Firefox is famous for its addons, and for good reason: they can make your browser do just about anything. But which addons are the most useful? Here are the addons we think are best, what they do, and where you can find them.

Enjoy! Also let us know if we've missed anything, okay? We have been updating this list semi-regularly.

Bookmarks

If you're using the web for research, you need to save what you find fast. Plus, you need to be able to access it just as quickly. These bookmark add-ons can help you do both.

Xmarks

If you use more than one browser, you need this. XMarks is a bookmark and password syncing service compatible with Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Internet Explorer – meaning you can take your bookmarks with you when you switch from one to the other.

Pearltrees

Compile things you find interesting, arrange them visually and share the results with the world. That's the idea behind Pearl Trees, which lets you share the best of the web with your own visual library. It's long been a top-rated Firefox addon, check it out and learn why.

SiteLauncher [No Longer Available]

SiteLauncher offers a quick and easy way to access your favorite sites. Use the button in your toolbar to display your saved sites, click the one you want, and you are on your way. You can use and assign hotkeys, show the launcher as the home page when you start your browser, and customize the fonts, sizing, and colors.

If you like having your most visited sites on a toolbar, but often run out of room, check out Multirow Bookmarks Toolbar Plus. With this handy tool, you can display your bookmarks in in multiple rows. You can pick the number of rows, use folders, enable automatic hiding, and choose from text and icon displays.

Clipping

Many times you need to note a few sites for future reference. Here are tools for saving those relevant bits of information without leaving your browser.

Evernote Web Clipper

If you don't use Evernote, you're missing out: it's the perfect place to put all those things you need to remember for later but don't need right now. And the fastest way to send something to Evernote is the Web Clipper, which Aaron called the ultimate content saving tool. You won't remember how you browsed without it.

Zotero

Creating citations is the funnest part of academic writing, right? If you're convinced, check out Zotero for Firefox. It takes the stress out of referencing by creating a bibliography in just one click, and it's also a useful tool for compiling resources. A must for academics.

Scrapbook [No Longer Available]

If you'd rather your clippings live right in your browser, check out Scrapbook. You'll get a sidebar where you can store and share research.

Notepad (formerly QuickFox Notes) [No Longer Available]

Sometimes, while researching, you need to quickly write something down. If you'd rather keep everything in the browser, QuickFox notes lets you write and save notes with a tabbed interface.

Custom Browsing

Firefox isn't just a tool you can use: it's something you can make personal, and use to make the web look however you like. Here are some addons that let you do just that, by changing how you browser behaves or adding quick tools to the right-click menu.

Stratiform [No Longer Available]

There are a lot of Firefox themes out there, but if you can't find one that's just right, don't worry: you can design your own Firefox skin with Stratiform. It's easy.

All-In-One Sidebar [No Longer Available]

Bookmarks, history, downloads: why should all of these things live in a tiny toolbar? Give yourself more room to work, without adding clutter: put everything you need in a sidebar.

Vertical Toolbar [No Longer Available]

Don't want an entire sidebar? Just move a few buttons, then. Doing so can save you a lot of vertical space, so give it a shot if you want more of your screen to show the site you're looking at.

Classic Theme Restorer [No Longer Available]

ClassicThemeRestorerFF

This handy addon brings back some of the buttons, tab preferences, and toolbar options from previous Firefox versions. There are many customization options such as changing tab location, different sizes and modes for menu icons, and options for closing tabs and opening panels.

gTranslate [No Longer Available]

See some text you don't understand? With this addon installed all you need to do is right-click to see a translation.

TinEye

Where did that picture come from? TinEye lets you find out quickly: just right-click, then click "Search image on TinEye" to find images similar from around the web. There's no end of uses for this sort of reverse image search, from spotting fake Facebook profile pictures to determining whether an image is fair use.

Greasemonkey

Customize the way your favourite websites look with scripts. This addon is legendary, though possibly less useful with the decay and eventual death of UserScripts.org. GreasyFork is probably the best place to find scripts now.

Stylish

Similar to Greasemonkey in some ways, but focused on changing how sites look instead of how they act. Think of it as themes for your favourite sites.

User Agent Switcher [No Longer Available]

Want to see the mobile version of a page? Or access a site that's "Chrome Only", or "Internet Explorer Only"? User agent lets you trick websites into thinking you're using a different browser.

Developers

If you're an aspiring web developer, you need to know about these tools – they're the reason so many pros use Firefox, or at least keep it around for certain instances.

FireGestures [No Longer Available]

FireGestures is a convenient add-on for executing commands with mouse gestures. You can easily configure your mappings by editing current ones or adding new scripts. Enable or disable wheel, rocker, keypress, and tab wheel gestures. And, if you have a touchscreen, you can use and adjust the swipe gestures.

