I was a little disappointed that it wasn't available on Mac or Linux yet, but then I scrolled down and realized they're partnering with Mullvad, which I'm already using as my VPN provider. Mullvad...
I was a little disappointed that it wasn't available on Mac or Linux yet, but then I scrolled down and realized they're partnering with Mullvad, which I'm already using as my VPN provider. Mullvad is actually a little bit more expensive than the Mozilla option, but we're talking less than $10 a year's difference. Not enough to make me put in the effort to switch, although maybe I should just to support Mozilla?
Anyway, I'm glad to see Mozilla do this. Their name is synonymous with privacy among nerdfolk and I can see myself convincing my parents or other less tech-savvy people to use this just by mention of the name or Firefox. Now if I could just figure out how to get my mom to stop calling it "Fox Fire" that'd be great.
(Personal opinion based on my impression of the VPN rollout. I haven't actually used it, my opinions not official Mozilla policy, etc) My impression is that the Firefox VPN is being targeted...
(Personal opinion based on my impression of the VPN rollout. I haven't actually used it, my opinions not official Mozilla policy, etc)
My impression is that the Firefox VPN is being targeted toward people who perhaps up until now have not traditionally been VPN users. If you're the type of user that likes to configure All The Things, it might not be the product for you.
OTOH if you want something that Just Works, respects your privacy, is a reasonable price, and helps to support Mozilla's product development activities (including me 😬!), then it's worth switching IMHO.
I have a week left before my PIA subscription ends, and I have been thinking about switching my VPN. Would you recommend Mullvad, and why? The mozilla one sounds like the one to get but it's not...
I have a week left before my PIA subscription ends, and I have been thinking about switching my VPN. Would you recommend Mullvad, and why?
The mozilla one sounds like the one to get but it's not available here or on all my platforms yet.
In terms of features, they're mostly the same AFAIK. In terms of pricing, Mullvad's cheaper per month, unless you pay a year or two for PIA upfront. Personally I don't like long-term commitments...
In terms of features, they're mostly the same AFAIK. In terms of pricing, Mullvad's cheaper per month, unless you pay a year or two for PIA upfront. Personally I don't like long-term commitments to stuff like that. I prefer month-to-month so if the service goes to crap or I run into issues I can switch to a new provider without worrying about leaving money on the table.
One really nice thing about Mullvad is that you don't have to provide any personal info to sign up. You just generate a unique ID and then attach money to it to cover the subscription. And if you really, really want to keep it anonymous you can pay with cash or bitcoin. Literally all they store is your account # and how much time is left on your subscription (plus payment info if you provide it).
Another thing I noticed with PIA is that when I was using it I ran into a lot of websites blocking or constantly throwing ReCaptcha checks at me because of the VPN's IP. I still encounter that with Mullvad, but it doesn't seem to happen as frequently. But that's just personal anecdote.
I moved from PIA to Mullvad so maybe I can provide some feedback from my experience. On desktop, the services are similar. Speed wise, I feel Mullvad is faster. I get a better sense of security...
I moved from PIA to Mullvad so maybe I can provide some feedback from my experience. On desktop, the services are similar. Speed wise, I feel Mullvad is faster. I get a better sense of security from Mullvad as well.
PIA is much easier to use on a smartphone. I thinknI recall them having a dedicated app while Mullvad you have to set up your VPN with OpenVPN, which wasn't as straightforward as PIA. But if that set up isn't daunting, its a pretty quick transition.
I’ve got about a year of PIA remaining. I hope that by then, this will have matured a lot, have Linux support, have long-term deals, etc. I’d much rather be paying Mozilla.
I’ve got about a year of PIA remaining. I hope that by then, this will have matured a lot, have Linux support, have long-term deals, etc. I’d much rather be paying Mozilla.
I've been using it on my Android phone for a while, and it's pretty much flawless for a casual user like me (the app doesn't have many features, so power users might find it limiting). It had some...
I've been using it on my Android phone for a while, and it's pretty much flawless for a casual user like me (the app doesn't have many features, so power users might find it limiting). It had some issues early on but they seemed to have ironed those out, and these days I pretty much forget that it's even there.
