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Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox is a free, open source, cross-platform, graphical web browser developed by the Mozilla Corporation and hundreds of volunteers. Beginning as a fork of the browser component (Navigator) of the Mozilla Application Suite, Firefox has since become the Mozilla Foundation's main development focus (along with the Thunderbird mail and news client), replacing the Mozilla Suite as the foundation's official main software release. The current version is 3.5, released on June 30th, 2009. The first version of Firefox was released November 9th, 2004 as version 1.6; before that the browser was known as Firebird, and before that, Phoenix.

Firefox logo large
MSRP $0.00
Release date November, 2004
Brand Mozilla
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tag it
Pros & Cons42
Reviews117
Details
Buy It
Competitors6
Comments8
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
109 reviews
81
negative
mixed
positive
91 positive
7 mixed
11 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
Extensive functional add-ons (extensions) and plug-ins
+92agreedisagree

Tabbed browsing
+88agreedisagree

After a crash can "Restore session" which reopens all tabs
+86agreedisagree

Open-source project
+83agreedisagree

Fewer security exploits directed at Firefox vs. IE
+69agreedisagree

Page loading can be significantly faster than IE, especially when using speed-enhancing plugins.
+49agreedisagree

In page searching and highlighting is powerful and straightforward. Just slash and type, or F3 refind: easy!
+40agreedisagree

Faster browsing in v3
+40agreedisagree

"Awesome bar" learns and adapts according to the frequency and recency of pages you visit
+36agreedisagree

Improved memory usage in v3
+33agreedisagree

Built in error console for debugging Javascript and CSS
+21agreedisagree

Site Icons for easier recognizing of web pages
+20agreedisagree

High standard-compliance
+18agreedisagree

Built in hierarchical Bookmarks Toolbar. Easier usable than scrolling through a sidebar. (just point and click not click - expand - click - expand - click)
+17agreedisagree

Great for web developers: design and debugging.
+17agreedisagree

New Complete Page Zoom in V3 with resampled pictures - really useful and way better than IE 7 Zoom.
+16agreedisagree

DOM browser can be used to learn about web pages and customize the browser itself.
+16agreedisagree

Its easier to integrate into different OS themes (e.g. using Windowblinds).
+16agreedisagree

Speed - reloading 5 tabs on browser startup takes 4 seconds (FX 3.0.5), the same task with Internet Explorer 7 takes 14 seconds (until all tabs are fully loaded). This is on a Athlon 64 6000 with 2 Gbyte Ram under Windows XP Pro.
+16agreedisagree

many great add-ons with solid support (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox)
+3agreedisagree

Supports tree-style tabs list (using an addon)
+1agreedisagree

Much faster than Internet Explorer
0agreedisagree

Easy to customize with very small downloadable addons
0agreedisagree

It isn't part of Bill Gates' P.O.S. Monopoly,therefore it works a lot better.If Mozilla would just develop a OS it'd probally be Awsome.
-4agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
Websites designed with proprietary IE/Active X code may not render correctly
+43agreedisagree

Windows returns an error if you close Firefox and try to start it up right away "Firefox is still running"
+7agreedisagree

Firefox V2 crashes semi-regularly and uses a lot of computing resources
+2agreedisagree

Updates itself without notification - uses bandwidth when the user may need it elsewhere
+1agreedisagree

Takes up an inordinate amount of RAM
-1agreedisagree

Doesn't always close properly
-4agreedisagree

Can suck up a lot of CPU cycles for no reason
-4agreedisagree

Unresponsive interface
-4agreedisagree

The browser completely locks up if there's any hiccup in Internet connectivity
-5agreedisagree

It's not included with the Windows OS.I prefer Microsh_t to tell me what I can do and can't do. This just Sarcasim in reality I like BG to take IE and put it where it works best;up his....... :)When it loads yeah it may be a lil slower but what time you save at loading is lost in IE with slower searching. GO FX!
-9agreedisagree

Slow javascript
-10agreedisagree

Tons of seemingly unnecessary updates that force you to restart the browser
-11agreedisagree

Bad Flash integration
-13agreedisagree

The full potential of this browser can only be unlocked by downloading & trying the (free) extensions. Choosing between hundreds of them can be a daunting task.
-14agreedisagree

Crashes when multiple tabs with Flash are open.
-15agreedisagree

V3 violates web standards
-16agreedisagree

v3 Default theme sports obnoxiously large and glossy back button
-17agreedisagree

Memory usage and load time are significantly slower than IE.
-40agreedisagree


118 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!

