Firefox 149.0 Released With Free Built-In VPN and 50GB Monthly Data

Mozilla has released Firefox 149.0 to the stable channel, introducing a range of privacy, security, and performance improvements aimed at strengthening user protection and enhancing browsing efficiency.

The update focuses heavily on privacy-first features, with a newly integrated free VPN service standing out as the most notable addition.

The built-in VPN is designed to protect users, especially when connected to public or untrusted networks.

It works by routing web traffic through a secure proxy, effectively masking the user’s IP address and location data.

Mozilla is offering 50 GB of protected browsing data per month at no cost, making it one of the few mainstream browsers to include a native VPN capability.

Users also have granular control, allowing them to enable or disable the VPN on a per-site basis.

Currently, this feature is rolling out gradually to users in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France as Mozilla gathers feedback before a wider global deployment.

In addition to the VPN, Firefox 149.0 introduces stronger protections against malicious web activity. The browser now uses SafeBrowsing intelligence to automatically block background notification requests from websites identified as malicious.

These permissions are permanently revoked, reducing the risk of phishing attacks, spam notifications, and deceptive advertisements that often exploit browser notification systems.

Mozilla has also implemented stricter controls on JavaScript execution within the browser’s parent process.

By tightening how scripts are loaded and executed, the update adds an extra layer of defense against potential exploitation attempts targeting browser internals.

This change is part of a broader defense-in-depth strategy aimed at minimizing attack surfaces.

A new feature called the TrustPanel improves transparency and usability by consolidating privacy and security settings into a single interface accessible directly from the address bar.

This allows users to quickly assess site permissions, security status, and privacy controls without navigating through multiple menus.

On the usability side, Firefox 149.0 introduces a Split View feature, enabling users to display two web pages side-by-side within a single window.

This is particularly useful for research, comparisons, and multitasking workflows. Performance enhancements are also included, with improved HTTP/3 upload reliability under unstable network conditions and faster PDF rendering powered by hardware acceleration.

For developers, the update adds support for the Reporting API, which standardizes how web applications report Content Security Policy violations and deprecated feature usage.

Additionally, the Storage Inspector tool now includes a quick-clear option for managing stored data more efficiently during debugging sessions.

Platform-specific improvements are also part of this release. Linux users benefit from better desktop integration through the XDG portal file picker, while Windows systems now use the modern Windows.Devices.Geolocation API for improved location services.

Finally, Firefox 149.0 addresses multiple security vulnerabilities through fixes documented in Mozilla’s MFSA2026-20 advisory, reinforcing the browser’s overall security posture and stability.

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