Firefox users have access to a selection of VPN add-ons for the browser which they can install from Mozilla's official add-ons repository.

Whenever a connection to a virtual private network is established, it will be used as the entry point to the Internet. Websites and services that users connect to will reveal the IP address of the VPN server and not the local one.

That's great for a number of purposes. Since you connect to a server in a specific location, you can access contents that are restricted to that location.

A vpn server in the United States lets you access contents restricted to users of the USA even if you are in another country.

Security too is improved as your connection to the VPN is encrypted usually so that others listening in on the traffic don't see clear-text data flowing by.

Note: It is highly suggested that you read the privacy policy and terms of use carefully before you install any of the extensions for Firefox.

VPN Add-ons for Firefox

Users of the Firefox web browser, much like Chrome users, have access to several add-ons that provide them with VPN-like functionality in the web browser.

The main appeal of these solutions is that they are easy to setup and use. If you sign up for a VPN service manually instead, it may be required to create a new network connection on your system to make use of it. With add-ons, you may need to create an account but that is about it.

Requirements

Only add-ons matching the following requirements are included in the list.

The add-on needs to be available on the Firefox Add-ons website.

The add-on needs to be compatible with Firefox Stable.

A free version needs to be provided.

It may not inject advertisement or manipulate traffic or the browser in other -- shady -- ways.

Hola Unblocker

The browser extension is no longer available on the Mozilla Firefox Add-ons website but only directly on the company website. It is unclear why it is no longer available, but it may have something to do with how the service operates.

Your use of Hola Free VPN Proxy is free of charge in exchange for safely using some of your device's resources (WiFi and very limited cellular data), and only when you are not using your device.

The extension adds an icon to Firefox's main toolbar by default which indicates whether a connection has been established or not.

You can click on the icon to select a server location for the site you are on, and the extension remembers that selection and will establish the same connection the next time you visit that website.

There is also an option to change server which is useful if the server you are currently connected to is not delivering the performance needed to access contents on the website.

Hola Unblocker uses peer connections to support its service. This means that your PC may be used to stream content for other users. The only way to avoid this from happening is to upgrade to a premium account which starts at $3.75 per month if you pay yearly in advanced.

Performance: The performance was excellent. All streaming services that I tried worked fluent without pauses or buffering issues. Access to sites such as Netflix, Pandora Radio, Hulu, the BBC, Amazon.com or NBC.

Company headquarters : Israel

: Israel Privacy Policy : https://hola.org/legal/privacy

: https://hola.org/legal/privacy Terms of Service: https://hola.org/legal/sla:

Proxmate is offered as a free trial extension for the Mozilla Firefox web browser. Users who install it can use the service for three days without restrictions but need to sign up for a subscription to continue using it after that trial period.

A yearly subscription is available for $17.95 at the time of writing but there are also options to subscribe for a shorter period or make a one-time payment instead.

The service lists officially supported channels, TV station streams and media streams in particular, on its site which should work fine with the service. Not all streaming services may work on the other hand.

While that is certainly a let down for users who have installed it to access a service that is not working, it still has its uses for others. The add-on receives regular updates from its developer. The last update dates back 2 months at the point in time the updated version of the top list was published.

You may want to check the options of the add-on as you may find a preference listed there that sends anonymous usage data to the developer.

The add-on for Firefox works without any user interaction. Just visit the site and if it is supported Proxmate will tunnel your connection so that you can access the contents. Proxmate uses proxies to make available its functionality.

Performance: Not all supported services were working at the time of writing. Those that did , Pandora, Crunchyroll and Grooveshark for example, worked fine and without any issues however.

Company headquarters : Germany

: Germany Privacy Policy : https://proxmate.me/privacy/

: https://proxmate.me/privacy/ Terms of Service: https://proxmate.me/terms/

ZenMate is available as a free, somewhat limited browser extension for Firefox (and Chrome as well). You can use the extension without signing up for an account but may join a 7-day trial of the premium version if you want to test the premium upgrades.

Premium access is available for $59.99 per year. While that sounds expensive at first, it needs to be noted that customers do get access to a full-blown VPN provider and not just a proxy server when they subscribe to ZenMate.

The extension displays an icon in Firefox's main toolbar that you use to pick the geographical location you want as your exit node.

Free users are limited to some locations, including United States and Germany while other popular locations such as the UK are not available for free users. Sites worked fine during tests but it is necessary to switch between exit nodes manually each time a different location is required to access content.

Premium users get more server locations, automatic switching of locations based on the site that is accessed, a full desktop VPN client for Windows and Mac systems, and faster speeds.

Performance: The performance of the service is excellent. I did not notice any issues while using it, and all tested services, Hulu, Pandora and Crunchyroll, worked fine during tests.

Company headquarters: Germany

Privacy Policy: https://zenmate.com/privacy-policy/

Terms of Service: https://zenmate.com/tos/

Hoxx is provided as a free and paid VPN service; paid users subsidize the free users of the service. Free accounts are limited in terms of traffic, support, the encryption strength, and cannot access premium server locations next to that.

You need to create an account before you can start using the service. Once that is out of the way, you can start using the service by connecting to one of the free server locations.

A good selection of locations is provided. You may connect to servers in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, Australia, and other regions. The connection process is fast and worked without issues during tests.

Performance: Performance was satisfactory in all locations I tried.

Company headquarters: USA

Privacy Policy: https://hoxx.com/privacy-policy/

Terms of Service: https://hoxx.com/terms/

Conclusion

It is surprising that only a few add-ons are available to add VPN-like functionality to the Firefox browser. The makers of Zenmate are working on an add-on for Firefox to bring their popular service to the web browser but it is not clear when that is going to be the case.

Hola Unblocker was the only add-on that worked with all services. Its main issue is that its latest version is not offered on the official Add-on repository which means that it has not been audited by Mozilla.

As a Firefox user, it may make sense to install a system-wide VPN instead. There are free ones available, but they do limit the bandwidth available usually. Tunnelbear for example gets you 500 MB of free data each month which is enough to watch a show or two but that is about it.

Now You: Are you using a different add-on to access restricted contents or improve your privacy and security while using the Firefox web browser? Share it with us in the comment section below.

Summary Article Name The Best VPN add-ons for Firefox Description So-called VPN add-ons for Firefox improve your privacy while you are on the Internet and enable you to access geo-restricted contents at the same time. Author Martin Brinkmann Publisher Ghacks Technology News Logo

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