who are concerned about these inherent risks, it might be best to turn off privacy settings in Firefox that concern you and take advantage of its higher security protocols.
In the latest version, the developer added optimisation options for Rust components and added various media codes. He also improved the Javascripts to lower CPU usage. The most important feature is Waterfox's ability to test new ways to keep components up to date based on Firefox security upgrades.
