---
title: "Best VPN for Firefox 2026 — Tested Add-ons | vpnrank.io"
description: "What a Firefox VPN add-on covers, which of the 9 VPNs we track publish one, and their Mozilla store data (daily users, rating, last update, permissions), re-read 7 Oct 2026."
url: https://vpnrank.io/best-vpn/firefox
language: en
updated: 2026-10-07
---
# Best VPN for Firefox in 2026
Updated 7 October 2026
- A Firefox VPN add-on covers **only Firefox** — your other apps keep your real IP
- **7 of the 9 VPNs we track** publish an official Firefox proxy add-on; IPVanish offers a cloud browser, TotalVPN nothing
- Mozilla store data **re-read 7 October 2026**: daily users, rating, last update, permissions
Available on: 
9 Tracked 9 VPNs Tracked Daily
Weekly Updates Updated Regularly
Expert Reviews Reviewed by Experts
Speed Tests Real Speed Tests
Quick answer
## [ExpressVPN](https://vpnrank.io/reviews/expressvpn) is the best VPN add-on for Firefox in October 2026
A Firefox VPN add-on routes only Firefox's own traffic through the VPN provider's encrypted proxy, so websites see the server's IP address instead of yours; other apps and browsers keep your real connection, and none of these add-ons is marked compatible with Firefox for Android. On 7 October 2026, seven of the nine VPNs we track publish an official proxy add-on on addons.mozilla.org. ExpressVPN's is our pick: it has the highest rating of the seven (4.2), blocks WebRTC, and is the only one that can switch on the desktop app for whole-device coverage. NordVPN's has the most daily users (311,951) and Surfshark's was updated most recently (8 September 2026). Proton VPN's works on a free account and CyberGhost's needs no account but does not block WebRTC leaks; IPVanish offers only a cloud browser and TotalVPN no add-on.
- [ExpressVPN](https://vpnrank.io/reviews/expressvpn): Highest-rated add-on (4.2); can switch on the desktop app
- [NordVPN](https://vpnrank.io/reviews/nordvpn): Most daily users (311,951); WebRTC protection documented
- [Surfshark](https://vpnrank.io/reviews/surfshark): Most recently updated (8 Sep 2026); 7-day free trial
- [Proton VPN](https://vpnrank.io/reviews/protonvpn): Works on a free Proton account
- [CyberGhost](https://vpnrank.io/reviews/cyberghost): Free with no account, but no WebRTC protection
Top pick for this guide
Visit ExpressVPN1
1 GET 79% OFF + 4 months FREE
9.5
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site
**ExpressVPN** Ultra fast & secure. Great for privacy, downloads, and everyday browsing on all your devices. 24/7 live chat support.
3,000+ servers in 113 countries
Proprietary Lightway protocol
Works with all popular platforms, apps & services
RAM-only TrustedServer technology
No activity logs & no IP/DNS leaks
30-day money-back guarantee
Try risk free for 30 days
Leader of the VPN Market GET 79% OFF + 4 months FREE
**ExpressVPN** Ultra fast & secure. Great for privacy, downloads, and everyday browsing on all your devices. 24/7 live chat support.
3,000+ servers in 113 countries
Proprietary Lightway protocol
Works with all popular platforms, apps & services
RAM-only TrustedServer technology
No activity logs & no IP/DNS leaks
30-day money-back guarantee
9.5
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site Try risk free for 30 days
Visit NordVPN2
2 GET 74% OFF Advanced Features
9.4
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site
**NordVPN** Excellent speeds with one of the largest server networks. Strong security features and easy-to-use apps. 24/7 live chat support.
7,400+ servers in 118 countries
NordLynx protocol for top speeds
10 simultaneous devices
Threat Protection ad & malware blocker
Double VPN & Onion over VPN
30-day money-back guarantee
Try risk free for 30 days
Advanced Features GET 74% OFF
**NordVPN** Excellent speeds with one of the largest server networks. Strong security features and easy-to-use apps. 24/7 live chat support.
7,400+ servers in 118 countries
NordLynx protocol for top speeds
10 simultaneous devices
Threat Protection ad & malware blocker
Double VPN & Onion over VPN
30-day money-back guarantee
9.4
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site Try risk free for 30 days
Visit Surfshark3
3 GET 88% OFF + 3 months FREE Unlimited Devices
9.1
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site
**Surfshark** Unlimited device connections at a budget-friendly price. Includes ad blocker and strong privacy tools. Great value for money.
4,500+ servers in 100 countries
Unlimited simultaneous connections
CleanWeb ad & malware blocker
MultiHop double VPN connections
Advanced privacy & encryption tools
30-day money-back guarantee
Try risk free for 30 days
Unlimited Devices GET 88% OFF + 3 months FREE
**Surfshark** Unlimited device connections at a budget-friendly price. Includes ad blocker and strong privacy tools. Great value for money.
