Brave's ad-blocking tech is now coming to Waterfox browser

Waterfox is bringing Brave’s ad-blocking technology into its browser this year. The team is building a native content blocker using Brave’s open-source adblock-rust engine.

This news came out in a blog post marking Waterfox’s 15th anniversary. Creator Alex Kontos took the opportunity to speak honestly about the project’s financial struggles.

Kontos chose Brave’s library in part because of the licensing. uBlock Origin uses GPLv3, which would have created compatibility problems. Brave’s code uses MPL2, the same license as Waterfox. The library is also well-maintained by paid developers, which is important for a smaller project like this one that he described as running on limited resources.

The blocker will run in the main browser process, not as an extension. That means it won’t face the same limitations as extension-based blockers, and it doesn’t need a separate process or constant upstream syncing.

There is one notable detail in the plan. Text ads on Startpage Waterfox’s default search engine will remain visible by default. Kontos explained this as a necessary choice for keeping the project sustainable. The browser has about one million monthly active users. Revenue has been difficult lately, especially after Bing ended third-party search deals. Some recent months have even run at a loss.

That said, the initial announcement created a bit of confusion. It suggested that Brave handles its own search partner in a similar way. Brave quickly reached out to clarify that they block third-party ads on all sites. They also have an aggressive mode for first-party ads. Waterfox updated the post after the conversation, and Brendan Eich shared a note on X praising their quick response.

Anyone who wants to hide those Startpage ads can simply flip a toggle in the settings. Kontos made it clear there is no connection to Brave’s cryptocurrency or rewards features.

Shivan Kaul Sahib at Brave saw the partnership as confirmation that ad blocking works best when built right into the browser. This is pretty much the same argument Brave has made for years.

Brave has been busy on other fronts too. A recent Brave Nightly build teased an email aliases feature, as we covered on our sister site TechIssuesToday.

Waterfox will continue to work with any existing ad blockers that users already have installed. The new native system is mainly for people starting fresh or those who do not use extensions yet.

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