Firefox for Android comes in five versions, each with its own purpose

Firefox for Android is not one app. There are five versions, and they differ in privacy, extensions and speed. How-To Geek writer Bertel King installed all of them and laid out who each one suits. The standard version is fine for most people, but it is also the least private of the group.

The standard version

Standard Firefox is the one from Mozilla, the nonprofit behind the browser. It is the only version with a built-in VPN, a tool that hides your internet activity from others on the network. It also gets updates first. The tradeoff is that it includes Mozilla's telemetry, which means it sends some usage data back to the company. King uses this version and says the small amount of data Mozilla collects does not worry him.

Versions for more privacy

Fennec is Firefox with Mozilla's telemetry removed. It is found on F-Droid, an app store for free and open source Android apps, and it does not come from Mozilla. It sends no daily ping and offers no surveys or experiments. It also does not default to Google search.

Tor Browser is not affiliated with Mozilla but is built on Firefox code. It sends your traffic through at least three locations, which makes tracking significantly harder, though not impossible. Pages load more slowly, so it is hard to recommend for daily use.

Versions for specific jobs

• Firefox Focus works best as your default browser, so it opens links from chats.
• Pair Focus with a fuller browser for research, tabs and extensions.
• Iceraven supports a wider range of extensions, including ones from the Chrome Web Store.

Iceraven comes with a warning. It uses experimental software, and some extensions rely on features that phones cannot run. Some may break, though the extensions it recommends tend to work.

What to do

For most people, standard Firefox is the simple choice. Those who want less data collection can look at Fennec. Those who want more extensions can try Iceraven. Anyone who needs strong privacy and can live with slow pages can use Tor Browser. Each is free, so trying one costs only a few minutes.