4,500+ servers in 100 countries
Unlimited simultaneous connections
CleanWeb ad & malware blocker
MultiHop double VPN connections
Advanced privacy & encryption tools
30-day money-back guarantee
9.1
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site Try risk free for 30 days
Visit Proton VPN4
4 GET 70% OFF Free Tier Available
9
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site
**Proton VPN** Swiss-based VPN with strong privacy focus. Audited no-logs policy and open-source apps. Great for privacy-conscious users.
20,000+ servers in 140+ countries
Swiss-based — strongest privacy laws
Open-source & independently audited
Up to 10 simultaneous devices
NetShield ad & malware blocker
30-day money-back guarantee
Try risk free for 30 days
Free Tier Available GET 70% OFF
**Proton VPN** Swiss-based VPN with strong privacy focus. Audited no-logs policy and open-source apps. Great for privacy-conscious users.
20,000+ servers in 140+ countries
Swiss-based — strongest privacy laws
Open-source & independently audited
Up to 10 simultaneous devices
NetShield ad & malware blocker
30-day money-back guarantee
9
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site Try risk free for 30 days
Firefox add-on last updated Jan 2025
Visit Private Internet Access5
5 GET 85% OFF + 2 months FREE Advanced Security
8.2
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site
**Private Internet Access** High-speed VPN with a large server network and advanced security settings. Ad blocker included and 24/7 live chat support.
Servers in 91 countries
Ad & tracker blocker included
No activity logs & no IP/DNS leaks
Native apps & browser extensions
Unlimited simultaneous devices
30-day money-back guarantee
Try risk free for 30 days
Advanced Security GET 85% OFF + 2 months FREE
**Private Internet Access** High-speed VPN with a large server network and advanced security settings. Ad blocker included and 24/7 live chat support.
Servers in 91 countries
Ad & tracker blocker included
No activity logs & no IP/DNS leaks
Native apps & browser extensions
Unlimited simultaneous devices
30-day money-back guarantee
8.2
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site Try risk free for 30 days
Free add-on — no WebRTC protection
Visit CyberGhost6
6 GET 86% OFF + 2 months FREE Beginner Friendly
7.3
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site
**CyberGhost** Fast speeds and strong privacy tools. Simple apps, automatic WiFi protection, and 24/7 live chat support.
Servers in 100 countries
Automatic WiFi protection
No activity logs & no IP/DNS leaks
Apps and browser extensions
Dedicated anonymous IPs
45-day money-back guarantee
Try risk free for 45 days
Beginner Friendly GET 86% OFF + 2 months FREE
**CyberGhost** Fast speeds and strong privacy tools. Simple apps, automatic WiFi protection, and 24/7 live chat support.
Servers in 100 countries
Automatic WiFi protection
No activity logs & no IP/DNS leaks
Apps and browser extensions
Dedicated anonymous IPs
45-day money-back guarantee
7.3
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site Try risk free for 45 days
No Firefox VPN add-on — cloud browser only
Visit IPVanish7
7 GET 83% OFF Family Device Coverage
6.4
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site
**IPVanish** Fast speeds with unlimited device connections. Strong no-logs privacy and 24/7 live chat support. Great for families.
3,200+ servers in 112+ countries
Unlimited simultaneous connections
Company-owned server network
SOCKS5 proxy included
Zero-logs policy independently audited
30-day money-back guarantee
Try risk free for 30 days
Family Device Coverage GET 83% OFF
**IPVanish** Fast speeds with unlimited device connections. Strong no-logs privacy and 24/7 live chat support. Great for families.
3,200+ servers in 112+ countries
Unlimited simultaneous connections
Company-owned server network
SOCKS5 proxy included
Zero-logs policy independently audited
30-day money-back guarantee
6.4
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site Try risk free for 30 days
No Firefox add-on — app only
Visit TotalVPN8
8 GET 80% OFF
6
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site
**TotalVPN** Affordable VPN with strong privacy and reliable speeds. Easy-to-use apps for all major devices. No-logs policy.
Servers in 50+ countries
Fast & secure connections
Strict no-logs policy
Apps for all major platforms
Easy one-click connect
30-day money-back guarantee
Try risk free for 30 days
GET 80% OFF
**TotalVPN** Affordable VPN with strong privacy and reliable speeds. Easy-to-use apps for all major devices. No-logs policy.
Servers in 50+ countries
Fast & secure connections
Strict no-logs policy
Apps for all major platforms
Easy one-click connect
30-day money-back guarantee
6
Firefox add-on score
Visit Site Try risk free for 30 days
[
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Rankings are based on [our independent testing methodology](https://vpnrank.io/how-we-test). Each guide applies the criteria described on that page, including relevant performance, privacy, product features, and value data. We may earn affiliate commissions from links on this page, which helps fund our testing — this does not influence our rankings.
