Firefox vs Pale Moon (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Firefox: it is third in our ranking of browsers, and it grades higher too, 3.8 against 3.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Firefox grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Firefox
Free, open-source browser from Mozilla with tracker blocking built in
Free
Pale Moon
Free open-source browser on its own Goanna engine, with legacy add-ons
Free
Which one is for you
Pick Firefox if
- Fits if you want trackers blocked from day one without touching a setting
- Works for people who hop between Windows, Mac, Linux and a phone
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want the VPN on your phone, as the built-in one is desktop only for now
- Tight if you'd keep the VPN on all day, since it's capped at 50 GB a month and covers the browser only
- Pricey if you want a whole-device VPN, as Mozilla's separate service is $9.99 a month or $59.88 a year
- Watch out: the homepage shows ads to fund development until you switch them off
- Not for you if you're on Windows 8.1 or macOS 10.14 or older, which need Firefox ESR
Pick Pale Moon if
- Fits if you rely on legacy Firefox-style add-ons and full theming
- Makes sense if you want a browser with no telemetry, as the site states
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need video calls in the browser, since WebRTC is disabled
- Not for you if you stream DRM video, as there is no in-browser DRM
- Too light for phones: no iOS or Android edition is listed
- Watch out: official binaries need AVX, except the 32-bit Windows build
- Tight if you want current web standards: it follows its own engine, not Firefox or Chrome
How we grade them
| 3.8GPAFirefoxExcellent | 3.0GPAPale MoonVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree, with no paid tier at all. Mozilla sells a separate VPN service at $59.88 a year, but the browser is whole without it and nothing in it is held back for payers. | AFree and open source, with donations accepted and no paid plan, which is under 60% of this category's cheapest quarter. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with tracker blocking, end-to-end encrypted sync, the PDF editor, translation, and a VPN for 50 GB a month on the desktop. The Mozilla account sync needs is free, and the homepage ads can be switched off. | AThe full browser for Windows, macOS, Linux and FreeBSD costs nothing, with portable and 7-Zip Windows versions. |
| Features | AIt covers the job on its own Gecko engine rather than Chromium. Known trackers blocked by default, each site's cookies kept apart, tab groups and vertical tabs, a sidebar where you pick ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Copilot, reader mode, PDF filling and signing, translation done on your machine. | CXUL add-ons, themes and NPAPI plugins, but WebRTC, an integrated PDF reader, DRM and parental controls are deliberately off in the main build. |
| Ease of use | B4.65 from about 218,000 App Store ratings, below the 4.8 at the top of this category. Nothing needs configuring: blocking is on from the start and the shield in the address bar shows what it caught. | BNo rating on record. You install it and go, though official binaries need a CPU with AVX, except the 32-bit Windows build. |
| Platforms and integrations | AAll five: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone, with bookmarks, history, passwords and tabs synced end-to-end encrypted, and Send Tab to throw a page at another device. Only the built-in VPN is missing from the phone apps. | CWindows, macOS, Linux and FreeBSD, with no iOS or Android edition on the download page. |
| Best for | a free browser that isn't built on Chromium | a customizable browser with legacy add-ons |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Firefox and Pale Moon. How we grade
Price against what you get
Firefox has no paid plan and scores 3.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Pale Moon has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
Firefox scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other browsers on the chart, none scores higher than Firefox for less, and none scores higher than Pale Moon for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Firefox is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Firefox also covers password manager.
In commonFree planWindowsmacOSLinuxOpen sourceWeb browser
At a glance
| Firefox | Pale Moon | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | The browser is free with no paid tier. The built-in VPN is free for up to 50 GB of browser traffic per month, and sync uses a free Mozilla account. | Pale Moon is free and open source; the site accepts donations and lists no paid plan. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Mozilla Corporation | Moonchild Productions |
| Price read from | firefox.com | palemoon.org |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Firefox
- The built-in VPN is capped at 50 GB per month and protects browser traffic only. Mozilla's paid VPN service costs $59.88 per year or $9.99 per month, plus tax.
- Firefox shows optional ads on its homepage to fund development. They can be turned off.
- The built-in VPN has not reached Firefox for Android or iOS; Mozilla's roadmap lists VPN on mobile as upcoming work.
- Windows 8.1 and below and macOS 10.14 and below are no longer supported by the standard release; they need Firefox ESR.
Pale Moon
- Official binaries need a CPU with AVX support, except the 32-bit Windows build.
- It has no WebRTC, built-in PDF reader or DRM, so some sites and video services may not work.
- Compatibility with current web standards follows its own engine, not Firefox or Chrome.
- Windows download is also offered on the Microsoft Store, and there is no iOS or Android edition on the download page.
Key features
Firefox
- Tracking and cookie protection
- Enhanced Tracking Protection blocks known trackers by default, and Total Cookie Protection keeps each site's cookies separate. The shield icon in the address bar shows what was blocked.
- Built-in VPN
- A VPN toggle in the desktop toolbar routes browser traffic through a proxy server to hide the IP address, free for up to 50 GB per month. It covers the browser only, not other apps on the device.
- Tab groups, vertical tabs and sidebar
- Tabs can be grouped and color coded or stacked vertically, and a customizable sidebar gives one-click access to bookmarks, history, synced tabs and other tools.
- AI chatbots in the sidebar
- The sidebar can host a third-party assistant such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude or Mistral Chat. AI features are optional and can be turned off entirely.
- Sync with a Mozilla account
- Bookmarks, history, saved passwords and open tabs sync across desktop and mobile with end-to-end encryption, and Send Tab pushes a page from one device to another.
- Reader mode, PDF editor and translation
- Reader mode strips clutter from articles, a built-in editor fills, signs and annotates PDFs, and pages are translated in the browser without sharing the data with anyone else.
Pale Moon
- Goanna engine
- Rendering runs on Goanna, a derivative of Gecko, on the UXP platform; the site calls it a true fork and an independent product.
- XUL add-ons and themes
- Add-ons and complete themes can change core browser functions and appearance, and many legacy Firefox extensions are compatible.
- No telemetry
- The site says the browser contains no ads, telemetry or data gathering.
- Plugin support
- It supports legacy NPAPI plugins such as Java, Flash and Silverlight, which most browsers have dropped.
- Features left out
- WebRTC, an integrated PDF reader, in-browser DRM and parental controls are deliberately disabled in the main build.
Plans
Firefox
Free$0
The full browser on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, including tracker blocking, sync and, on desktop, the built-in VPN up to 50 GB a month.
Pale Moon
Free$0
The full browser for Windows, macOS, Linux and FreeBSD, with portable and 7-Zip Windows versions.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Firefox or Pale Moon?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Firefox and Pale Moon are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Firefox or Pale Moon?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Firefox and Pale Moon have a free plan.
Which platforms do Firefox and Pale Moon run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Firefox lists iOS and Android apps. Both list macOS, Windows and Linux apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.