Details

Features

  • Free, open-source software
  • Tabbed browsing
  • Highly customizable with many add-ons
  • Fewer security vulnerabilities over Internet Explorer

Firefox 3

Mozilla Firefox version 3.0 (codename Gran Paradiso) is scheduled for release on June 17th 2008 at 10am PDT, with public beta trials having been in place since November 19, 2007. The first release candidate was released on May 16th, 2008 and is now available for download in 45 languages.

  • new location bar that learns from user behavior - dubbed the "Awesome bar"
  • improves HTML rendering compliance - meets Acid2 standards
  • new internal memory allocator, jemalloc, improves memory performance over libc
  • new themes for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
  • improved download manager with searching and downloading resuming
  • improved bookmarking and history powered by SQLite /w support for tagging
  • completely redesigned icons

The release of Firefox 3 has been dubbed as "Download Day" in an attempt to break the world record for most software downloaded in 24 hours. The website spreadfirefox.com has been taking pledges for people to download Firefox, and have received more that 1.6 million pledges from all over the world.

Submit a link

Articles

Firefox 2 officially released

written by Erik Oct 25, 06

This report was started October 25, 2006 at 4:33 pm by Erik
with the last edit occurring Friday, 8:07 AM by Fugazi
This page has been viewed 7208 times, with 1647 edits by 129 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Competitors

Mozilla Firefox is ranked 1st among it's competitors.  See the top picks in Internet Browsers »

Suggest a new competitor to add to the list of competing products.
If the product hasn't yet been added to ProductWiki, submitting it here will also start the product report.

Comments

1.  avatar Omar said:

I just downloaded Firefox 3 (go go download day!) and after using it for about an hour I have to say I'm quite impressed. I switched from FF2 to IE7 after I got fed up with the performance and memory leaks. There were definitely some trade-offs in switching, particular with in-page searching and copying image locations... seemingly simple stuff, but actions that I use everyday.

Well early signs look like FF3 will be the best of both worlds. The power and convenience of Firefox combined with the speed of IE7.
Jun 17, 2008 12:19pm
2.  avatar rabidpotatochip said:

My one complaint about version 3 is the new location bar. It seems kind of sluggish when you have a few hundred bookmarks for it to search through. This wouldn't normally bother me too much, but it's still almost instant in Opera.

Otherwise, I'm extremely happy how alt text for images is displayed in this version and am definitely happy with my download.
Jun 17, 2008 4:16pm
3.  avatar Erik said:

I agree with rabidpotatochip. I'm not too sure about the new location bar. I don't really like how it auto-completes based on the title of the web page vs. the old way based on the actual URL. There is an extension that allows you to revert the location bar to the old one.
Jun 17, 2008 4:18pm
4.  avatar Erik said:

I think I may have been hasty with my assessment of the new location bar. I saw an interview with an engineer from Mozilla on Attack of the Show last night, and he said that the "Awesome bar" will adapt to the frequency and recent activity of the URLs you visit. So, when I first installed Firefox yesterday, the learning hadn't yet started and I was getting sub-par results. I've noticed that the results are, in fact, getting better with more use.

Will it read my mind? Will it replace Google? No, but it's definitely useful.
Jun 18, 2008 10:35am
5.  avatar dialupinternetuser said:

I love the awesome bar. I've been using F3 since the Beta 5 in early May, and it's really useful. Especially when I was doing this report. I had about 4 sites related to each subtopic of my report, and instead of bookmarking them, all I had to do was start typing "Kurt Vonnegut" or "Communism" or "Atlas Shrugged" and I had very easy access to the sites. I also like the new integrated add-on installer that allows you to install add-ons from within the browser.
Jun 18, 2008 12:28pm
6.  avatar Howlsthunder said:

Prior to version 3 I was a die-hard Safari user but with all the improvements in v.3, I am a total Firefox convert. It is WAY faster and uses far less RAM than Safari and is much easier to customize. I like the new ability to tag bookmarks and URLs, especially for sites whose names I never remember, and I like the new smart address bar (the "Awesome bar") - its more intuitive than memorizing urls for me. Tabbed browsing also seems to be tighter as well, consistently opening outside links in new tabs.