## 2026 Rankings At a Glance
| # | VPN | Firefox add-on score | Lowest long-term price | Money-back | Key strength |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | ExpressVPN | 9.5/10 | $2.79/mo | 30 days | 3,000+ servers in 113 countries |
| 2 | NordVPN | 9.4/10 | $3.09/mo | 30 days | 7,400+ servers in 118 countries |
| 3 | Surfshark | 9.1/10 | $1.78/mo | 30 days | 4,500+ servers in 100 countries |
| 4 | Proton VPN | 9/10 | $2.99/mo | 30 days | 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries |
| 5 | Private Internet Access | 8.2/10 | $1.75/mo | 30 days | Servers in 91 countries |
| 6 | CyberGhost | 7.3/10 | $2.03/mo | 45 days | Servers in 100 countries |
| 7 | IPVanish | 6.4/10 | $2.19/mo | 30 days | 3,200+ servers in 112+ countries |
| 8 | TotalVPN | 6/10 | $1.59/mo | 30 days | Servers in 50+ countries |
Prices verified 27 October 2026 Last tested 25 August 2026
Scores follow [our testing methodology](https://vpnrank.io/how-we-test). Prices reflect the current long-term promotional rate, billed upfront; term length varies by provider.
## What a Firefox VPN Add-on Does — and What It Doesn't
A Firefox VPN add-on is an extension that tells Firefox to send its own requests through the VPN provider's [proxy server](https://vpnrank.io/blog/vpn-vs-proxy-vs-smart-dns), so websites see the server's [IP address](https://vpnrank.io/glossary/ip-address) instead of yours. Firefox exposes this through its proxy extension API, which is why every VPN add-on in this guide declares the proxy permission in its manifest. The add-on changes nothing outside Firefox: other browsers and apps keep using your normal connection. Firefox already blocks many trackers and third-party cookies on its own; the add-on adds what Firefox cannot do alone — a different IP address for the sites you open.
### Does a Firefox VPN add-on protect the rest of your computer?
No. It covers Firefox only, so your e-mail client, [torrent](https://vpnrank.io/blog/is-it-safe-to-torrent-with-a-vpn) client, games, other browsers and system updates keep using your real IP address. [CyberGhost](https://vpnrank.io/reviews/cyberghost)'s Firefox listing recommends its desktop and mobile apps "for full online protection". The exception is ExpressVPN: its add-on is the only one of the seven that declares Firefox's nativeMessaging permission, which it uses to control the ExpressVPN app for Windows, Mac or Linux in Remote Control Mode, where ExpressVPN says "all internet traffic on your device is encrypted".
### Do these add-ons work in Firefox for Android?
Not according to Mozilla's store. Each add-on's listing declares which Firefox builds it supports, and on 7 October 2026 none of the eight official listings from our providers was marked compatible with Firefox for [Android](https://vpnrank.io/best-vpn/android) — only desktop Firefox. Minimum versions also differ: [NordVPN](https://vpnrank.io/reviews/nordvpn)'s needs Firefox 140 or later, Surfshark's 128, ExpressVPN's 115, Proton VPN's 109, and CyberGhost's, PIA's and PureVPN's 91 or later. On a phone, the provider's app is the way to go; our mobile VPN comparison covers those apps.
### Does a Firefox VPN add-on stop WebRTC leaks?
Only if it handles WebRTC, and the listings tell you which do. NordVPN's says it "prevents [WebRTC leaks](https://vpnrank.io/glossary/webrtc-leak) by controlling hidden WebRTC privacy settings", [ExpressVPN](https://vpnrank.io/reviews/expressvpn)'s says it "blocks WebRTC", and PIA's and PureVPN's list WebRTC blocking among their features. CyberGhost's warns that its free proxy "does not protect you from webRTC leaks". Firefox hides your local address by default but not your public one, so test after connecting; the about:config settings that close the gap without an add-on are in the WebRTC section below.
### Which Firefox VPN add-ons are free?
Two of the seven proxy add-ons work without paying. [Proton VPN](https://vpnrank.io/reviews/protonvpn)'s works on a free Proton account: Proton's Free plan has no data cap and covers one device, but Proton picks the server for you. CyberGhost's listing describes its proxy plugin as free to use, with no account, but it does not block WebRTC leaks and was last updated on 11 June 2025. [Surfshark](https://vpnrank.io/reviews/surfshark) and PureVPN offer 7-day trials. Every other add-on here asks you to sign in with a paid account.
## What to Look for in a Firefox VPN Add-on
Everything worth checking is visible on the add-on's addons.mozilla.org page or in its manifest. Four things that separate the add-ons in this guide:
### Who Published It
Every official listing in this guide shows the provider as the author. Searching the store for "vpn" returned 560 extensions on 7 October 2026, and the author name, rating volume and last-updated date are the fastest way to filter them. None of the VPN add-ons carries Mozilla's Recommended badge.
### Container Routing
Firefox's per-request proxy.onRequest API passes each request's container ID to the add-on, so per-container VPN routing is technically possible in Firefox in a way it is not in Chrome. None of the seven VPN add-on listings documents it, though, so do not buy one expecting it.
### Recent Updates
Firefox ships a new release roughly every four weeks. On 7 October 2026, the Surfshark, ExpressVPN, Proton VPN and NordVPN add-ons had all been updated since mid-July 2026; the CyberGhost, [IPVanish](https://vpnrank.io/reviews/ipvanish), [PIA](https://vpnrank.io/reviews/pia) and PureVPN listings had not been updated since June 2025 or earlier.
