Best VPN Addons for Firefox

Firefox is generally considered a more private alternative to Google Chrome, but is it really?

Well, to start with, it’s open-source, which is a plus for transparency. Chrome is based on open-source components, but isn’t open-source itself.

According to Mozilla’s privacy policy it doesn’t collect your browsing history, unless you opt in. When you log into your Google account it collects loads of information about your online activities.

Firefox also has Private Browsing mode which, like Incognito mode, erases your browsing information locally (i.e. on your personal computer).

Firefox allows users to tailor the Content Blocking feature to block some or all known trackers/cookies/fingerprinters, which is a great for privacy.

But even with these extra privacy features, you still need to use a VPN with Firefox as your ISP can still monitor you online and hackers can take advantage of your personal data.

Unlike Chrome, Firefox allows you to disable WebRTC within the settings so that you can avoid any leaks while using a VPN.

For those really serious about privacy, there are other (more) private web browsers available – learn more about these alternatives in our guide to the best private browsers.

While Firefox has a reputation for being a more privacy-friendly alternative to Google Chrome, using it doesn’t truly protect your personal data from snooping or malicious third parties.

Even when you use Private Browsing, which erases your browsing information like passwords, cookies, and history locally (a bit like Chrome’s Incognito mode), your ISP and any eavesdroppers sniffing your traffic can see what you do online.

Here’s a warning on Firefox’s website:

That’s why you should still use a VPN when you use Firefox Private Browsing.

VPNs encrypt all internet traffic flowing through your device and mask your IP address with a new IP address belonging to the VPN server.

This ensures that your online activities remain private.

But that’s not the only reason you should use a VPN with Firefox.

VPNs also allow you to access restricted content – whether it’s your school, library, or government that has imposed the blocks.

If you use a VPN app on your desktop computer then there’s no immediate need to install a browser extension as your browser traffic will go through the encrypted VPN tunnel.

But there are still some benefits to using an extension.

Browser extensions often come with extra features such as ad and malware blockers, as well as WebRTC leak protection. These are sometimes missing on the main VPN apps.

Using a browsing extension is a lightweight alternative to using a device-wide VPN, so you may experience better browsing speeds.

If you’re a heavy browser user and you only want to protect browser traffic, a VPN add-on for Firefox may be a good solution for you.

If you’d like to use a browser extension to encrypt your browser traffic it’s as simple as finding the VPN on the Firefox Add-ons website – click through from your VPN service provider’s website to avoid downloading the wrong (potentially malicious) one – and clicking ‘Add to Firefox’.

Once you’ve added the extension, you’ll be able to choose the server location and connect from within your browser.

You can read more about adding a VPN to your Firefox browser in our dedicated guide to setting up a Firefox VPN.

Some VPN browser extensions, like ExpressVPN’s Firefox add-on, require the main application/client to be running. In other words, the VPN extension just won’t work on its own. If that’s the case, follow our instructions on how to install a Windows VPN or a macOS VPN.

VPN device apps and VPN browser extensions (or add-ons) aren’t the same.

While a VPN sends all device internet traffic through an encrypted VPN tunnel, browser extensions are proxies that spoof the IP address associated with your browsing traffic.

Some browser add-ons encrypt traffic – these are called HTTPS proxies – but most don’t (they’re just HTTP instead).

That’s why we always recommend using a VPN desktop app over a browser extension for the best levels of privacy and security.

You can read more about the difference between VPNs and proxies in our separate guide.

If you do want to use a proxy instead of a VPN client, we’d recommend using a browser extension provided by a trusted VPN service.

If you don’t, you risk putting all your personal data into the wrong (and sometimes dangerous) hands.

We’ve made it clear that it’s very important to protect your Firefox web traffic using a VPN – and in some cases with an encrypted proxy browser extension – but all the ones we recommend require a paid subscription.

 

But, can you use a VPN for free with Firefox? You can indeed. However, many free VPN browser extensions aren’t safe to use and you must not use them. We listed a few below that must avoid.

Instead, we suggest taking a look at our guide to the best free VPNs. They’re all trustworthy, anonymous, and work on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Just connect to one of their secure servers to encrypt all of your Firefox traffic.

Like all good free VPN services, they do come with some limitations, such as slower speeds, reduced server locations, restricted data usage and no Netflix support.

At the moment, the best Firefox VPN is Windscribe. Windscribe is a free VPN (it does offer a paid service, too) that comes with a full-featured Firefox browser extension. However, you’ll be limited to 10GB of data a month, although that should be enough for light web browsing.

As mentioned above, here are two Firefox VPN extensions to absolutely avoid:

• Hola VPN
• Hoxx VPN

These so-called VPNs are actually proxies that simply spoof your IP address. While this may work to access some blocked content, it’s not at all private.

In fact, these two proxy services may do more harm to your online privacy than good.

Hola works as a peer-to-peer network, essentially throwing your true IP address into a pool for other users to use and abuse as they please.

It doesn’t encrypt your internet traffic, and keeps logs of everything you do online.

Hoxx VPN claims to encrypt your browser traffic, but like Hola it collects information about the pages you’ve viewed through the proxy as well as your true IP address.

There are many other dodgy free VPNs and browser extensions available, but if you stick with our recommendations you’ll be safe.

No, Firefox doesn’t have a built-in VPN.

However, Firefox is currently beta testing a proxy extension called Firefox Private Network in the US. The proxy extension encrypts all your browser traffic and masks your IP address using Cloudflare proxy servers.

Mozilla’s also planning on releasing a Full-Device VPN later this year. This shows the company’s commitment to improving its privacy offering.

WebRTC is a browser technology that allows audio and video communications to work inside the browser.

But it’s not great for privacy.

WebRTC can reveal your true IP address even when you use a VPN – we call these WebRTC leaks. You can read all about them in our leaks guide.

The best VPN services and browser extensions block WebRTC leaks so that your IP address remains hidden and protected.

However, you can disable WebRTC manually within Firefox’s settings – unlike Chrome – just to be sure.

1. Enter about:config in the address bar and hit enter.
2. Click I accept the risk!.
   
3. Enter media.peerconnection.enabled on the search bar and hit enter.
4. Right-click on the line listed and select Toggle.

When the Value reads false WebRTC is disabled.

Yes, you can be tracked even if you use a VPN with your Firefox browser.

VPNs encrypt your traffic and mask your true IP address, which prevents some forms of tracking. However, websites and advertisers still have tools that can monitor your online activities:

• Cookies
• Tracking pixels
• Web beacons
• Browser fingerprinting
• Advertiser IDs

Firefox has a Content Blocking feature that can block many trackers – but crucially, not all of them.

Some VPN browser extensions also come with ad and tracker blockers, but even then big tech companies can still track your online activities.

When you log into online accounts such as Google you can be sure that you’re being tracked.

Google logs your searches and makes money from selling it to advertisers.

If you want to avoid being tracked online (as much as you possibly can) use a VPN, tracker/cookie blockers, and stay logged out of accounts that are provided by tech giants.

You can read more about online tracking on the EFF website.

No, Mozilla Firefox and Tor are separate web browsers.

However, the Tor browser is a modified version of the Firefox browser.

Tor is free and open-source, and it works by routing users’ traffic through a worldwide network of volunteer nodes. This helps to conceal the user’s location and online activities from snoopers.

Tor is used by journalists, activists, and campaigners in restrictive regimes to protect themselves from persecution when speaking out against the government.

It’s also home to the deep and dark web, which can be used as a platform for selling and buying illicit substances and content.

You can read more about the differences between VPNs and Tor in our comprehensive guide.