Mozilla VPN started off as a basic Firefox browser plugin, but it’s now a fully standalone solution that encrypts all of your internet traffic on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux.
With 400+ servers spread over 40+ locations in 30+ countries, the network is smaller than other competitors. In comparison, ExpressVPN has 3,000 servers, NordVPN has 5,500, and CyberGhost has 7,800.
Mullvad’s outstanding network powers Mozilla VPN. Some corporations keep their resale of someone else’s service a secret, but Mozilla is not one of them.
Features
Since its introduction, Mozilla VPN’s feature set has increased significantly, and the service currently outperforms several specialist VPNs in some areas.
For example, the network is P2P-friendly. Performance is improved with support for the fast WireGuard protocol, and a kill switch protects you if the VPN goes down.
Multi-Hop VPN allows you to connect to the VPN from one location (for example, Phoenix, though you can choose any location from the list) and exit from another (for example, London), making it even more difficult for others to track your activities. Mozilla did this on desktop apps a while back, but it’s just recently made its way to Android and iOS.
Split tunnelling (also known as App Permissions) lets you choose which applications are secured by the VPN and which utilise your regular internet connection. Furthermore, IPv6 support and the ability to use your preferred DNS server or an ad- or tracker-blocking DNS server are notable.
There are still some flaws. For example, Mozilla VPN only supports the WireGuard protocol. On routers, there is no support for setting up the service. You can’t set up the applications to connect automatically when you use public Wi-Fi, either.
Although there is no live chat help, Mozilla has a good quantity of support articles. If you’re having problems, you may also contact the support team through the website.
One possible nuisance was identified. Despite the fact that Mozilla VPN claims to function with up to five devices, this only refers to particular, registered devices. If you use the service on two phones, two computers, and a tablet, for example, you won’t be able to use it on a new device until you’ve deactivated one of the others.
A few firms do something similar (KeepSolid VPN Unlimited is one of them), but most providers just limit you to a certain number of concurrent connections. You may still only connect a certain number of devices at a time, but the VPN doesn’t care which ones they are, and there’s no need to register or unregister each one.
Mozilla VPN pricing
Mozilla VPN costs $9.99 per month for a monthly billed service but drops to $7.99 after six months or $4.99 for an annual plan. Keep in mind that you’re paying for access to Mullvad’s servers, so it’s not exactly cheap. If you go straight to Mullvad, you’ll pay a flat amount of €5 each month (about $5.75) for the duration of your membership.
Only cards and PayPal payments are accepted.
You’re covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee if you sign up and the service doesn’t work for you. As far as we can determine (and we looked), there are no hidden fees or exclusions: if you’re unsatisfied, just let the firm know within the first 30 days, and you’ll get a refund.
Logging and privacy
Mozilla markets their VPN as coming from “a name you can trust,” which is a big bonus. Even if you believe Mozilla’s good name stems primarily from the fact that it isn’t Google or Microsoft, it is still well ahead of other VPNs in terms of reliability, and its partner, Mullvad, is one of the most privacy-conscious VPNs available.
The Mozilla VPN website makes its general approach extremely apparent—”Your privacy comes first,” “We don’t keep your online activity logs on our servers,” “We don’t store your online activity records on our servers,” and so on and the business gives extra details in a concise Privacy Notice.
When you sign up for and use the service, the company collects your IP address, as well as technical information about the service’s setup (installed app version, operating system, hardware configuration) and “interaction data,” such as when you log in, when the app requests server information, and so on. Mozilla claims that the IP is only retained “temporarily,” but does not specify how long “temporary” means.
You can disable part of it if you don’t like it. Our Windows software installer asked if we wanted to share Mozilla use statistics, making it obvious what was going on and providing us with the option to answer “no, thanks.” (You may also turn this off from Settings if you don’t see the installer option.)
For further information, Mozilla refers users to the Mullvad Privacy Policy, which states that no traffic, DNS inquiries, IP addresses, session periods, or bandwidth use is logged.
Audit
Mozilla says all the right things about privacy, but users shouldn’t have to trust the words of any provider. We like to have independent proof that a VPN is delivering on its claims. Mozilla did just that in August 2021, when it integrated the findings of a second Cure53 examination into its service.
This didn’t check the servers, probably since they’re operated by Mullvad, so it can’t prove there’s no logging clearly. Cure53, on the other hand, was given access to all of the apps, including the source code, giving it ample opportunity to detect any privacy or security concerns.
Cure53 discovered a number of flaws in the app’s design and offered some suggestions to fix them. However, the major flaws have been addressed, and Cure53’s analysis found that the applications had “developed greatly in security” since their previous review, with just one “medium” magnitude vulnerability discovered.
Of course, zero vulnerabilities would have been preferable, but that rarely occurs. Cure53 conducts extremely thorough reviews that capture even the tiniest of flaws, and the company will always discover some faults.
In general, we believe the audit is good news in a number of respects. The audit covered all of Mozilla’s applications; the firm disclosed its source code; the audit results were reasonable; and the report was published in its entirety. We give Mozilla a lot of credit for subjecting themselves to such scrutiny, something that other VPNs have yet to do.
Apps
To get started with Mozilla VPN, you’ll need to create a Firefox account, which just asks you to provide your email address and age. (Yes, age is a factor; we’re not sure why.)
