this post was submitted on 22 Feb 2025
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just a quick gpt comparison for people wondering
The fundamental differences between Firefox and Waterfox are as follows:
Firefox is developed by Mozilla and follows a mainstream development cycle with frequent updates, strong security policies, and telemetry (data collection).
Waterfox is a fork of Firefox designed for privacy-conscious users, removing telemetry and data collection while maintaining compatibility with legacy Firefox features.
Firefox collects telemetry by default, though users can disable it.
Waterfox removes Mozilla's telemetry entirely and disables other tracking features by default.
Firefox only supports modern WebExtensions, dropping support for older XUL/XPCOM extensions since Firefox Quantum (version 57).
Waterfox retains support for legacy extensions, making it a preferred choice for users who rely on older add-ons.
Firefox follows a rapid release schedule, often updating every 4-6 weeks.
Waterfox updates more slowly, incorporating Firefox’s latest security patches but lagging behind in feature adoption.
Firefox is optimized for modern hardware and multi-core processing, often outperforming forks in speed and efficiency.
Waterfox may use more memory due to its legacy support but offers some performance tweaks.
Firefox integrates with Mozilla services like Pocket, Sync, and its VPN.
Waterfox removes these integrations to minimize data-sharing concerns.
In summary, Firefox is better for users who want the latest security, performance, and mainstream web compatibility, while Waterfox is ideal for those prioritizing privacy and legacy extension support.