LibreWolf review

LibreWolf is what Firefox looks like when every privacy setting is turned up and the extras are removed. The community-run project builds from the latest Firefox stable source and ships uBlock Origin with custom filter lists, Tracking Protection in strict mode, Total Cookie Protection and Resist Fingerprinting, which makes users look the same to sites. Cookies and site data are deleted on close, HTTPS-only mode is on, search and form history are off, and WebGL is disabled because it is a strong fingerprinting vector. Telemetry, crash reports, studies and sponsored content are all removed, and Firefox Sync stays off unless you enable it. LibreWolf is open source and does not accept donations. It is available for Windows, Linux, macOS and OpenBSD, but there is no Android build. The hardening has costs: you will be signed out of sites after every restart unless you add exceptions, DRM streaming will not play, and WebGL sites may need a manual allow.

Who it is for

Firefox fans who want hardened defaults

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• uBlock Origin included and Tracking Protection set to strict
• Resist Fingerprinting (RFP) enabled, from the Tor Uplift project
• Deletes cookies and website data on close
• Telemetry, crash reports and studies disabled
• Built from the latest Firefox stable source

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Privacy search defaults such as DuckDuckGo and Searx
• Strength: HTTPS-only mode on by default
• Strength: Firefox Sync can be turned on if you want it
• Weakness: No Android version; the project points users to IronFox
• Weakness: WebGL is disabled by default, which can break maps and games
• Weakness: DRM is disabled, so some streaming sites will not play

Key facts

• Based on: Firefox stable source
• Platforms: Windows, Linux, macOS, OpenBSD
• Content blocker: uBlock Origin included
• Telemetry: Disabled

Where it ranks

LibreWolf is No. 6 in our Best Privacy Browsers verdict.