Favorite Firefox Extensions

What this is: A list of Mozilla Firefox plugin / Addon "Extensions" (specifically, what Firefox calls extensions) that we use, find useful, or once found useful.

What this is not: This isn't a comprehensive list of extensions. Extensions we don't like, don't find useful, aren't aware of, or that are total crap are not listed here. Other types of Addons such as plugins and themes are not listed here.

• Add-ons for Firefox (web site)

All addons below have been tested at one point in time. VLT - Version Last Test is the plugin version tested most recently in our lab.

Favorite Extensions

Bazzacuda Image Saver Plus

Batch save open images, images from multiple tabs, and images of a specific size (largest images on a page).

• Category: Convenience
• Side Effects: unknown

Facebook Disconnect

A browser extension which prevents Facebook 'seeing' which other sites you visit online. Facebook is notified whenever you visit one of the more than one million sites on the web that use Facebook Connect and has a history of leaking personally identifiable information to third parties.

note: The bing search engine still recognizes you by your facebook profile and integrates bing with facebook even though this extension is active, proof this extension does not do what it claims. In our lab test the Facebook Disconnect extension failed to fulfill the authors claims. Ghostery is a better alternative.

• Usefulness: Recommended (for security)
• Category: Security
• Side Effects: Blocks some functions of Facebook such as photo links
• VLT: 1.0.1
• Conflicts: Redundant to use with privacy/anti-tracking plugins such as Ghostery.

Fireshot

Also known as, "Webpage Screenshot in Firefox." It will capture what you can see in the window, the entire page, just a selection, a particular frame. Save the web page as an image or PDF file. Sought as a replacement for Screenshooter, after it replaced Screengrab. Fireshot does what it is advertised to do, but is only a lite version. Since the full "pro" version is only available for pay, this plugin receives a reduced rating. Update: further reduced rating due to annoying advertising tabs it opens in firefox on occasion to promote the pro version, which technically makes this adware.

• Category: Functionality
• Side Effects: unknown
• VLT: 0.98.28 with Firefox 18.0.2, 0.98.47 with Firefox 26.0

Flashblock

Never be annoyed by a Flash animation again! Blocks Flash so it won't get in your way, but if you want to see it, just click ...

Adobe Flash can be used to exploit your computer. Malware exists using Flash, making it possible for you to get a virus while browsing the web. Also, Flash is used in ways to track you and gather data on you. Your security is greatly enhanced when you have a choice as to whether a flash element is executed when you are visiting a web site. This plugin is a basic level of security and is so simple to use it gets a full 5 stars.

Due to the security vulnerabilities constantly being discovered in Adobe Flash Player, it is best to have Flash disabled by default with the user having the option to execute a Flash plugin as needed. Adobe Flash is notoriously insecure, with next to no configuration options, and annoying. Take back control of your browser by controlling what Flash programs execute when you visit a web site.

• Usefulness: MUST HAVE (for security)
• Category: Security
• Side Effects: no significant side effects known
• Conflicts: If running QuickJava be sure to enable Flash via the F button on the bottom right of the browser. This plugin is less necessary and somewhat redundant when using the NoScript plugin. However, an argument can be made for why a user would want both Flashblock and NoScript enabled.
• Similar Extensions: Stop Autoplay
• Read: Adobe GetPlus DLM Vulnerability before you install Adobe Flash Player - has instructions for installing Adobe Flash Player without Adobe DLM.
• VLT: 1.5.15.1

Flash Game Maximizer

Click a button or hit the hot-key to maximize (almost) any Flash content to the entire browser window. You can then enjoy your favorite games in any size you like, simply by resizing the browser window. Now with less bugs and more features...

Particularly useful when watching streamed television events from sites that do not allow flash to full screen, or sites that present the flash window with annoying advertisement overlays.

• Category: User Control
• Side Effects: unknown

Flickr Original

Useful is you download images from flickr.com. Reduces the number of clicks to download the largest possible image. Adds "View Original Flickr Image" and "Download Original Flickr Image" options to the right-click context menu. The extension extracts the url of the Flickr image you select, parses out the image id, and sends it to a simple web service that uses the Flickr API to return the original image.

• Category: Functionality
• Side Effects: unknown
• Compatibility: Tested December 2011, 100% compatible with flickr.com

Firefusk

View sequentially numbered images files, gallery-style, from the context menu. This extension is made complete when used with another extension called Image Download Ⅱ.

Ghostery

Enables users to easily detect and control tags, web bugs, pixels, and beacons that have the potential to collect data on their browsing habits. Ghostery blocks HTTP requests according to their source address in two ways: Cookie Blocking and Cookie Protection. Ghostery for Firefox uses a separate engine from its "control" engine to scan the DOM of the webpages users visit and report the contents in a purple overlay inside the page DOM.

