Check If Firefox Offers a Free VPN
If you’re lucky enough to use Firefox, you might be able to get a free VPN. Mozilla says it will be testing a “free browser-only VPN service” for some users over the next few months, but you’ll have to be lucky to try it out yourself.
This is because Mozilla, at least for now, is only enabling this feature for randomly selected users. Technically, this announcement was made back in June, but lucky users on several tech sites are now reporting that the feature is finally working.
Firefox Free VPN Comparison
Once fully implemented, Firefox will be able to compete with Opera and Microsoft’s own Edge browser, but will be ahead of other alternatives like Chrome and Safari, which don’t offer free VPNs at the time of writing.
It appears that a key advantage of Firefox VPN is that it will operate on Mozilla’s VPN network, which likely means it will use the same trusted Mullvad servers as Mozilla’s paid VPN service. Incidentally, Mullvad is currently Lifehacker’s favorite VPN for privacy .
However, don’t expect the same functionality from the free offer as you would from a full Mozilla VPN subscription. Mozilla VPN can encrypt all web traffic from up to five devices simultaneously, while Firefox VPN only protects your browser. Furthermore, while Mozilla VPN offers servers in 30 countries, allowing you to surf the web as if you were in that country, Firefox VPN will automatically connect to the closest available server, which is most likely in the same country as you.
However, this move is a boon for privacy, as a free VPN will hide your IP address and traffic from your ISP. As for Mozilla itself, the company states that it will collect “only the technical data necessary to ensure the reliability and security of Firefox VPN” and will automatically delete logs associated with your account after three months. Firefox VPN also claims to “never log the websites you visit or the content of your communications” and currently imposes no usage limits.
This is all great news, especially considering that governments and websites are starting to request more and more personal data . Unfortunately, you likely won’t be able to use Firefox VPN to bypass website blocking in your state (unless your traffic is routed through another state, and that’s if you’re lucky), but it’s always a good idea to allow websites and ISPs to collect as little personal information about you as possible.
How to Check if You Have a Free Firefox VPN
Since the VPN service is currently only available to random testers, it may take some time to access. To check if you can test Firefox VPN, open the browser and look for a VPN setup prompt in the upper-right corner, next to the toolbar.
If it’s enabled, click “Next” to begin. The setup process will guide you through enabling it, which requires you to sign in to your Mozilla account (or create one) and turn on the toggle. To disable Firefox VPN once enabled (this is useful if a website is blocking VPN traffic), simply click the VPN icon in the Firefox toolbar and turn it off.