What is Waterfox used for?

Waterfox is a free, open-source, customizable web browser based on Mozilla Firefox, with built-in ad blocking, anonymized DNS and no telemetry. It is a good fit for private everyday browsing with a Firefox base, and customizing browser layout and appearance.

Is Waterfox open source?

Yes. Waterfox is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at BrowserWorks/waterfox and is written mainly in JavaScript.

Yes. Waterfox is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.

Can I self-host Waterfox?

Yes. Waterfox can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Waterfox an alternative to?

Waterfox is an open-source alternative to Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari and Opera. Other open-source alternatives to Google Chrome include Floorp, Firefox and Zen Browser.

Is Waterfox actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Waterfox was on 30 September 2026, and the latest release is 6.7.5, published on 30 September 2026. The project has 6.3k stars on GitHub.

Waterfox: open-source alternative to Google Chrome

About Waterfox

Waterfox is a customizable web browser based on Mozilla Firefox. The official repository holds Mozilla platform code together with Waterfox's own product code, branding, features and packaging, plus release files, and it is built with the Mozilla build system using the usual mach entry points.

According to the project website, Waterfox focuses on privacy out of the box and on customization. It includes built-in ad blocking, private and anonymized DNS, and no telemetry or data collection, along with a variety of quality-of-life features. The site shows an interactive preview where you can choose a browser design, a color palette, light or dark mode and horizontal or vertical tabs, and offers downloads for Android, Linux, macOS and Windows.

Waterfox is free and open source, and development is supported by donations. Most Firefox development documentation still applies to its source tree, and the project provides a blog, changelog, help center and community channels.

Key features

Browser built on Mozilla Firefox
Built-in ad blocking
Private, anonymized DNS
No telemetry or data collection
Vertical tabs and color palettes
Builds for Android, Linux, macOS and Windows

Good fit for

→Private everyday browsing with a Firefox base
→Customizing browser layout and appearance

Built with: JavaScript
Tags: browser; firefox; privacy; ad-blocking; gecko; open-source; customization; web-browser

Waterfox: questions and answers

What is Waterfox used for?: Waterfox is a free, open-source, customizable web browser based on Mozilla Firefox, with built-in ad blocking, anonymized DNS and no telemetry. It is a good fit for private everyday browsing with a Firefox base, and customizing browser layout and appearance.
Is Waterfox open source?: Yes. Waterfox is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at BrowserWorks/waterfox and is written mainly in JavaScript.
Is Waterfox free?: Yes. Waterfox is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
Can I self-host Waterfox?: Yes. Waterfox can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Waterfox an alternative to?: Waterfox is an open-source alternative to Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari and Opera. Other open-source alternatives to Google Chrome include Floorp, Firefox and Zen Browser.
Is Waterfox actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Waterfox was on 30 September 2026, and the latest release is 6.7.5, published on 30 September 2026. The project has 6.3k stars on GitHub.