I'm very happy to support Mozilla, and I hope we get Linux support soon!
Looks like it, yes. I don't see a way, through either the website or the app, to download an independent Wireguard configuration that you could use separate from the apps themselves.
Looks like it, yes. I don't see a way, through either the website or the app, to download an independent Wireguard configuration that you could use separate from the apps themselves.
I was a little disappointed that it wasn't available on Mac or Linux yet, but then I scrolled down and realized they're partnering with Mullvad, which I'm already using as my VPN provider. Mullvad is actually a little bit more expensive than the Mozilla option, but we're talking less than $10 a year's difference. Not enough to make me put in the effort to switch, although maybe I should just to support Mozilla?
Anyway, I'm glad to see Mozilla do this. Their name is synonymous with privacy among nerdfolk and I can see myself convincing my parents or other less tech-savvy people to use this just by mention of the name or Firefox. Now if I could just figure out how to get my mom to stop calling it "Fox Fire" that'd be great.
(Personal opinion based on my impression of the VPN rollout. I haven't actually used it, my opinions not official Mozilla policy, etc)
My impression is that the Firefox VPN is being targeted toward people who perhaps up until now have not traditionally been VPN users. If you're the type of user that likes to configure All The Things, it might not be the product for you.
OTOH if you want something that Just Works, respects your privacy, is a reasonable price, and helps to support Mozilla's product development activities (including me 😬!), then it's worth switching IMHO.
I have a week left before my PIA subscription ends, and I have been thinking about switching my VPN. Would you recommend Mullvad, and why?
The mozilla one sounds like the one to get but it's not available here or on all my platforms yet.
In terms of features, they're mostly the same AFAIK. In terms of pricing, Mullvad's cheaper per month, unless you pay a year or two for PIA upfront. Personally I don't like long-term commitments to stuff like that. I prefer month-to-month so if the service goes to crap or I run into issues I can switch to a new provider without worrying about leaving money on the table.
One really nice thing about Mullvad is that you don't have to provide any personal info to sign up. You just generate a unique ID and then attach money to it to cover the subscription. And if you really, really want to keep it anonymous you can pay with cash or bitcoin. Literally all they store is your account # and how much time is left on your subscription (plus payment info if you provide it).
Another thing I noticed with PIA is that when I was using it I ran into a lot of websites blocking or constantly throwing ReCaptcha checks at me because of the VPN's IP. I still encounter that with Mullvad, but it doesn't seem to happen as frequently. But that's just personal anecdote.
I moved from PIA to Mullvad so maybe I can provide some feedback from my experience. On desktop, the services are similar. Speed wise, I feel Mullvad is faster. I get a better sense of security from Mullvad as well.
PIA is much easier to use on a smartphone. I thinknI recall them having a dedicated app while Mullvad you have to set up your VPN with OpenVPN, which wasn't as straightforward as PIA. But if that set up isn't daunting, its a pretty quick transition.
Mullvad has an Android app now https://f-droid.org/packages/net.mullvad.mullvadvpn
You just made my day!
I’ve got about a year of PIA remaining. I hope that by then, this will have matured a lot, have Linux support, have long-term deals, etc. I’d much rather be paying Mozilla.
I've been using it on my Android phone for a while, and it's pretty much flawless for a casual user like me (the app doesn't have many features, so power users might find it limiting). It had some issues early on but they seemed to have ironed those out, and these days I pretty much forget that it's even there.
I'm very happy to support Mozilla, and I hope we get Linux support soon!
Do you have to actually use their app? Is wireguard not just wireguard, like OpenVPN is OpenVPN?
Looks like it, yes. I don't see a way, through either the website or the app, to download an independent Wireguard configuration that you could use separate from the apps themselves.
Would rather see them run Tor nodes
At one point we were running Tor middle relays. I'm not sure that the current status of that is.
I don't, sorry.
Big difference, Tor nodes cost to run while this VPN aims to generate Mozilla revenue.