head to head · open source
uBlock vs Betterfox
uBlock has 69,033 GitHub stars, 4,427 forks, 15 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Betterfox has 10,964 stars, 258 forks, 5 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. uBlock leads on adoption by 530% (69,033 vs 10,964 stars). uBlock is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0; Betterfox is written in JavaScript under MIT. uBlock has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Betterfox 2%. uBlock was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (firefox), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| uBlock | Betterfox | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 69K | ★ 11K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-07 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 258 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick uBlock if
- You weight community size — 69K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Betterfox if
- You want the Betterfox feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and Betterfox fits your workflow better
About uBlock
[![Badge Commits]][Commit Rate] [![Badge Issues]][Issues] [![Badge Localization]][Crowdin] [![Badge License]][License] [![Badge NPM]][NPM] [![Badge Mozilla]][Mozilla] ![Badge Chrome] [![Badge Edge]][Edge] uBlock Origin (uBO) GitHub Releases Stable and development versions on Firefox, Chromium MV2, and Thunderbird. Must be placed manually into web browsers; the Chromium and Thunderbird versions usually won't auto update. Related: uBlock Origin Lite uBlock Origin (uBO) is a CPU and memory efficient [wide spectrum content blocker][Blocking] for Chromium and Firefox. It blocks ads, trackers, coin miners, popups…
read the full uBlock overview →
About Betterfox
:warning: Do not trust sites that claim to be Betterfox. This page is the only official source. Betterfox about:config tweaks to enhance Mozilla Firefox. :new: Betterfox for Firefox 153 ESR is now available Made for everyday browsing Make Firefox more private and secure — without using third party code. Betterfox is an opinionated preference list inspired by the law of diminishing returns and the minimum effective dose. Required reading 0) Create a backup profile. 1) Download the user.js file here (Right click Save Link As… ). 2) Review both Common Overrides and Optional Hardening to make any necessary changes…
read the full Betterfox overview →
More in Productivity & Utilities
Related comparisons
More Browsers & Extensions projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Browsers & Extensions field.
Frequently asked questions
Is uBlock or Betterfox more popular?
uBlock has 69,033 GitHub stars and Betterfox has 10,964. uBlock has the larger community by that measure.
Are uBlock and Betterfox free?
Both are open source. uBlock is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Betterfox under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between uBlock and Betterfox?
uBlock is written in JavaScript and Betterfox in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, uBlock or Betterfox?
Choose uBlock if you want the larger community (69,033 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Betterfox if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.