Being tracking online by companies like Google and Facebook is a serious problem today. You have a right to privacy and your personal activity is being exploited in ways many can't fully appreciate. Security and privacy extensions along with other precautions such as the use of Private Search Engines will help you to be more anonymous, preserving your privacy as much as possible without completely unplugging yourself from the Internet.

issue: Ghostery incompatible with Verizon Wireless web site www.verizonwireless.com online bill pay. Certain javascript buttons like the Pay Now or Next are disabled by Ghostery, making it impossible to pay a phone bill online. resolution: add verizonwireless.com to the Ghostery whitelist. Still, the inconvenience and troubleshooting time results in loss of 1/2 star rating for Ghostery.

• Usefulness: Recommended (for security)
• Category: Security
• Side Effects: causes problems with some online bill pay services
• Compatibility: (testing)

Image Blocker

Blocks individual images, such as advertisements, that you do not wish to view while visiting a web page.

• Category: User Control
• Side Effects: unknown

Image Download Ⅱ

This extension is made complete when used with another extension called Firefusk. Save all images in current page or multiple pages by one click, with dimension filter, file type filter, loaded status filter, self-defined thumbnails detection, and other options and settings.

Image Toolbar

Image Toolbar is a clone of one of Internet Explorer's features and provides quick and easy access to a handful of image functions in a highly customisable way. The toolbar is activated by hovering your mouse cursor over an image. It will be displayed (by default) in the top left hand corner of the image, and allows you to save the image or perform other functions.

• Category: Convenience
• Side Effects: unknown
• VLT: 0.6.9

Java Console

Java Console Extension.

The Java Console extension is not supposed to impact the functionality of Java in Firefox. It just lets you monitor and debug running applets. Unless you're developing a Java applet, you probably have little use for it.

• Category: Developer
• Side Effects: The Java Console extension is no longer supported as of JRE 1.6.0.10, this update cleans and removes the Java Console from Firefox 3.6.

Memory Fox

Attempting to reduce the browser's RAM Memory usage promoting the increase of available RAM memories for other application processes RAM memory requirements. Memory Fox constantly flushes Firefox memory.

Usefulness: moderate Category: stability Side Effects: performance related Conflicts:

NoScript

In light of recent browser hijack and malware such as the Internet Security 2012 Virus it is highly recommended that users install and learn to use this extension. It allows JavaScript, Java and other executable content to run only from trusted domains of your choice, e.g. your home-banking web site, guarding your "trust boundaries" against cross-site scripting attacks (XSS), cross-zone DNS rebinding / CSRF attacks (router hacking), and Clickjacking attempts, thanks to its unique ClearClick technology. It also implements the DoNotTrack tracking opt-out proposal by default.

note: incompatibility with online banking: resolve. Issue: even with "allow scripts globally" and allowed domains many major online banking sites will not function with this extension active. NoScript had to be completely disabled for online banking. Resolution: Options -> Advanced - > uncheck "Turn cross-site POST requests into data-less GET requests" - do online banking - then promptly enable the feature again. This feature is a valuable security intervention and the problem it causes is actually a defect in the bank's web site that the bank needs to and hopefully will correct presently.

NoScript deserves 5 stars and we urge people to try out. However, it may be overwhelming for some novice users or people that "just don't get it" and cause them problems on their ordinary use of common web sites. However, not everyone is willing to wear a life preserver when they go boating in deep water, and as much is the same for online safety and security. Maybe NoScript could be improved so it is easier to Novice users by default, giving it a wider viability for user base, thus why we give it 4 out of 5 stars. However, technical users will appreciate that NoScript is, in fact, not "dumbed down."

• Usefulness: Recommended (for security)
• Category: Security
• Side Effects: may conflict with other plugins.
• Conflicts: impacts but does not nullify QuickJava 1.7.5. Although it works ok with Flashblock 1.5.15.1., it is no longer necessary to use Flashblock when running NoScript (redundancy). Other similar plugins also redundancy; possibly QuickJava.
• VLT: 2.2.3

configuration tip: Goto Firefox about:config and change boolean parameter noscript.firstRunRedirection to disable annoying NoScript homepage after update (because updates are very frequent). Set noscript.firstRunRedirection to False.

NoSquint

NoSquint improves your browsing experience by giving you the tools you need to combat small fonts and unreadable colors on the web.

• Category: Aesthetics / Accessibility
• Firefox Configure: about:nosquint
• Side Effects: unknown

Open Image In New Tab

Adds right-click context menu item for opening images in new tabs.

Another plugin/same/similar Open Image In New Tab (update)

• Category: Convenience
• Side Effects: unknown

QuickJava

Allows quick enable and disable of Java, Javascript, Flash, Silverlight and Images from the Statusbar and/or Toolbar without having to open any dialogs!

• Usefulness: SHOULD HAVE (for security)
• Category: Security
• Side Effects: unknown
• Conflicts: If running Flashblock keep in mind Flash must be enabled via this extension's control also. There is no technical conflict with that extension.

Read Easily

Allows you to turn on or off CSS with a convenient key combinations. Instead of EDIT, VIEW, PAGE STYLE, NO STYLE, now you can simply press Cntl-Alt-Z. This is handy for web developers and for testing purposes. It is also handy for image harvesting from sites like flickr that attempt to hide images behind hidden elements.

