Firefox is the best mobile browser

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Firefox + Extensions on Android

  • Many Android users praise Firefox mainly for full uBlock Origin support and other powerful extensions (Dark Reader, Unhook, Bypass Paywalls, Cookie AutoDelete, etc.).
  • Cross-device sync and “send to device” are valued; some use Firefox on all platforms for a consistent, ad‑free experience.
  • Some prefer Fennec (F-Droid build) or hardened forks like IronFox/LibreWolf to avoid Mozilla-branded telemetry and emerging ad experiments.

iOS Constraints and Workarounds

  • Multiple comments stress that iOS Firefox is just a WebKit wrapper and cannot run “real” uBlock Origin; only uBlock Origin Lite and Safari-style content blockers are possible.
  • There’s disagreement on how limited Safari’s blocking really is: some say it’s close enough using 1Blocker/Wipr/AdGuard/DNS-based blocking; others insist WebKit APIs make it clearly weaker than Firefox+uBO on Android.
  • Orion (Kagi) is frequently mentioned as a notable iOS alternative: WebKit-based but with (partial) support for Chrome/Firefox extensions and built‑in blocking; experiences range from “works great daily” to “too buggy and many plugins don’t work.”
  • EU rules allowing alternative engines on iOS are discussed, but so far no major non‑WebKit engines have shipped due to Apple’s constraints.

Performance, Battery, and Stability

  • Experiences with Firefox for Android are sharply mixed.
    • Some report huge improvements in the last 1–2 years: instant startup with hundreds/thousands of tabs, better tab management, and no notable battery issues.
    • Others report severe problems: overheating and battery drain from backgrounded tabs, networking glitches, rendering bugs on some Samsung devices, scrolling issues (e.g., GitHub), and general sluggishness vs Chrome/Brave.

Security and Privacy Debate

  • GrapheneOS documentation is cited to argue Firefox/Gecko on Android is less sandboxed and adds attack surface vs Chromium-based browsers; Vanadium or Brave are recommended there.
  • Some users still prefer Firefox’s customization and blocking over Chrome’s stronger exploit mitigations, accepting increased risk.

UX, Control, and “Degradation” Concerns

  • Complaints include:
    • Mobile Firefox hiding full URLs and making it harder to inspect links.
    • No simple “keep some cookies, wipe the rest” mechanism on mobile.
    • Confusing new tab/home behavior, awkward private-vs-normal tab separation, and about:config removal from stable builds.
  • Others counter that, despite warts, Firefox remains “the least bad” option given the hostile, ad-heavy web.

Alternatives and Preferences

  • Brave is repeatedly called out as the best “it just works” mobile browser (Android and iOS) for out-of-the-box ad and tracker blocking, though its crypto/affiliate/AI features are disliked.
  • Safari’s UX on iOS (gesture/one‑hand use, power efficiency, tight OS integration) is praised, but many see its weaker extension model and adblocking as a dealbreaker compared to Firefox+uBO on Android.