Apr 11, 2026 12:00:00

The creator of Waterfox reflects on the game's 15th anniversary.

Waterfox is an open-source browser based on Firefox and specifically designed for 64-bit systems. It was released in March 2011 by Alex Kontos , who was dissatisfied with the lack of an official 64-bit version of Firefox, and at the time of writing, it is celebrating its 15th anniversary. On the 15th anniversary, Kontos shared his motivations for running an independent browser for so long on the Waterfox blog.

15 Years of Forking - Waterfox Blog
https://www.waterfox.com/blog/15-years-of-forking/

◆Waterfox's History
The history of Waterfox began on March 27, 2011, with a post on the community forum site Overclock.net by Kontos, who went by the name 'MrAlex.' Upon its release on SourceForge, it achieved an 'unexpected' success, reaching 50,000 downloads in just one week. At the time, Kontos was living on a Mediterranean island, so he had no support system or anyone to consult with, and he developed the software while learning from many bitter experiences on his own. As of the time of writing, 15 years after its release, the cumulative number of downloads exceeds 25 million, and the estimated number of monthly active users is around 1 million.

◆The reality of privacy-focused browsers
Kontos admitted that running an independent browser focused on privacy is financially challenging.

Bing's termination of all third-party search agreements has been a major blow, causing revenue to stagnate for independent browsers that rely on search partnerships, and Waterfox has been operating at a loss for several months. However, Kontos said that he finds the monetization methods adopted by other browsers 'disgusting,' and that Waterfox will not follow suit. He also said that receiving kind messages on the donation page and seeing posts from users who are happy to try Waterfox for the first time motivates him to continue development. Kontos stated that whatever actions he takes in the future, he will always keep Waterfox and its sustainability in mind.

◆Outlook for 2026
Kontos spoke about what Waterfox aims to achieve as it celebrates its 15th anniversary:

- Native ad blocker included
One of our goals for 2026 is to integrate a native ad blocker based on Brave 's ad-blocking library. Because the blocker runs in the browser's main process, it is not subject to the resource limitations of extension-based blockers, allowing for faster operation and tighter integration with the browser. In addition, Brave's ad-blocking library is provided under the same MPL2 license as Waterfox, ensuring excellent compatibility. Text ads are displayed by default on Startpage , the default search partner, to maintain browser operation, but these can be blocked in the settings. Users who are already using another ad blocker can continue to do so, and the native ad blocker will be enabled for new users or users who are not yet using an ad blocker. The native ad blocker can be easily disabled by simply toggling the settings.

- Protect the browser's original function
Waterfox is a member of

the Browser Choice Alliance, alongside Google and Opera, promoting fair competition and true user choice in the browser market. It also adheres to a policy of not incorporating AI , focusing on the browser's core functions of web page loading, privacy protection, and providing an unintrusive user experience. Furthermore, it plans to focus on supporting package architectures such as Linux and ARM64.

◆Summary
While it's becoming increasingly difficult to run an independent browser, the number of people who value privacy and seek software that respects their privacy is steadily growing. 'Waterfox started when a 16-year-old boy wanted a faster browser. The fact that it still exists 15 years later is because there are many people who want a browser they can use for themselves, not for AI companies or someone else,' says Kontos.