• Category: Aesthetics / Accessibility
• Side Effects: unknown

RightToClick

Stops javascript annoyances such as forbidden right click, forbidden text selection or cascading dialog boxes. Particularly useful for web sites where the webmaster thinks a javascript will prevent you from using the right click - save image as, to copy images from the web site.

Fails in lab test on machine with FF8, Win7, Noscript, and a few other plugins when tested against flickr protected images

• Category: User Control
• Side Effects: unknown
• Conflicts: need to test with NoScript and Toolbar Buttons
• VLT: 2.8.7

Screengrab

It will capture what you can see in the window, the entire page, just a selection, a particular frame... basically it saves webpages as images - either to a file, or to the clipboard. It captures Flash too!

Update: It’s no longer supported and will not be developed any further. The last version works with Firefox 6. Announcement Some alternatives are 1) Screenshoter - which as of 1.01 works with FF 8.0 and 2) Pearl Crescent Page Saver Basic - which is reported to have some glitches.

• Category: Functionality
• Side Effects: unknown
• Compatibility: incompatible with Firefox 8.0

Screenshooter

It will capture what you can see in the window, the entire page, just a selection, a particular frame. This is being tested as a suitable replacement for the Screengrab extension due to Screengrab obsolescence. Update: around about Firefox version 18 this plugin just stopped working.

• Category: Functionality
• Side Effects: unknown
• Compatibility: incompatible with Firefox 18.x

Secure Login

Secure Login is a login extension for Mozilla Firefox integrated password manager. Its main feature is similar to Opera's (the browser) Wand login.

Opera's Wand handles saved passwords in a more logical and useful fashion than Firefox. This plugin gives Firefox that Opera behavior when it comes to saving your passwords. NEVER save passwords for online banking, credit card, or other financial web sites. This saves your passwords in a file on your harddrive, and even if encrypted, is still a risk to your security. As for other web sites, such as online forums and web based email, this extension makes logging in more convenient.

Note: Saving passwords in any manner is not recommended if you are greatly concerned about your privacy and security. Never use this plugin to save passwords from financial web sites or any form of online banking! For functionality this plugin deserves more stars than we give it here, however, due to security implications it cannot be given a higher rating.

• Category: Convenience
• Side Effects: possible security considerations in regards to saved passwords

SettingSanity

Recently Firefox removed some useful options from the menus, including the ability to disable images, disable JavaScript, and disable the Tab Bar in the options menu. This extension restores these useful and missed controls.

• Category: User Control
• Side Effects: unknown

Toolbar Buttons

This extension adds buttons to the Customize Toolbar Window. To move them from there to the Toolbar you must right click the toolbar and press customize, select what buttons you want to use and drag them to the toolbar.

• Category: Aesthetics / Accessibility
• Side Effects: unknown

Web Developer

Adds various web developer tools to a browser. The extension is available for Firefox and Chrome, and will run on any platform that these browsers support including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Developed by Chris Pederick.

• Category: Developer
• Side Effects: unknown
• VLT: 1.1.9

 

Take Back Control!

The concept behind hyper text and the world wide web was to empower people, giving them access to information linked in ways and available in levels never before imagined. In the late 1990's the tide started to shift alarmingly towards limiting information, restricting access to culture and media, and replacing useful information with useless commercial advertising. Those working against the open nature of the Internet wish to restrict your ability to control what you can and can't see while browsing online. Then, taking it further, forcing you to see content that is undesired, or forcing their way into your computers and your lives. Thanks to the Mozilla Firefox plugins and extensions development community, users now have some useful tools to take back control over their web browsing experience.

The Adobe Flash Player Plugin is one of the most dominating and insecure control-ware apps that's infiltrated web development and web browsing since the popularization of the modern world wide web. It is a sad reality that so many developers have adopted its use that it has become a necessary evil for the web user. Even some online banking web sites now require Flash. It defies commonsense. Flash allows foreign code to be executed on your computer, without your permission. Flash is the security hole which can allow a virus to infect your system or a backdoor's installation allowing a stranger full access to your private computer data. But we must have Flash installed, as the end user, in order to utilize the modern web, so we need to take all reasonable precautions to reduce the threat posed by the obnoxious browser plugin.

Some of the extensions mentioned here allow you to control when the Adobe Flash Player is allowed to run. However, even updating Flash has become a security nightmare. Adobe now forces spyware onto your system during a simple Flash upgrade, known as the Adobe GetPlus DLM Vulnerability. The Mozilla Firefox web site doesn't help matters by constantly prompting you to update Flash after a browser update, which leads to the installation of Adobe's latest piece of spyware known as GetPlus.

 

Recommended Security Musts

A combination of the following plugins is recommended for Firefox users with security and privacy as their priorities.

1. Flashblock - slightly redundant with NoScript, but I can make a case for why you need them both.
2. NoScript - the most important of all 3 recommended security and privacy plugins
3. Ghostery - best defense against trackers and advertising bots

All three of these plugins are compatible with Firefox version 18 and should remain compatible with future version releases. Each is listed above with a link to download.

 

 

keywords: addon add-on addons add-ons plugin plugins plug-in plug-ins extension firefox mozilla