### Selective Tunneling
A per-site allowlist lets a bank, local news site or work intranet that rejects VPN addresses load on your real IP while the rest of Firefox stays on the proxy. PIA's listing names a "Website URL whitelist"; check each listing for its equivalent before you install.
## Firefox VPN Add-ons: What the Mozilla Add-ons Store Actually Shows
Almost every "best VPN for Firefox" list is a ranking of brands. This section is a reading of the store. Every provider that ships a Firefox add-on has a public listing on addons.mozilla.org, and that listing publishes four things a marketing page never will: how many people use it daily, what the public rating is, when it was last updated, and — inside the manifest — exactly which browser permissions it asks for. We first read all of it for the nine providers in our database on 31 July 2026 and re-read it through Mozilla's public add-ons API on 7 October 2026, including the one that publishes no Firefox add-on at all. Then we go through the thing Firefox users actually search for after installing: whether their real IP still leaks through WebRTC, and what to do about it.
### Which VPNs actually publish a Firefox add-on?
Eight of the nine providers in our database publish an official Firefox add-on, but only seven of them are VPN proxy add-ons: NordVPN, Proton VPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, Private Internet Access and PureVPN. IPVanish's listing is *Secure Browser*, a cloud browser — on IPVanish's own site the Firefox tile links to that product, not to a VPN add-on. [TotalVPN](https://vpnrank.io/reviews/totalvpn) publishes none, and a search of addons.mozilla.org for its name returns no listing from it. That is not a criticism so much as a design decision: both cover Firefox through their desktop apps, which protect the whole device rather than one browser. But if you specifically wanted a toolbar button in Firefox, it is worth knowing before you go looking for it.
Every provider in our database and its official Firefox add-on, read from addons.mozilla.org on 7 October 2026.
| Provider | Firefox add-on listing | Rating | Daily users | Last updated | Usable without a paid plan? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| NordVPN | NordVPN - a VPN proxy extension for Firefox | 3.7 ★ (2,772 ratings) | 311,951 | 15 Jul 2026 | No — needs a subscription |
| Proton VPN | Proton VPN: Fast & Secure | 3.8 ★ (999 ratings) | 147,712 | 13 Aug 2026 | Yes — works on a free Proton account |
| Surfshark | Surfshark VPN - Extension — fast & private | 3.6 ★ (1,248 ratings) | 114,405 | 8 Sep 2026 | No — needs a subscription or trial |
| ExpressVPN | ExpressVPN: VPN proxy for a better internet | 4.2 ★ (1,572 ratings) | 58,496 | 20 Aug 2026 | No — needs a subscription |
| CyberGhost | CyberGhost VPN Free Proxy | 3.6 ★ (619 ratings) | 37,810 | 11 Jun 2025 | Yes — the listing states it is free to use |
| Private Internet Access | Private Internet Access | 3.4 ★ (377 ratings) | 15,186 | 21 Jan 2025 | No — needs a subscription |
| PureVPN | PureVPN Proxy - Best VPN for Firefox | 4.1 ★ (957 ratings) | 10,093 | 16 Feb 2024 | No — needs a subscription or its 7-day trial |
| IPVanish | IPVanish Secure Browser (a cloud browser, not a proxy add-on) | 4.8 ★ (17 ratings) | 718 | 19 Feb 2025 | No — needs a subscription |
| TotalVPN | No Firefox add-on published | — | — | — | No — the app covers Firefox along with everything else |
Public listing data for each provider's official Firefox add-on, read from addons.mozilla.org on 7 October 2026 (first read 31 July 2026). Verified October 2026. "Daily users" is AMO's own average-daily-users figure — it is not a lifetime install count, so it is not directly comparable to the install numbers shown on the Chrome Web Store.
Three things in that table are worth slowing down for. First, the scale: those eight add-ons come to roughly **696,000 daily users between them** on 7 October 2026, and NordVPN's alone accounts for about 45% of that. For comparison, the same providers' Chrome extensions are counted in the millions. Firefox VPN add-ons are a genuinely smaller world, which is part of why several of them get less engineering attention than their Chrome siblings.
Second, only **two** of the eight do anything without a paid plan. Proton VPN's add-on works on the free plan — the company confirmed in its own documentation that the extension is available to everyone with a Proton account, including Proton VPN Free — and CyberGhost's listing describes its proxy plugin as free to use. Every other listing here is a front door to a subscription: install it without one and it will simply ask you to sign in. If you arrived at this page hoping to avoid paying, the honest shortlist is two names long. Our [guide to free VPNs](https://vpnrank.io/best-vpn/free-vpn) covers what that actually buys you, and the [VPN price index](https://vpnrank.io/vpn-price-index) tracks what each provider charges today if you decide a paid plan is worth it.
