Mozilla Firefox is getting a free built-in VPN, with a catch

3 min read Original article ↗
firefox website on a laptop

Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech.

Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics.

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Summary

  • Firefox will get a built-in free VPN in v149, rolling out March 24 to the US, France, Germany, and the UK.
  • It routes only browser traffic through a Mozilla proxy for privacy protection, with no extra downloads.
  • Free use is capped at 50GB per month — enough for casual browsing, but Mozilla doesn't say what happens if you go over.

The world of free VPNs can be really hit-or-miss. Some companies use them to harvest data from you to make a profit, while others will actually respect your privacy, but you kind of wonder how a business can give away such a service for nothing. As such, a free VPN from a reputable company is pretty much the best deal you can get, because the business actually has a reason not to betray its user base.

Well, if you're on the hunt for a free VPN for your browsing, Mozilla is working on something you might be interested in: a free VPN built right into Firefox. However, before you consider downloading terabytes of data with this feature, there is a key catch.

Laptop with Firefox on screen why hand is typing

Mozilla Firefox is getting a built-in free VPN

Under one condition

The new Firefox feature Credit: Firefox

As announced on the Mozilla blog, the company is adding a free VPN to its browser. It'll arrive when Firefox 149 lands on your PC, which will begin rolling out on March 24th. For now, it seems only people in the US, France, Germany, and the UK will have access to this feature.

As you'd expect from Mozilla, it's not taking privacy concerns surrounding free VPNs lightly:

Free VPNs can sometimes mean sketchy arrangements that end up compromising your privacy, but ours is built from our data principles and commitment to be the world’s most trusted browser. It 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.

Sounds good, right? Well, there is a catch, albeit it's definitely not a dealbreaker. Once you turn on your free VPN, you have 50GB of data to burn over the month. Mozilla doesn't state what happens if you use all of that data, but I presume it either prevents you from using the VPN tool until the month rolls over or bumps you down to a slower speed limit. Regardless, 50GB should be plenty for casual browsing and checking out geoblocked content as it becomes available.