Mozilla Rolls Out Built-In VPN on Firefox. How to Check If You Have It

Mozilla is rolling out a new privacy perk for a small group of Firefox users.

The company has been testing a free, built-in VPN since late last year and officially rolled it out with Firefox version 149 today. The VPN toggle will appear to the right of the search bar, provided you’re logged in to your Mozilla account and have been included in the first round of users.

“The free built-in VPN is currently rolling out as a beta to Firefox desktop users in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, with plans to expand to additional countries coming soon over the next several releases,” Mozilla says.

The VPN service will provide 50GB of free data per month, and Mozilla pitches it as a way to “secure your traffic while browsing in Firefox [and] protect your IP address from being tracked by big tech.”

It notes, however, that the browser-based VPN “does not offer full device protection.” For that, it recommends you consider a standalone Mozilla VPN subscription, which costs $9.99 per month (or $4.99 per month with an annual subscription). There are plenty of other free VPNs on the market, but most come with strict usage limitations and some compromise on data privacy. Check out our recommendations for paid VPNs for more full-featured protection.

Mozilla says its free VPN “routes your browser traffic through a proxy to hide your IP address and location while you browse, giving you stronger privacy and protection online with no extra downloads,” the company adds. That said, the VPN connects to “the most performant VPN location available” near you, so it may not help with state-wide bans on sites like Pornhub.

Firefox 149, on the other hand, will also add a Split View option to view web pages side by side (which Chrome added recently, too). It will also begin testing a Smart Window for quick AI-powered help while browsing and Tab Notes for leaving notes across multiple tabs.

How to Use a VPN to Encrypt Your Online Activity

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Jibin is a tech news writer based out of Ahmedabad, India. Previously, he served as the editor of iGeeksBlog and is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex information for a broader audience.

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