Do we like them?

Do we like Mozilla?

Makes the Firefox browser and other privacy-focused software; a non-profit-owned company based in California, US.

Our score: 6 out of 10. We'd back them cautiously. Firefox is a real alternative to Chrome, but Mozilla relies on Google's money and has stumbled on privacy messaging.

Mozilla makes Firefox, one of the few big browsers not built by Google, Apple or Microsoft. It's widely seen as more privacy-friendly than Chrome. The catch is that most of its money has historically come from Google, which pays to be the default search engine.

That dependence has caused trouble. In 2020 Mozilla laid off about 250 staff, and in 2024 the Mozilla Foundation cut 30% of its staff and wound down its advocacy division. A US federal court had found Google illegally monopolised search, and default search deals were among the behaviours targeted.

In February 2025 new Firefox terms of use caused an uproar. They included a broad licence over what users input, and a line saying Mozilla doesn't sell your data had been removed. Mozilla's VP of Communications said it wasn't about AI training or selling data to advertisers, and the wording was later rewritten.

In December 2025 Anthony Enzor-DeMeo became CEO, taking over from interim chief Laura Chambers. He wants Firefox to become a modern AI browser and says AI should always be a choice people can turn off. He also wants to diversify away from search income. The plan is light on detail, so it's mixed: a real alternative, but a shaky business.