The only thing I *don't* like is that I prefer the way Safari shows bookmarks within the browser itself, saving desktop space and all.
Aug 05, 2008 2:54pm
7.  avatar DamienT98 said:

I love firefox, i would never use anything else now. I also have a ad-blocker application, it is awesome!
Oct 05, 2008 11:47am
8.  avatar Omar said:

It's official: I really hate Firefox. The only reason I use it now is because of Firebug which is probably the greatest tool ever for HTML development. But outside of that, for general browsing I can't imagine using FF until they make drastic changes.

Constant updates that have way too many prompts.
Slow speed.
Problems shutting down.

The list goes on.

Now people will say FF runs like garbage when you install a lot of extensions. Well FireFox is only competitive when you use extensions! Otherwise it's a slow, antiquated and bloated remnant of the past compared to the uber-fast and sleek Chrome.
Apr 24, 2009 10:56am
Some HTML is allowed. Your comments remain editable after you post..

Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

dialupinternetuser

avatar
April 29, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
90
negative
mixed
positive
19 pros
2 cons
trustedtrusted
love itlove it
have ithave it
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Extensive functional add-ons (extensions) and plug-ins
  • Tabbed browsing
  • After a crash can "Restore session" which reopens all tabs
  • Open-source project
  • Fewer security exploits directed at Firefox vs. IE
  • Page loading can be significantly faster than IE, especially when using speed-enhancing plugins.
  • In page searching and highlighting is powerful and straightforward. Just slash and type, or F3 refind: easy!
  • Faster browsing in v3
  • "Awesome bar" learns and adapts according to the frequency and recency of pages you visit
  • Improved memory usage in v3
  • Built in error console for debugging Javascript and CSS
  • Site Icons for easier recognizing of web pages
  • High standard-compliance
  • Built in hierarchical Bookmarks Toolbar. Easier usable than scrolling through a sidebar. (just point and click not click - expand - click - expand - click)
  • Great for web developers: design and debugging.
  • New Complete Page Zoom in V3 with resampled pictures - really useful and way better than IE 7 Zoom.
  • DOM browser can be used to learn about web pages and customize the browser itself.
  • Its easier to integrate into different OS themes (e.g. using Windowblinds).
  • Speed - reloading 5 tabs on browser startup takes 4 seconds (FX 3.0.5), the same task with Internet Explorer 7 takes 14 seconds (until all tabs are fully loaded). This is on a Athlon 64 6000 with 2 Gbyte Ram under Windows XP Pro.

Cons

  • Websites designed with proprietary IE/Active X code may not render correctly
  • Firefox V2 crashes semi-regularly and uses a lot of computing resources

Comments

"I love the awesome bar. I've been using F3 since the Beta 5 in early May, and it's really useful. Especially when I was doing this report. I had about 4 sites related to each subtopic of my report, and instead of bookmarking them, all I had to do was start typing "Kurt Vonnegut" or "Communism" or "Atlas Shrugged" and I had very easy access to the sites. I also like the new integrated add-on installer that allows you to install add-ons from within the browser."

Competitors

dialupinternetuser prefers Mozilla Firefox over Flock, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, Windows Internet Explorer
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Omar

avatar
April 24, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
35
negative
mixed
positive
6 pros
11 cons
trustedtrusted
have ithave it
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Extensive functional add-ons (extensions) and plug-ins
  • Tabbed browsing
  • After a crash can "Restore session" which reopens all tabs
  • Fewer security exploits directed at Firefox vs. IE
  • In page searching and highlighting is powerful and straightforward. Just slash and type, or F3 refind: easy!
  • "Awesome bar" learns and adapts according to the frequency and recency of pages you visit

Cons

  • Websites designed with proprietary IE/Active X code may not render correctly
  • Windows returns an error if you close Firefox and try to start it up right away "Firefox is still running"
  • Firefox V2 crashes semi-regularly and uses a lot of computing resources
  • Takes up an inordinate amount of RAM
  • Doesn't always close properly
  • Can suck up a lot of CPU cycles for no reason
  • Unresponsive interface
  • The browser completely locks up if there's any hiccup in Internet connectivity
  • Slow javascript
  • Tons of seemingly unnecessary updates that force you to restart the browser
  • Memory usage and load time are significantly slower than IE.