Third, one listing in that table is not a VPN proxy add-on at all. **IPVanish Secure Browser** opens a browser session running in IPVanish's cloud rather than routing your Firefox traffic through a proxy — a different product solving a different problem. We confirmed this from the manifest rather than the marketing: it is the only listing here that does not request Firefox's `proxy` permission, which a proxy add-on cannot function without.
💡 Searching addons.mozilla.org for "vpn" returned 560 extensions on 7 October 2026. Eight of them are published by the providers in our database. The overwhelming majority of what you will find in that search comes from publishers nobody has heard of — which makes the store's own metadata (publisher name, rating volume, last-updated date) the fastest filter you have.
### The maintenance gap: when each add-on was last updated
This is the column most Firefox VPN round-ups leave out, and it may be the most useful one on the page. A VPN add-on is proxy plumbing living inside a browser that ships a new version roughly every four weeks. Firefox changes; the add-on has to keep up. The *Last updated* date on a listing is the only free, public, provider-independent signal you get about whether anyone is still doing that work.
Time elapsed since each add-on's last update, measured from the Last updated field on its addons.mozilla.org listing to 7 October 2026.
The split is stark. Four add-ons — Surfshark's (8 September 2026), ExpressVPN's (20 August), Proton VPN's (13 August) and NordVPN's (15 July) — were updated within the three months before our 7 October 2026 read. The other four were not updated at all in 2026. CyberGhost's was last updated in June 2025, IPVanish's in February 2025, Private Internet Access's in January 2025, and PureVPN's in **February 2024**, almost 32 months before our read. In Firefox release terms, PureVPN's add-on has not shipped a change across more than 30 four-week release cycles of the browser it runs inside.
A stale listing is not automatically dangerous, and it does not mean the add-on has stopped working. Proxy code is relatively stable, and a well-built add-on can sit untouched for a long time without breaking. But it does tell you something real about where a provider is spending its effort. It is also visible in the listing text itself: CyberGhost's add-on description still references Flash content and a Google social network that shut down in 2019 — copy that has clearly not been revisited in years, whatever the code underneath is doing.
⚠️ Check the **Last updated** date on any VPN add-on before you install it — including ones we list here. It sits directly under the install button on every addons.mozilla.org listing, it costs you five seconds, and it is the single fastest way to tell an actively maintained add-on from an abandoned one.
### What these add-ons ask permission to do — and what Mozilla has vouched for
Every Firefox add-on declares its permissions in a manifest, and that manifest is public. It is the closest thing to a contract you get: whatever the marketing says, the manifest is what the add-on is technically allowed to do once installed. Here is what each of these listings declares, read on 31 July 2026 and unchanged when we re-read the manifests on 7 October 2026.
| Provider | Requests the proxy permission? | Can change WebRTC settings? | Notable extras declared |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| NordVPN | Yes, required | Yes | Access to all sites, DNS lookups, request filtering, downloads, plus specific access to YouTube domains |
| Proton VPN | **Optional** — you grant it, not the installer | Yes | Access to all http/https, ws/wss and ftp addresses; account pages on proton.me |
| Surfshark | Yes, required | Yes | Access to all sites, plus explicit access to Google search result pages across roughly 190 Google country domains |
| ExpressVPN | Yes, required | Yes | Access to all sites, cookies, and native messaging (talking to the desktop app) |
| CyberGhost | Yes, required | Yes | Access to all sites, cookies, browsing data, navigation events |
| Private Internet Access | Yes, required | Yes | Access to all sites, cookies, downloads |
| PureVPN | Yes, required | Yes | Access to all http/https addresses, plus extension management and identity |
| IPVanish | **No** — it is a cloud browser, not a proxy | No | Access to all sites, navigation events, context menus |
| TotalVPN | — | — | No Firefox add-on published |
Permissions declared in each add-on's published manifest on addons.mozilla.org, read July 2026 and re-checked 7 October 2026. Broad site access is normal for a proxy add-on — it cannot reroute traffic it is not allowed to see — but it is worth knowing that is what you are agreeing to.
Two entries stand out. **Proton VPN is the only one that makes `proxy` an optional permission** rather than a required one, meaning Firefox asks you to grant it rather than handing it over at install time. That is a small but real difference in how much the add-on can do before you have said yes to anything. At the other end, **Surfshark's manifest declares access to Google search result pages on 187 Google domains** — every `google.co.uk`, `google.de`, `google.com.br` and so on. That is an unusually specific request for a VPN add-on, and while there are legitimate reasons an extension might touch search pages, it is the kind of thing worth knowing you have agreed to.
There is also something none of them have. Mozilla runs a vetting programme that puts a **Recommended** badge on add-ons that have passed a manual technical and policy review, and a *By Firefox* badge on ones Mozilla publishes itself. **Not one of these eight VPN add-ons carries either badge.** We checked the same field against Mozilla's own Multi-Account Containers add-on, which does carry a badge, so this is a real absence rather than a gap in the data. It does not mean these add-ons are unsafe — the VPN category as a whole sits outside the recommended programme — but it does mean the store is not vouching for any of them, and neither should a list that tells you otherwise.
