My Browser Setup for 2023 (Firefox + Add-ons)

I have given up on Google (maybe there will be a future post on that) which is one of the main (but not only) reason, why I am using Firefox on desktop and mobile for some time.

First, why I use Firefox

• Since their “Quantum leap”, it is fast. I like, that it display pages as it’s loading them, so I do not have to wait before I can start reading.
• It is Google independent – currently it is the only major browser not running Chromium engine.
• It is privacy focused – it contains very good tracking protection out of the box, both in Desktop and Android versions.
• Furthermore, it has great Add-ons not available in Chromium based browsers.
• And it offers (limited) add-on support on Android.

You should definitely give it a try. Here are my setup tips and Add-ons I can recommend making your experience better.

Desktop Firefox

In the Settings I have

• Tracking protection set to Strict by default
• Sync between devices enabled via Firefox account (works great for sending tabs between devices)
• Disabled sync for logins and passwords
• Ecosia search engine as my default

Add-ons I am running

• Bitwarden – My password manager of choice, it is free, open source, works great also on Android
• ClearURLs – Great for getting rid of clutter in URLs, used mainly for tracking
• Decentraleyes – Blocks calls to external libraries in webpages
• Don’t track me Google – Helps with privacy when I sometimes have to use Google instead of Ecosia
• Facebook Container – I am not using Facebook for a long time, but this extension makes sure, that Facebook cannot track you at all as any Facebook links are opened in separate session
• Firefox Translations – Offline translation tool
• Grammar and Spell Checker – LanguageTool – I had major issues with performance using Grammarly for spellchecks and suggestions, this one works like a charm
• I don’t care about cookies – Annoyed by all the cookie request? This will solve it for you
• Privacy Badger – Learns to block external trackers as you visit different sites
• SponsorBlock – Shows you and automatically skips sponsored parts in YouTube videos
• uBlock Origin – Best ad-blocker. I have enabled all the rules in setup I could (on top of the default blocking)
• Video Speed Controller – Great way to save time, speed up any video (YouTube, Netflix, HBO Max etc.)

Firefox on Android

I am running a stable version, even tough Beta has advantage in terms of more add-ons.

In settings, I have

• Sync enabled via my Firefox account
• Ecosia search engine as my default
• Tabs to only Close manually
• Homepage without sponsored shortcuts
• Opening Last tab on start
• Disabled sync for logins and passwords
• Set as Default Browser, Chrome is disabled on my phone
• HTTPS-Only Mode enabled
• Enhanced Tracking Protection set to Strict
• Data Collection disabled
• Open links in apps Enabled

Add-ons I am running

• uBlock Origin – Best ad-blocker. I have enabled all the rules in setup I could (on top of the default blocking)
• Privacy Badger – Learns to block external trackers as you visit different sites
• Decentraleyes – Blocks calls to external libraries in webpages
• YouTube High Definition – Allows you to setup default video speed and resolution on YouTube
• Video Background Play Fix – Allows you to play videos in background. So e.g. even without YouTube premium I can listen to YouTube videos (I do not use YouTube app due to ads and no ability to listen in background)
• Google Search Fixer – Shows Google results (if I sometimes need them) the same as in Chrome (because Google tries to make life hard in other browsers)