Comments

"I just downloaded Firefox 3 (go go download day!) and after using it for about an hour I have to say I'm quite impressed. I switched from FF2 to IE7 after I got fed up with the performance and memory leaks. There were definitely some trade-offs in switching, particular with in-page searching and copying image locations... seemingly simple stuff, but actions that I use everyday.

Well early signs look like FF3 will be the best of both worlds. The power and convenience of Firefox combined with the speed of IE7."
"It's official: I really hate Firefox. The only reason I use it now is because of Firebug which is probably the greatest tool ever for HTML development. But outside of that, for general browsing I can't imagine using FF until they make drastic changes.

Constant updates that have way too many prompts.
Slow speed.
Problems shutting down.

The list goes on.

Now people will say FF runs like garbage when you install a lot of extensions. Well FireFox is only competitive when you use extensions! Otherwise it's a slow, antiquated and bloated remnant of the past compared to the uber-fast and sleek Chrome."

Competitors

Omar prefers Opera, Google Chrome, Safari, Windows Internet Explorer over Mozilla Firefox
Omar prefers Mozilla Firefox over Flock
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

realraven2000

avatar
January 3, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
93
negative
mixed
positive
14 pros
1 con
trustedtrusted
have ithave it
love itlove it
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Extensive functional add-ons (extensions) and plug-ins
  • Tabbed browsing
  • After a crash can "Restore session" which reopens all tabs
  • Open-source project
  • Fewer security exploits directed at Firefox vs. IE
  • Page loading can be significantly faster than IE, especially when using speed-enhancing plugins.
  • In page searching and highlighting is powerful and straightforward. Just slash and type, or F3 refind: easy!
  • Built in error console for debugging Javascript and CSS
  • Site Icons for easier recognizing of web pages
  • Built in hierarchical Bookmarks Toolbar. Easier usable than scrolling through a sidebar. (just point and click not click - expand - click - expand - click)
  • New Complete Page Zoom in V3 with resampled pictures - really useful and way better than IE 7 Zoom.
  • DOM browser can be used to learn about web pages and customize the browser itself.
  • Its easier to integrate into different OS themes (e.g. using Windowblinds).
  • Speed - reloading 5 tabs on browser startup takes 4 seconds (FX 3.0.5), the same task with Internet Explorer 7 takes 14 seconds (until all tabs are fully loaded). This is on a Athlon 64 6000 with 2 Gbyte Ram under Windows XP Pro.

Cons

  • The full potential of this browser can only be unlocked by downloading & trying the (free) extensions. Choosing between hundreds of them can be a daunting task.

Competitors

realraven2000 prefers Mozilla Firefox over Windows Internet Explorer
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

SCLisi

avatar
September 19, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
83
negative
mixed
positive
10 pros
2 cons
trustedtrusted
love itlove it
have ithave it
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Extensive functional add-ons (extensions) and plug-ins
  • Tabbed browsing
  • After a crash can "Restore session" which reopens all tabs
  • Open-source project
  • Fewer security exploits directed at Firefox vs. IE
  • Page loading can be significantly faster than IE, especially when using speed-enhancing plugins.
  • In page searching and highlighting is powerful and straightforward. Just slash and type, or F3 refind: easy!
  • Faster browsing in v3
  • "Awesome bar" learns and adapts according to the frequency and recency of pages you visit
  • Improved memory usage in v3

Cons

  • Websites designed with proprietary IE/Active X code may not render correctly
  • Firefox V2 crashes semi-regularly and uses a lot of computing resources