### WebRTC leaks in Firefox: what is actually true in 2026
This is the question Firefox users ask most after installing a VPN add-on, and most of the advice floating around is a decade out of date. The short version: **Firefox already protects your local network address by default, but it does not hide your real public IP from WebRTC on its own.** That is the gap a VPN is supposed to close, and it is worth understanding precisely, because the standard advice — "disable WebRTC" — breaks video calling for a problem you may not have.
WebRTC is the browser technology behind in-browser video calls and voice chat. To connect two people directly it has to work out what addresses each end can be reached on, and that discovery process is what can expose an IP address to a website. There are two different addresses at stake, and they are not equally exposed.
- → **Your local (LAN) address** — something like 192.168.1.14. Firefox has obfuscated these behind randomised mDNS hostnames by default for years; the preference that controls it, `media.peerconnection.ice.obfuscate_host_addresses`, ships set to `true`. This one is already handled.
- → **Your real public IP** — the address your ISP gave you, the one that identifies your household. This is the one that matters, and Firefox does *not* mask it by default. If a browser add-on reroutes your page traffic but leaves WebRTC alone, a website can still learn your real IP through it.
That is why the `privacy` permission in the table above matters more than it looks. It is what lets an add-on change Firefox's WebRTC handling on your behalf — either switching WebRTC off entirely or, better, telling Firefox to route WebRTC's address discovery through the proxy instead of leaking around it. Seven of the eight add-ons declare it. And at least one provider is explicit about it in its own store listing: **NordVPN's Firefox listing states that the extension prevents WebRTC leaks by controlling hidden WebRTC privacy settings**, which is exactly this mechanism described in marketing language.
⚠️ At least one provider says the opposite, in its own words. **CyberGhost's Firefox listing tells you plainly that its free proxy plugin "does not protect you from webRTC leaks"** and recommends the full desktop app for complete protection. That is a publisher disclosing a real limitation on its own store page — and it is a limitation almost every "best free VPN for Firefox" article omits. If you use that add-on, apply the manual fix below.
You can also fix this yourself in about a minute, without any add-on. Firefox exposes the relevant switches in `about:config`, and unlike Chromium browsers it lets you change WebRTC's behaviour without uninstalling anything. Here are the preferences that actually matter, with the values Firefox ships by default — all four confirmed against Firefox's own source in July 2026.
| Preference | Firefox default | What changing it does | Breaks video calls? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `media.peerconnection.ice.obfuscate_host_addresses` | `true` | Already on. Hides your local network address behind a randomised hostname. Leave it alone. | No — leave as is |
| `media.peerconnection.ice.default_address_only` | `false` | Set to `true` to advertise only your default network route instead of every interface. Useful when a VPN tunnel and your physical adapter are both active. | No |
| `media.peerconnection.ice.no_host` | `false` | Set to `true` to stop Firefox offering host candidates from your network interfaces at all. Stricter than the setting above. | Rarely — can affect local-network calls |
| `media.peerconnection.enabled` | `true` | Set to `false` to switch WebRTC off completely. The blunt instrument, and the one most guides recommend first. | **Yes — browser video calls stop working** |
Firefox WebRTC preferences and their shipping defaults, verified against the Firefox source tree, July 2026. Values are read in about:config.
So the sensible order of operations is the reverse of the usual advice. Start with the targeted settings, and only reach for the switch that disables WebRTC if you genuinely never make browser-based calls:
1. Connect your VPN — add-on or app — the way you normally would.
2. Check whether you actually have a leak before changing anything. Our [WebRTC leak test](https://vpnrank.io/tools/webrtc-leak-test) shows you what a website can see through WebRTC right now; if the address shown is your VPN's and not your own, there is nothing to fix.
3. If your real IP is showing, type `about:config` in the address bar and accept the warning.
4. Search for `media.peerconnection.ice.default_address_only` and set it to `true`. Re-run the leak test.
5. Still leaking? Set `media.peerconnection.ice.no_host` to `true` as well, and test again.
6. Only if you have no use for in-browser video calls at all, set `media.peerconnection.enabled` to `false`. This ends WebRTC leaks permanently because it ends WebRTC.
💡 Worth remembering what a leak test can and cannot tell you: it checks Firefox. If your add-on is only routing browser traffic, everything outside Firefox — your email client, your torrent client, background system services — is still using your real IP no matter how clean the test comes back. That gap is the whole argument for running the app rather than the add-on. See [our Windows guide](https://vpnrank.io/best-vpn/windows), [Mac guide](https://vpnrank.io/best-vpn/mac) or [Linux guide](https://vpnrank.io/best-vpn/linux) for the device-wide route.
### Why a Firefox VPN add-on is not just the Chrome one recompiled
It is easy to assume the Firefox and Chrome versions of a VPN extension are the same software with a different icon. They are not, and the reason is architectural. Firefox and Chrome both expose an extension API called `proxy`, but Mozilla's documentation is blunt that the two are **completely different designs and mutually incompatible** — Firefox's version is only reachable through the `browser` namespace precisely because it cannot pretend to be Chrome's.