Firebug [No Longer Available]

If you're a developer, you're already using it. If you're just curious, know that it's a way you can customize any website by editing the CSS, HTML and Javascript in real time. Watch what happens and learn!

Firepicker [No Longer Available]

You probably don't have every color code memorized, so use while you're editing sites with Firebug. It pops up and lets you pick a color with your mouse, and pastes the proper code.

SeoQuake SEO Extension

SeoQuakeFFAddon

When you need a little help with search engine or social media optimization, SeoQuake SEO Extension is a terrific tool. With this addon, you can investigate site parameters, view keyword density for phrases, look over site compliance data, and see the internal and external links.

FireFTP [No Longer Available]

Why install a separate program for FTP transfers when you can do it right in your browser? FireFTP is a powerful Firefox FTP client.

FEBE [No Longer Available]

FEBEFF

Back up and rebuild your Firefox extensions with FEBE. Decide what to back up along with where and when. The addon's options include reminders, cloud service connections, and import and export tools. You can also perform a quick backup or restore right from your main menu.

MeasureIt [No Longer Available]

It's like a tape measure for web designers, letting you quickly measure the size in pixels of any area. Perfect if you need to know how big an image you can fit in a given place.

FontFinder [No Longer Available]

Hey, which font is that? Find out quickly with this tool.

Connect To Mobile

Firefox syncs your bookmarks and open tabs with its mobile version, but you can send a lot more than that to your phone. Here are tools for getting content from your desktop Firefox to you other devices.

Send To Kindle [No Longer Available]

Found a long article, but don't have time to read it now? With this you can save websites to your Kindle, so you can read them later on your e-ink screen.

Pocket

Send the currently open article to the ultimate digital bookmarking service, so you can read it later on your phone or tablet.

LastPass

Nothing is worse than typing a long password with a phone keyboard. With LastPass for Firefox, you can sync your passwords to your phone and all of your other devices. LastPass also makes logging into sites faster on your desktop, so it's the ideal password management system.

Pushbullet

PushbulletFFAddon

Pushbullet is a great tool for sending and syncing information to and from most anywhere quickly. You can send a link, share a screen shot, type a message, or drop a file between your devices or even to other people. The tool also lets you send to multiple devices at one time, show notifications, and add a password for end-to-end encryption.

Music and Video

There's a lot of great media online, and Firefox is a good browser to enjoy it with. But are there tools that can make streaming, and downloading, a bit better? Of course there are.

DownThemAll [No Longer Available]

If you like to find and download media – images, videos or music – you're going to want this legendary addon. One click lets you download every piece of media linked to on a page, or every image on that page.

Ant Video Downloader

Downloads videos from a surprising number of sites, so you can watch them offline. Use responsibly.

Turn Off The Lights

Darkens everything on the page but the video you're watching, kind of like turning the lights off in the theater.

Flash Video Downloader [No Longer Available]

Another downloader to check out is Flash Video Downloader. You can download video, audio, and image files in formats like MP3, MP4, and SWF. When you land on a site with downloadable content, just click the add-on button in your toolbar. Available options from the page will display and you simply click the Download button. You can also mark the media types you want to search for on the page with the options at the top of the pop-up window.

Security

HTTPS everywhere

Lots of sites offer HTTPS encryption, but leave it off by default. This addon turns it on whenever possible, giving you an added layer of security.

TrackMeNot

Don't want Google watching your every move? This addon sends a bunch of random searches to Google, Bing and more, making it harder to search engines to track your online activity.

Privacy Badger

PrivacyBadgerFF

For blocking invisible trackers and spying advertisements, Privacy Badger has you covered. With simple settings like whitelisted sites, a badge icon for trackers, and an easy slider to adjust blocking and cookies on particular websites.

LessPass

Create passwords in your browser with the LessPass add-on. When you visit a website that you want to generate a password for, just click the button in your toolbar. Make sure you complete the site (automatically populated), login, and master password fields and click Generate. You can also click the Settings button to configure advanced options such as letters, numbers, characters, and length.

Shopping Enhancers

Finding the best price is way easier in your browser than it is at the mall, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be even easier. Here are the best Firefox tools for the job.

Invisible Hand

It's automated price comparison! Browse any online store, and this addon will let you know if anything you're looking at can be found for less somewhere else. This will save you money.

Shoptimate

ShoptimateCompareFF

Shoptimate is a convenient tool for comparison shopping because it works automatically while you are viewing a product. You will then see the lowest price and where to obtain it pop right up. There is also a button to view additional prices and locations and you can click to go directly to another store on the list.

