Firefox is the best mobile browser

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Firefox on mobile is praised for its powerful extension support—especially uBlock Origin—and cross-device sync, leading many Android users to treat it as the best option for ad-free, privacy-conscious browsing. Others counter that Firefox on Android has had serious performance, battery, and security shortcomings, and that iOS limitations on browser engines and extensions make Safari, Brave, or Orion more practical on Apple devices. Underneath the browser comparisons is a broader tension between usability, strong content blocking, and hardened security models such as GrapheneOS’s preference for Chromium-based browsers.

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.