It's worth using a privacy-focused browser to stop websites from tracking your online activity and selling your information to third parties. Most of us don't want anyone snooping on our online activity, and it becomes a matter of principle to protect our privacy from unwanted intrusion.

Browsers like Brave, DuckDuckGo, and Firefox include features to protect your privacy, and some perform better than others depending on your platform. With this in mind, I decided to test LibreWolf to see what it's about and if it meets the hype. I had mixed results, and these are five reasons why you should and shouldn’t use LibreWolf as your go-to privacy browser.

5 FireFox-based

No Chromium Engine

LibreWolf is a modified version of Firefox, which is already regarded as one of the better privacy-focused browsers. It has all the benefits of Firefox, like being light on system resources and having access to the same extensions. You can easily see the similarities, like the More Tools menu, which includes the same options. One of the differences is that LibreOffice offers strict security settings instead of multiple tiers like Firefox.

Another benefit of being Firefox-based is that LibreWolf doesn't use Google's Chromium engine, which is used by other browsers, such as Brave, Edge, and Opera. This means that Google has no say in its development and can't force it to stop support for ad-blockers and other extensions that don't meet its standards.

4 Built-in Ad-blocker

A better browsing experience

You don't need to download an ad-blocker extension because LibreWolf has uBlock Origin baked into its interface. This feature blocks ads and stops tracking, pop-ups, coin miners, and malicious sites from spoiling your browsing experience and infecting your system. It also displays real-time information about the trackers it has blocked on each site. If you want tighter security, you can use the options to disable JavaScript and cosmetic filtering and block remote fonts and large media elements for added protection.

uBlock Origin offers a range of filter tools to allow or block certain sites from being displayed. You can also allow or disallow it to run in private window browsing, or turn it off entirely with a simple slider if you'd rather use another blocker.

3 Privacy Search Engines

No Google here

You'll need to use an equally secure search engine to get the most out of your privacy browser. LibreWolf lets users choose between various privacy-focused search engines as its default, such as DuckDuckGo Standard and Lite, MetaGer, Mojeek, and StartPage. These engines don't collect personal data and send anonymous queries without using any of your identifying information. Information when searching online,

You can also choose which search engine you prefer from the options mentioned for Private Browsing windows. If you set a default search engine, you can still access the alternatives by typing the first letter of its name in the address bar, and it will open.

2 Global Privacy Control

Opt out of tracking

LibreWolf includes a Global Privacy Control setting to inform websites of your security preferences. This feature sends the same message to all the websites you visit, telling them you should opt out of them selling or sharing your data. It's turned off by default, and you'll need to tick the Website Privacy Preferences tick box to activate it.

Global Privacy Control's effectiveness depends on the specific website you visit and its location. It's effective as an opt-out request in certain jurisdictions, such as California, Colorado, the UK, and the EU, where sites are obligated to comply.

1 Poor password protection

More security please

For a privacy-focused browser, I was disappointed by LibreWolf's password protection. The option to save passwords is off by default because it's supposedly better for comfort and security, and LibreWolf recommends using add-ons like Bitwarden and the KeePassXC plugin instead.

LibreWolf also lets you create a Primary Password to protect the logins and passwords stored on your device, but this feature is also turned off by default. Whenever I test a browser, I import all my favorites, bookmarks, extensions, and passwords to see how they perform. After importing my passwords into LibreWolf, I could easily access them without requiring passwords or my device pin. This is a significant security oversight because anyone wanting to steal your passwords can install LibreWolf, import them into the app, and access them without requiring verification.

Should you use LibreWolf as your privacy browser?

LibreWolf makes a strong case as a privacy browser with a robust feature set to prevent tracking and data collection. It's packed with security features like a built-in blocker, privacy search engines, and more to stop sites from discovering your browsing habits and other information. On the other hand, its password security could be improved by mandatory verification.

I think LibreWolf is in the same league as privacy browsers like Brave, DuckDuckGo, and Mullvad, and whether you should use it over the other options depends on your preference and requirements.