> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://itsfoss.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Waterfox: Firefox Fork With Legacy Add-ons Options - URL: https://itsfoss.com/waterfox-browser/ - Published: 2020-02-17T15:13:57.000Z - Updated: 2023-08-19T05:35:41.000Z - Description: Waterfox is a Firefox-based browser that supports legacy extensions that Firefox no longer supports while potentially providing a fast user experience. - Author: Ankush Das - Tags: Applications When it comes to web browsers, Google Chrome leads the market share. [Mozilla Firefox is there still providing hopes for a mainstream web browser that respects your privacy](https://itsfoss.com/why-firefox/). Firefox has improved a lot lately and one of the side effects of the improvements is the removal of add-ons. If your favorite add-on disappeared in the last few months/years, you have good news in the form of Waterfox. ✋ Attention! It’s been brought to our notice that Waterfox has been acquired by System1\. This company also acquired the [privacy-focused search engine](https://itsfoss.com/privacy-search-engines/) Startpage. While System1 claims that they are providing privacy focused products because ‘there is a demand’, we cannot vouch for their claim. In other words, it’s up to you to trust System1 and Waterfox. ## Waterfox: A Firefox-based Browser ![Waterfox Classic](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2020/02/waterfox-classic.png?fit=800%2C423&ssl=1) Waterfox Classic [Waterfox](https://www.waterfox.net/?ref=itsfoss.com) is a useful open-source browser built on top of Firefox that focuses on privacy and supports legacy extensions. It doesn’t pitch itself as a privacy-paranoid browser but it does respect the basics. You get two separate Waterfox browser versions. The current edition aims to provide a modern experience and the classic version focuses to support [NPAPI plugins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NPAPI?ref=itsfoss.com) and [bootstrap extensions](https://wiki.mozilla.org/Extension%5FManager:Bootstrapped%5FExtensions?ref=itsfoss.com). ![Waterfox Classic Screenshot](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2020/02/waterfox-classic-screenshot.jpg) Waterfox Classic If you do not need to utilize bootstrap extensions but rely on [WebExtensions](https://wiki.mozilla.org/WebExtensions?ref=itsfoss.com), Waterfox Current is the one you should go for. And, if you need to set up a browser that needs NPAPI plugins or bootstrap extensions extensively, the Waterfox Classic version will be suitable for you. So, if you like Firefox but want to try something different on the same line, this is a Firefox alternative for the job. ## Features of Waterfox ![Waterfox Screenshot](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2020/02/waterfox-screenshot.jpg) Waterfox Current Of course, technically, you should be able to do a lot of things that Mozilla Firefox supports. So, I’ll just highlight all the important features of Waterfox in a list here. - Supports NPAPI Plugins - Supports Bootstrap Extensions - Offers separate editions for legacy extension support and modern WebExtension support. - Cross-platform support (Windows, Linux, and macOS) - Theme customization - Archived Add-ons supported ## Installing Waterfox on Ubuntu/Linux Unlike other popular browsers, you don’t get a package to install. So, you will have to download the archived package from its [official download page](https://www.waterfox.net/download/?ref=itsfoss.com). ![Waterfox Download Page](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2020/02/waterfox-download-page.jpg) Depending on what edition (Current/Classic) you want – just download the file, which will be **.tar.bz2** extension file. Once downloaded, simply extract the file. Next, head on to the extracted folder and look for the “**Waterfox**” file. You can simply double-click on it to run start up the browser. If that doesn’t work, you can utilize the terminal and navigate to the extracted **Waterfox** folder. Once there, you can simply run it with a single command. Here’s what it looks like: ``` cd waterfox-classic ./waterfox ``` In either case, you can also head to its [GitHub page](https://github.com/MrAlex94/Waterfox?ref=itsfoss.com) and explore more options to get it installed on your system. [Download Waterfox](https://www.waterfox.net/?ref=itsfoss.com) ## More browsing options Want a more unique browsing experience? Here's something you'll love if you like using keyboard shortcuts. [Nyxt Browser is a Keyboard-oriented Web Browser Inspired by Emacs and VimYou get plenty of web browsers available for Linux. Not just limited to Chrome-based options, but Chrome alternatives as well. Most of the options available focus on a pretty user experience while offering privacy features. However, Nyxt browser may not be built for the best user experienc…![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2022/12/android-chrome-192x192.png)It's FOSSAnkush Das![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2021/05/nyxt-browser-1.png)](https://itsfoss.com/nyxt-browser/) Or explore some [lightweight web browsers](https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-web-browsers-linux/). [10 Open Source Lightweight Web Browsers for LinuxThere are plenty of web browsers available for Linux. A lot of them are based on Chromium but we also have a list of browsers that are not based on Chromium. Recently, a reader asked for a lightweight web browsers recommendation and hence I took the responsibility of doing some![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2022/12/android-chrome-192x192.png)It's FOSSMarco Carmona![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2022/02/lightweight-web-browsers-linux.png)](https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-web-browsers-linux/) I fired it up on my Pop!\_OS 19.10 installation and it worked really well for me. Though I don’t think I could switch from Firefox to Waterfox because I am not using any legacy add-on. It could still be an impressive option for certain users. You could give it a try and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.