Firefox Starter Pack: Recommended Add-ons

I’m a big fan of the Firefox browser and have been using it as my daily driver for a few years now. Over time, I’ve honed my workflow with some useful add-ons and features. I thought I’d share them in case they’re useful to you too!

Must Have

I install these add-ons on every Firefox profile I use.

uBlock Origin

uBlock Origin is hands down my favorite ad blocker. It’s fast and lightweight, and just works.

Protip: After installing uBlock Origin, enable one of the “Annoyances” lists (I recommend the one from EasyList.) This will remove all kinds of annoying content, such as popups for mailing lists and GDPR cookie notices.

SponsorBlock

While ad blockers are a must, I also recommend SponsorBlock. Using community-sourced data, it skips over sponsored content in YouTube videos. You can also configure it for other categories, such as skipping intros and outros, or non-music sections of music videos.

1Password

If you don’t already use a password manager, you need to start. 1Password is my favorite and works well on all platforms. It’s not free, but worth it to me. If you’re looking for a free alternative, I’ve heard good things about Bitwarden.

Bypass Paywalls Clean

Unlisted on Monzilla’s add-on store because of a DMCA Takedown Notice, but you can still install it from the GitLab page. It is checked and signed by Mozilla.

It won’t get past every paywall, but it’s a good start.

Pushbullet

Pushbullet seems like it’s on life support, but it’s still the easiest way for me to send a link from Firefox to my Android phone.

Simple Translate

Firefox added a website translation feature in Firefox 118, released in 2023. However, it only appears when Firefox detects a supported language other than your system language. At times, it is useful to manually translate a page. This add-on adds a “Translate this page” option to the page context menu.

Extra Customization

These aren’t always useful, and are more for power users. I usually won’t install them unless I have a specific reason to.

Violentmonkey

Back in the day, Greasemonkey was the go-to for customizing websites with user scripts. However, Violentmonkey seems to be more actively maintained. Another alternative is Tampermonkey, but it’s closed source.

You can find premade user scripts on Greasy Fork.

Stylus

Stylus is similar to Violentmonkey, but for customizing websites with user styles. Stylish used to be used for this but after they added invasive tracking most users switched to Stylus.

You can find some premade user styles here.

Dark Reader

Dark Reader is simpler than Stylus - instead of installing user scripts, it automatically darkens websites. It’s great for night time browsing.

Tree Style Tab

I no longer use Tree Style Tab, but it’s a neat way to organize tabs that you might prefer. Give it a try and see what you think!

Other Suggestions

Even more specific, these add-ons are useful for certain workflows.

Enhancer for YouTube

Extra control over playback quality, speed, autoplay, and more. If you use YouTube often, it’s worth a look.

DeArrow

Created by the same author of SponsorBlock, Ajay Ramachandran, DeArrow removes annoying clickbait titles and thumbnails from YouTube.

ClearURLs

Removes tracking elements from URLs. I much prefer sending links to others with tracking parameters removed, and this add-on takes care of it automatically.

Refined Github

Refined Github greatly enhances my Github workflow. Since I use Github every day at work, it’s a must-have for me.

Old Reddit Redirect

I prefer the old Reddit design (yes, still!) and this add-on automatically redirects me to it whenever I click on a Reddit link.

linkding extension

Instead of paying for Pinboard, I self-host linkding. This extension makes it easy to save links.

linkding injector

Adds relevant linkding bookmarks to search results. In all honesty, I’m not so sure this has provided me much value yet. Still, it’s cool when my bookmarks show up on the Google results page.

Useful built-in features

These are not add-ons, but they are super handy!

Reader View

Reader View is a built-in feature that removes all the clutter from around articles and blog posts. It’s great for long-form content, poorly designed pages, and night time reading.

Also, sometimes it can be used to get around a paywall. If you’re hit with a paywall, try clicking the Reader View icon. If that still doesn’t work, try refreshing the page. If all else fails, try the Bypass Paywalls Clean add-on.

HTTPS-Only Mode

In the past, it was necessary to install the HTTPS Everywhere add-on created by the EFF. Nowadays, this functionality is baked in. I highly recommend enabling it as most websites today support HTTPS!

Conclusion

Well, I hope you found something useful! Is there a glaring omission? Let me know! My email is [email protected].

Changelog

Mar 1, 2024 - Removed Nitter Redirect as it no longer works.