We created an account, paid for it, and were sent to the Downloads page by the website. We quickly snatched up a copy of the Windows client and downloaded and installed it.
The Windows client for Mozilla VPN offers a simple, plain, and highly typical UI. Your default location is displayed on a little console, and you may click it to change it. A large On/Off switch links and disconnects you as needed, and icons and a status display indicate when you are and are not protected.
The client lacks an “Automatic” setting that selects the quickest server for you, as well as a search box, filters, or favourites system to rapidly locate your frequently visited sites. It can take a bit more scrolling and clicking to get connected than we’d like.
However, Mozilla’s adoption of the ultra-fast WireGuard protocol, which often connects us in 2-4 seconds, provides some compensation. Even a fast OpenVPN connection takes about 5–6 seconds to establish, and others require you to wait up to 20 seconds.
Settings
The Windows settings for Mozilla VPN start with a simple split tunnelling technique. This allows you to configure some programmes to use your regular internet connection rather than the VPN, which can be useful for improving speed or resolving issues (for example, banking apps that won’t work if you appear to be in another country).
You may pick DNS servers that block advertisements, “harmful domains,” or both on the DNS Settings screen, and you can even add your own custom DNS server.
If you connect to an insecure Wi-Fi network, you might get a notification on the Notifications screen. That’s beneficial, but more capable programmes may also connect to the VPN automatically as needed. The ability to set or disable IPv6, as well as access devices on your local network, is among the more technical functions (or not). The customer, on the other hand, restricts its options to a bare minimum.
As previously stated, there is no way to modify the protocol: it’s WireGuard or nothing. However, there is a good deal of configurability here, and Mozilla VPN surpasses a lot of competitors.
On/Off switch
Although Mozilla’s Windows client contains a kill switch, there is no way to turn it on or off, or to change how it operates. That’s helpful for security since you can’t unintentionally turn it off. However, because there is no way to customise the kill switch, it might be terrible news if it creates difficulties on your device.
We put the kill switch to the test and found that it did a good job of restricting our internet if the VPN connection broke.
Even so, there are issues in some severe cases. For example, if one of Mozilla’s Windows services fails, protection is lost but the kill switch is not activated. Although the app notifies the user of the disconnect, there is a potential that their identity and some information will be revealed.
That’s not something you’ll see very often, and we’re certain that the kill switch will keep you safe in the great majority of circumstances. However, it isn’t flawless, and Mozilla still has to work on closing security flaws.
Mac application
The Mac version of Mozilla VPN looks and feels very identical to the Windows version, which is both good and terrible. On the bright side, it’s really reliable. You’ll have no trouble using the app on the other platforms after you’ve learned how it works on one.
On the other hand, this implies that the Mac inherits all of Windows’ constraints. There is no ‘Fastest server’ option to find the best location automatically, no favourites system, and no protocol selection. The dilemma is made worse by the fact that the Mac app lacks Mozilla’s “App permissions” split tunnelling scheme.
There is still some good news to report. The software is straightforward to use, at least for the most basic functions: select your country, then connect and disconnect with a single click. In real-world use, the app performed admirably for us, connecting promptly and providing adequate overall performance.
It also offers a few unique features. If you connect to unsecured Wi-Fi, you may receive notifications for ads, trackers, or harmful website-blocking DNS. Other programmes go much further – the best VPN software can automatically connect when you connect to unsafe networks – but these are still useful functions.
Apps for mobile devices
The Mozilla Android and iOS applications are nearly identical to the desktop versions, making them simple to use but lacking in capabilities.
While browsing the menus, we noticed a few noteworthy discrepancies. The Android app, for example, returns the split tunnelling option that was previously unavailable on the Mac, enabling you to select particular apps that will not have their traffic sent via the VPN. Split tunnelling isn’t available with the iOS app, but you do get ad and tracker blocking DNS as well as some basic notification settings.
Mozilla’s mobile applications aren’t particularly fascinating, but they’re not bad either, as are the rest of the company’s offerings. They all do a decent job with the VPN necessities, and if that’s all you need, they could suffice.
Our testing revealed that Mozilla’s VPN focuses on security and privacy rather than website unblocking; the service failed to get us access to BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Disney Plus. That is dissatisfying. In recent reviews, CyberGhost, ExpressVPN, Hotspot Shield, NordVPN, ProtonVPN, Surfshark, and others all unlocked 100% of our test platforms. Our privacy testing revealed that Mozilla VPN stopped all DNS and WebRTC leaks across several test sites.
Download rates of up to 520Mbps in the UK and 850–855Mbps in the US were the true highlights, with Mozilla’s WireGuard connections reaching up to 520Mbps in the UK and 850–85Mbps in the US. Only IPVanish (890Mbps), Hide.me (900Mbps), and TorGuard (950Mbps) performed better in our past 20 performance tests, putting Mozilla VPN in the fourth position.
Review of Mozilla VPN
If you’re looking for speed and a well-known brand, Mozilla VPN, which is simple to use and extremely fast, may appeal to you if you’re seeking both. However, it falls short of leading providers like ExpressVPN and NordVPN in terms of features, applications, locations, plan variety, unblocking, and other factors, so demanding consumers may be better off looking elsewhere.