Honey

HoneyFFAddon

Another sweet shopping tool is called Honey. With this add-on, you can obtain discount codes and have them applied at checkout time. As you shop, Honey will search for coupons and sales automatically and the toolbar icon will light up when something is found. Then just review the deals, make your pick, and you are on your way.

Social Networking Tools

Social networks are great for keeping in touch with friends and finding great content. Here are a few tools that make your favorite networks just a bit better.

StumbleUpon [No Longer Available]

The magic internet button that takes you to a random website. Still awesome after all these years.

Reddit Enhancement Suite

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Add keyboard shortcuts, embedded media and so much more to Reddit. If you browse the site often, this is a must-have. It's necessary if you want to use Reddit like a boss.

Buffer

Tweeting too much can overwhelm your followers. With Buffer, you can schedule to share whatever you're reading right now sometime later – important if you want to optimize viewership.

AddThis

AddThisFFOptions

The AddThis extension has hundreds of sharing options from popular social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to less familiar options like Amen Me!, Fashiolista, and Links Gutter. You can also print easily or send via email.

ShareThis [No Longer Available]

ShareThisFFAddon

Share This is another addon that allows you to share to many locations. It does not currently have hundreds, but it does have the most popular sites. Facebook, Twitter, Buffer, LinkedIn, and Pinterest are among the options and email sharing can be done using Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, or Outlook.

Hootsuite Hootlet [No Longer Available]

HootsuiteHootletFFAddon

If you are a Hootsuite fan for sharing to Twitter, Facebook, or even Google Plus, then the Hootsuite Hootlet addon is a great tool. The sharing window automatically pops in the name of the website or article and a shortened URL. You can then select your account, add a new one, and schedule the post. You can also edit the post to include another link, an attachment, or a location.

Tab Management

If you regularly can't see the favicons because of how many tabs you have open, there's help for you. Here are some addons that can keep things under control.

Duplicate Tab Closer [No Longer Available]

If you open the same website in two different tabs, this addon will automatically close one of them, helping you organize your tabs.

Tab Mix Plus [No Longer Available]

TabsMixPlusFF

Control and customize your tab options with Tabs Mix Plus. This extension lets you manage opening, closing, and merging tabs. You can also adjust mouse gestures and clicking, context menus, and the opening of new pages. In addition, you can check out the session manager within the tool.

Tile Tabs [No Longer Available]

Browse multiple sites, at once, in a single window. This addon lets you get more out of your wide screen.

Tab Grenade [No Longer Available]

TabGrenadeFFAddon

If you work with a lot of tabs open at one time, then Tab Grenade is awesome. This tool can help you get where you need to go without clicking each tab. With the click of a button, closes all tabs for you and places their links in one spot. You can then open one or all of them back up, remove the group, or close just one at a time.

ColorfulTabs

ColorfulTabsFFAddon

ColorfulTabs is a favorite for tab organization because it allows you to color-code your tabs to see what you need at a glance. You can set up presets so that specific domains always open in the same color or choose a specific color for the tab you are currently using. You can use highlight or blink effects and convert tabs into a compact view.

Tab Memory Usage [No Longer Available]

For a quick way to see how much memory each of your tabs is using, check out Tab Memory Usage. This easy-to-use add-on displays the amount of usage in your toolbar and is configurable per your taste. You can adjust the color code for memory usage from zero to 100 percent. You can also exclude certain sites or include specific ones, display only high amounts, and adjust the icon badge and label setting.

Task and Time Management

You can stay productive right in Firefox without opening other apps. These tools help you stay on track with your tasks and your valuable time.

Todoist

If Todoist is your task list of choice, then the Firefox add-on is a must-have tool. You can add tasks, view your lists, see notifications, and review items by day. You can also mark to-dos as complete, use handy keyboard shortcuts, and search by filter if needed.

ReminderFox [No Longer Available]

Another terrific task list option for Firefox is ReminderFox. You can create reminders and to-dos, choose start and end times or pick the All Day option, pick a category, and have events repeat. Set up an alarm for a number of minutes, hours, or days before the event is due. You can also view your tasks and reminders in list view, calendar view, or both.

Toggl Button

For tracking your time on projects and tasks, Toggl is an awesome tool. You can start and stop the clock with quick click from the toolbar button. More than just a Firefox Add-on, you can manage projects and sub-projects, create a workspace for teams, and access reporting tools. For more information on Toggl, take a look at how it can boost your productivity.

TimerFox [No Longer Available]

Don't lose track of time while you are online, use TimerFox. With this basic timer, just set the hours, minutes, and seconds and add an optional a message. Click OK and when time is up, a pop-up box will display. This very simple tool can remind you when it is time to move on.

Still want some more? Here are the best extensions and addons to fix internet annoyances.

Originally written by Justin Pot. Last updated by Sandy Stachowiak on 20 June 2017.