Firefox add-ons might have originally only been available on desktop platforms, but Mozilla extended add-ons support to the Android version of the browser last year. As of March 2021, there are almost two dozen add-ons available for Firefox on Android, including many of our all-time favorites on desktop. So in this article, we list the 10 best add-ons (extensions) for Mozilla Firefox on Android. We will also show you how to install Firefox add-ons on your Android smartphone easily.
Best Firefox Add-ons (Extensions) on Android Devices
Firefox has hundreds of add-ons for desktop users, but the number is somewhat limited on Android. Still, you have many add-ons available on mobile, including some of the most popular ones for privacy, UI enhancements, and more. So here, we will tell you about the 10 best Firefox add-ons you should use on Android devices and how you can install them on your phone in a few easy steps.
How to Install Firefox Add-ons on Android
Before we get to the best Firefox add-ons for Android, let’s see how you can install them on your device in the first place. So here’s how you go about installing add-ons on Firefox for Android:
- Open Firefox and hit the three-dot menu button. Now tap on Add-ons to access the add-ons manager.
Note: The menu button will either be at the top-right or at the bottom-right (default) of your Firefox window, depending on your setting.
- All the add-ons compatible with your device would be listed here. Tap on the “+” sign next to the add-on you want to add to Firefox, and then hit ‘Add’ on the pop-up menu to install the add-on.
Note: Starting with Firefox 85, you can also install compatible add-ons directly from the Mozilla add-ons repository (AMO).
Best Firefox Extensions for Your Smartphone
Mozilla only recently added add-ons support to Firefox on Android. And while there are admittedly not many options to choose from, the list is pretty impressive in terms of quality. We expect the number of compatible add-ons to increase over the coming months, so check back from time to time to see the new add-ons are available on the platform. Either way, here are the best Firefox add-ons for Android devices right now:
1. Dark Reader
Dark Reader is possibly the best-known dark mode extension on both Firefox and Chrome. I have personally used it for years with Firefox on my PC and am now using it on Firefox for Android with the same stunning results. It works impeccably on almost all the sites, either on Windows or Android. It inverts bright colors on websites, making them high contrast and easy to read at night. The best part? It is free and open-source software (FOSS) that doesn’t show ads and doesn’t collect user data.
Add to Firefox: Free
2. HTTPS Everywhere
Developed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), HTTPS Everywhere is another uber-popular Firefox add-on that has come to Android. It protects your online communications by enabling HTTPS encryption automatically on supported sites even if the link clicked tells the browser to connect over the less-secure HTTP. Many sites offer limited support for encryption over HTTPS and often default to unencrypted HTTP. The HTTPS Everywhere extension fixes this problem by rerouting all requests to the HTTPS versions of these websites for improved security.
Add to Firefox: Free
3. Ghostery
One of the best and most popular add-ons for Firefox on desktop platforms, Ghostery is also available on Firefox for Android. It blocks ads, stops tracking cookies, and speeds up websites all at once. It is one of the first add-ons to combine the best of your blocklist and AI-powered anti-tracking technologies. As part of its enhanced tracking protection, Ghostery allows you to view and block trackers on websites, enabling you to control who collects your data. It also incorporates a built-in ad-blocker that removes advertisements from a web page to eliminate clutter and improve page load times.
Add to Firefox: Free
4. Search by Image
Search by Image is a powerful reverse image search tool, with support for some of the most global search engines, including Google, Bing, Yandex, Baidu, and TinEye. It is an open-source project that enables you to search for images from the context menu and the browser toolbar. This Firefox add-on helps journalists verify the authenticity of images shared online and assist researchers in identifying false information. Search by Image is also popular among photographers, helping them explore who all have shared their work on the Internet.
Add to Firefox: Free
5. NoScript Security Suite
One of the most well-known Firefox add-ons ever, NoScript disables potentially harmful content on blacklisted websites. It allows JavaScript, Flash, and other executable content to run only from trusted domains of your choice (your banking site, for example). Thus, it helps you mitigate remotely exploitable vulnerabilities. It protects you from XSS, cross-zone DNS rebinding / CSRF attacks (router hacking), Clickjacking, and other potential security exploits, thanks to its unique ClearClick technology. NoScript comes bundled by default with the Tor Browser, yet another testament to its safety and efficacy.
Add to Firefox: Free
6. FoxyProxy
Yet another iconic Firefox add-on, FoxyProxy, has been around for around 15 years on desktop versions of the browser. It is an advanced proxy management tool that completely replaces Firefox’s limited proxy capabilities. The add-on automatically switches an internet connection across one or more proxy servers based on URL patterns. FoxyProxy automates the manual process of editing Firefox’s Connection Settings dialog. Proxy server switching occurs based on the loading URL and user-defined switching rules.
Add to Firefox: Free
7. Video Background Play Fix
The ‘Video Background Play Fix’ Firefox add-on brings an essential feature to video streaming sites on Android devices. It allows you to play videos in the background on streaming sites like YouTube and Vimeo, enabling users to listen to the audio in the background while getting work done in the foreground. As long as the video plays, the add-on will display a persistent notification, which you can use to play or pause the video. Background playback is a YouTube Premium feature, and you get it for free with this nifty little extension. Thus, it is arguably one of the best add-ons for Firefox on Android.
Add to Firefox: Free
8. Privacy Badger
The ever-popular Privacy Badger is yet another add-on from the EFF. It stops advertisers and other third-party trackers from secretly tracking which sites you visit on the web. Instead of using pre-defined lists of what to block, it automatically learns to block invisible trackers based on their behavior. Once Privacy Badger determines that a tracker is tracking a user without their consent, it automatically blocks that advertiser from loading any more content in your browser. The add-on sends the Do Not Track signal to tell companies not to track you. If trackers ignore your wishes, Privacy Badger will block them for good.
Add to Firefox: Free
9. Decentraleyes
Decentraleyes protects users against tracking through free, centralized content delivery. While blocking ads or trackers doesn’t break site functionality, blocking actual content on the webpage often creates problems. This is where Decentraleyes comes in. It prevents several requests from reaching networks like Google Hosted Libraries and serves local files to keep sites from breaking. According to the developer, “The aim of this add-on is to cut out the middleman by providing lightning speed delivery of local (bundled) files to improve online privacy.”
Add to Firefox: Free
10. Bitwarden
Bitwarden is a secure, free, and open-source (FOSS) password manager for all of your devices. Like other password managers, it lets users store all their logins and passwords while conveniently keeping them synced between all of their devices across platforms. All data is encrypted on-device with AES-256 encryption, salted hashing, and PBKDF2 SHA-256 before being uploaded to the company’s server. The source code for Bitwarden is hosted on GitHub, and everyone is free to review, audit, and contribute to the Bitwarden codebase.
Add to Firefox: Free
Customize Firefox for Android With the Best Add-ons
Alongside the enhanced privacy and advanced features, one of the main reasons why Firefox managed to trump Internet Explorer back in the day was massive support from third-party developers. The same powerful add-ons and themes support is now available with Firefox for Android as well.
So, install your favorite add-ons for Firefox on your Android phone and browse the internet like a pro. Leave a little note about which Firefox add-ons you installed on your phone and why in the comments section below. Meanwhile, since Firefox is your browser of choice, check out how you can change the default search option in the browser on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. If you happen to use Chrome, go check out the best dark mode extensions you can use on Google’s browser.
Abubakar Mohammed