Competitors

SCLisi prefers Google Chrome over Mozilla Firefox
SCLisi prefers Mozilla Firefox over Flock, Safari, Windows Internet Explorer, Opera
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Howlsthunder

avatar
August 5, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
90
negative
mixed
positive
9 pros
1 con
trustedtrusted
have ithave it
love itlove it
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Extensive functional add-ons (extensions) and plug-ins
  • Tabbed browsing
  • After a crash can "Restore session" which reopens all tabs
  • Open-source project
  • Fewer security exploits directed at Firefox vs. IE
  • Page loading can be significantly faster than IE, especially when using speed-enhancing plugins.
  • Faster browsing in v3
  • "Awesome bar" learns and adapts according to the frequency and recency of pages you visit
  • Improved memory usage in v3

Cons

  • Websites designed with proprietary IE/Active X code may not render correctly

Comments

"Prior to version 3 I was a die-hard Safari user but with all the improvements in v.3, I am a total Firefox convert. It is WAY faster and uses far less RAM than Safari and is much easier to customize. I like the new ability to tag bookmarks and URLs, especially for sites whose names I never remember, and I like the new smart address bar (the "Awesome bar") - its more intuitive than memorizing urls for me. Tabbed browsing also seems to be tighter as well, consistently opening outside links in new tabs.

The only thing I *don't* like is that I prefer the way Safari shows bookmarks within the browser itself, saving desktop space and all."

Competitors

Howlsthunder prefers Mozilla Firefox over Flock, Safari, Opera, Windows Internet Explorer
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Plasmarobo

avatar
July 25, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
80
negative
mixed
positive
8 pros
2 cons
trustedtrusted
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Extensive functional add-ons (extensions) and plug-ins
  • Tabbed browsing
  • After a crash can "Restore session" which reopens all tabs
  • Open-source project
  • Fewer security exploits directed at Firefox vs. IE
  • Page loading can be significantly faster than IE, especially when using speed-enhancing plugins.
  • In page searching and highlighting is powerful and straightforward. Just slash and type, or F3 refind: easy!
  • Faster browsing in v3

Cons

  • Websites designed with proprietary IE/Active X code may not render correctly
  • v3 Default theme sports obnoxiously large and glossy back button

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

meNNis

avatar
June 17, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
89
negative
mixed
positive
8 pros
1 con
trustedtrusted
have ithave it
love itlove it
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Extensive functional add-ons (extensions) and plug-ins
  • Tabbed browsing
  • After a crash can "Restore session" which reopens all tabs
  • Open-source project
  • Fewer security exploits directed at Firefox vs. IE
  • Page loading can be significantly faster than IE, especially when using speed-enhancing plugins.
  • Faster browsing in v3
  • Improved memory usage in v3

Cons

  • Websites designed with proprietary IE/Active X code may not render correctly

Competitors

meNNis prefers Mozilla Firefox over Opera, Safari, Windows Internet Explorer
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

fillibar

avatar
October 10, 2007
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
67
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
2 cons
trustedtrusted
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Extensive functional add-ons (extensions) and plug-ins
  • After a crash can "Restore session" which reopens all tabs
  • Open-source project
  • Page loading can be significantly faster than IE, especially when using speed-enhancing plugins.

Cons

  • Websites designed with proprietary IE/Active X code may not render correctly
  • Memory usage and load time are significantly slower than IE.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

rabidpotatochip

avatar
April 23, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
80
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
1 con
trustedtrusted
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Extensive functional add-ons (extensions) and plug-ins
  • Tabbed browsing
  • Open-source project
  • Fewer security exploits directed at Firefox vs. IE

Cons

  • Websites designed with proprietary IE/Active X code may not render correctly

Comments

"My one complaint about version 3 is the new location bar. It seems kind of sluggish when you have a few hundred bookmarks for it to search through. This wouldn't normally bother me too much, but it's still almost instant in Opera.

Otherwise, I'm extremely happy how alt text for images is displayed in this version and am definitely happy with my download."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

DamienT98

avatar
October 5, 2008
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
6 pros
0 cons
trustedtrusted
love itlove it
have ithave it
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Extensive functional add-ons (extensions) and plug-ins
  • Tabbed browsing
  • After a crash can "Restore session" which reopens all tabs
  • Open-source project
  • Fewer security exploits directed at Firefox vs. IE
  • Faster browsing in v3

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Comments

"I love firefox, i would never use anything else now. I also have a ad-blocker application, it is awesome!"
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No
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