The practical difference is where the decision gets made. Chrome's API is essentially a configuration you hand to the browser: here is my proxy, use it. Firefox's includes `proxy.onRequest`, an event that fires *per request* and runs inside the add-on's own background script, with access to the rest of the WebExtensions toolkit while it decides. The add-on can look at each individual request and answer the question "should this one go through the tunnel, and if so which one?" in code.
That is what makes genuinely per-site and per-context routing possible in Firefox in a way it is not in Chrome. It is also the technical foundation under the container workflow Firefox users like — routing one browsing context through one location while another goes direct — because a per-request hook is exactly what you need to implement it. Mozilla's own Multi-Account Containers add-on, which had about 410,000 daily users and a 4.6-star rating from more than 8,000 reviews on 7 October 2026, does not itself request the `proxy` permission; the routing has to come from the VPN add-on's side. Firefox makes that possible — Mozilla documents that the details passed to `proxy.onRequest` include the request's `cookieStoreId`, which identifies the container — but none of the seven VPN add-on listings says it routes by container (read 7 October 2026).
The takeaway for choosing: a provider that has genuinely built for Firefox has written Firefox-specific code, not ported Chrome's. The maintenance chart above is a reasonable proxy for who has. And if you want the same comparison for the other side of the browser split, we did the identical exercise on the Chrome Web Store listings in our [free VPN for Chrome guide](https://vpnrank.io/best-vpn/free-vpn/for-chrome) and our [Chrome VPN guide](https://vpnrank.io/best-vpn/chrome).
### How to read all of this when you are actually choosing
Put the store data together and the decision collapses into three questions, in this order.
1. **Do you need protection beyond the browser?** If anything outside Firefox matters — email clients, cloud sync, torrents, games, anything at all that is not a tab — an add-on cannot help you and the add-on comparison is the wrong comparison. Install the app instead.
2. **Are you willing to pay?** If not, the field narrows to two of the nine providers: Proton VPN's add-on on its free plan, and CyberGhost's free proxy plugin (with the WebRTC caveat its own listing discloses). Everything else will ask you to sign in.
3. **Is somebody still maintaining it?** On 7 October 2026, four of these eight add-ons had been updated in the previous three months and four had not been touched since June 2025 or earlier. That is a fact you can re-check yourself in five seconds on any listing, and it will still be true after this page goes stale.
What none of this tells you is which service is fastest or unblocks what you want to watch — those depend on the underlying network, not the add-on. For that side of the decision, our [fastest VPN comparison](https://vpnrank.io/best-vpn/fastest-vpn) and the [price index](https://vpnrank.io/vpn-price-index) are the more useful pages. What the store data does settle is the narrower question this page exists to answer: which providers have actually built something for Firefox, and which ones are pointing you at a listing nobody has opened in two years.
## How to Set Up a VPN Add-on in Firefox
1
### Find the official listing
Open addons.mozilla.org, search for your VPN provider and check that the author shown on the listing is the provider itself (for example "NordVPN" or "Proton"), not a third party using its name.
2
### Install the add-on
Click “Add to Firefox” and review the requested permissions. A VPN add-on needs the proxy permission and access to all sites to re-route your browsing; Proton VPN's asks for the proxy permission separately, after install.
3
### Sign in to your account
Click the add-on's toolbar icon and log in. Proton VPN's works with a free Proton account and CyberGhost's needs no account; the others need a subscription or a trial.
4
### Select a server and connect
Choose a [server location](https://vpnrank.io/blog/how-to-choose-vpn-server-location) and click Connect. Firefox traffic now goes through the provider's proxy; other apps on your computer still use your normal connection.
5
### Check WebRTC
Turn on the add-on's WebRTC protection if it has one, then run a WebRTC leak test. If your real IP still shows, use the about:config settings described in the WebRTC section above.
## How We Checked These Firefox Add-ons
This page is built from public data anyone can re-check rather than from lab tests: Mozilla's add-on listings and manifests, the providers' own documentation, and Firefox's source and developer documentation.
1
### Store Listing Data
Daily users, rating and rating count, last-updated date, version and supported Firefox versions for each official add-on, read through Mozilla's public addons.mozilla.org API on 7 October 2026 (first read 31 July 2026).
2
### Manifest Permissions
The permissions each add-on declares — proxy, privacy (WebRTC handling), nativeMessaging and site access — read from the published manifests in July 2026 and re-checked on 7 October 2026.
3
### WebRTC Defaults
The about:config preference names and their shipping defaults were verified against the Firefox source tree in July 2026. Use our WebRTC leak test to see what your own setup exposes.
4
### Provider Statements
What an add-on does or does not protect is quoted from the provider's own listing or help pages. Where a provider says nothing, we do not fill the gap with a guess.
No speed, page-load or memory test of the add-ons is claimed on this page. Store figures change; the date beside each table is the day we read it.
## Frequently Asked Questions
### Is a VPN extension as secure as a full VPN app?
No. A Firefox add-on re-routes Firefox through the provider's proxy, while the app builds a system-wide VPN tunnel with a kill switch and the provider's DNS for every app. That is why CyberGhost's Firefox listing recommends its desktop app for full protection. The add-on is the practical choice on a computer where you can't install software; ExpressVPN's is the only one that can hand over to the desktop app, through Remote Control Mode.
### Does a VPN extension protect all browser traffic?
Most of it, within Firefox. Every page request goes through the proxy, but WebRTC can still expose your real public IP unless the add-on handles it, and anything another program sends is outside its reach. Proton, the one provider that publishes a limitations page for its extension, also lists traffic sent before the extension loads and e-mail clients built into the browser as exceptions.
### How do I fix WebRTC leaks in Firefox?
First run a WebRTC leak test with your VPN connected: if the address shown is the VPN's, there is nothing to fix. If your real IP appears, open about:config and set media.peerconnection.ice.default\_address\_only to true, then test again; media.peerconnection.ice.no\_host is the stricter next step. Setting media.peerconnection.enabled to false switches WebRTC off entirely, which stops leaks but also breaks video calls in the browser.
### Are free VPN add-ons from unknown publishers safe to use?
Treat them with caution. A VPN add-on sees every page you load through it, and the store does not vouch for any of them: none of the VPN add-ons we checked carries Mozilla's Recommended badge. Research on free VPN apps shows what can go wrong — the peer-reviewed IMC 2016 study of 283 free Android VPN apps found that 75% embedded third-party tracking libraries and 18% tunnelled traffic without encryption. Before installing any free add-on, check that the listed author is a company you can identify, that the rating comes from more than a handful of reviews, and that the last update is recent.
### Do VPN add-ons work with Firefox Multi-Account Containers?
Not as a documented feature. Firefox's proxy API does pass each request's container ID to an add-on, so per-container routing is technically possible, and Mozilla's Multi-Account Containers add-on itself does not request the proxy permission. But none of the seven VPN add-on listings from the providers we track says it routes by container (read 7 October 2026), so treat container support as unconfirmed until the provider documents it.
### Which Firefox VPN add-on is the fastest?
No one publishes a like-for-like speed figure for Firefox add-ons, and we have not benchmarked add-ons separately. Our measurements cover the VPN apps: in our Q3 2026 benchmark (25 Aug 2026), on a 1 Gbps fiber line the 8 VPNs we benchmark delivered 415–478 Mbps (42–48% of the line, where the VPN server becomes the ceiling); on 200–300 Mbps home lines with a nearby server they kept 80–93%; long or filtered routes using obfuscation kept 55–65%. An add-on in proxy mode uses the provider's proxy servers rather than the VPN tunnel, so treat those figures as context only.
## Related VPN Guides
[Best VPN for Chrome](https://vpnrank.io/best-vpn/chrome) [Best VPN for Linux](https://vpnrank.io/best-vpn/linux) [Best VPN for Windows](https://vpnrank.io/best-vpn/windows) [Best VPN for Mac](https://vpnrank.io/best-vpn/mac)
## Sources & Further Reading
- [Mozilla Add-ons: NordVPN - a VPN proxy extension for Firefox (read 7 Oct 2026)](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/nordvpn-proxy-extension/)
- [Mozilla Add-ons: Proton VPN: Fast & Secure (read 7 Oct 2026)](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/proton-vpn-firefox-extension/)
- [Mozilla Add-ons: Surfshark VPN - Extension (read 7 Oct 2026)](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/surfshark-vpn-proxy/)
- [Mozilla Add-ons: ExpressVPN: VPN proxy for a better internet (read 7 Oct 2026)](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/expressvpn/)
- [Mozilla Add-ons: CyberGhost VPN Free Proxy (read 7 Oct 2026)](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/cyberghost-vpn-free-proxy/)
- [Mozilla Add-ons: Private Internet Access (read 7 Oct 2026)](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/private-internet-access-ext/)
- [Mozilla Add-ons: PureVPN Proxy - Best VPN for Firefox (read 7 Oct 2026)](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/purevpn-for-privacy-security/)
- [Mozilla Add-ons: IPVanish Secure Browser (read 7 Oct 2026)](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ipvanish-secure-browser/)
- [IPVanish: Secure Browser (cloud browser, not a VPN add-on)](https://www.ipvanish.com/secure-browser/)
- [ExpressVPN: How to use the ExpressVPN browser extension (Remote Control and Proxy Mode)](https://www.expressvpn.com/support/vpn-setup/browser-extension-plugin/)
- [Proton VPN: browser extensions available on the Free plan (14 Aug 2024)](https://protonvpn.com/blog/browser-extension-free)
- [Proton VPN: what the Free plan includes](https://protonvpn.com/free-vpn)
- [MDN Web Docs: proxy.RequestDetails (cookieStoreId)](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions/API/proxy/RequestDetails)
- [Ikram et al., An Analysis of the Privacy and Security Risks of Android VPN Permission-enabled Apps (IMC 2016)](https://research.csiro.au/isp/wp-content/uploads/sites/106/2016/08/paper-1.pdf)
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