According to a recent announcement by Mozilla – the organisation that created one of the world’s most popular browsers, Firefox – is set to release its own VPN for Android and Windows systems.
The dedicated VPN (Virtual Private Network) app is still in the beta at the moment, meaning that, to sign in, users need to be invited.
However, getting an invite is not all it takes – after that, the user needs to pay $4.99 per month.
While a paid subscription is nothing new in the VPN world, the price is relatively low, compared to the industry standard.
Mozilla joins the party
As expected, the organisation claims that it will do everything in its power to secure user privacy, starting with not logging network traffic, browsing history, and similar private information.
With Mozilla having a pretty decent track record when it comes to Firefox and its built-in privacy features, such features and privacy-friendly approach were nothing if expected.
In terms of other security details, there is a new security protocol, known as the Wireguard protocol.
As you may know, most other top VPNs in the industry currently rely on several different protocols, with OpenVPN being considered the best one.
However, this new Wireguard solution is supposedly noticeably faster and more secure than OpenVPN. If true, this might even become the new industry standard.
Another detail that Mozilla shared is the fact that the VPN will allow multiple simultaneous connections – five of them at the same time.
While five use to be industry-standard, there are now multiple providers offering more showing Mozilla has ultimately come in at the weaker end of the scale.
How does Mozilla’s network stack up?
Of course, one of the most important aspects of any VPN is the server network. For now, it remains unknown how many servers the network is supposed to have. But, it is known that it will cover over 30 countries when it comes to locations.
Mozilla has partnered with respected VPN, Mullvad to supply its network.
It is also possible that the organisation will keep adding new servers and new locations in the future, as it continues to develop and expand its new VPN service.
Even so, the fact that it covers 30 countries from the very start is pretty encouraging for those who struggle with geo-restrictions, censorship, and similar problems. However, this is no competition for more established providers.
Entering the VPN market
Last year, in September, Mozilla started playing with VPNs after it launched a VPN extension for Firefox, although the extension was only available for the company’s US customers.
It is not the first browser to show how dedicated it is to privacy by launching a VPN, either.
As some may know, Opera already has a free VPN that comes built into its browser, at least when it comes to the recent versions.
Opera’s offering was criticised somewhat for not being a VPN in the true sense of the world with Mozilla appearing to lead the way to real VPN protection.
As such, launching a VPN does not come as a surprising next step, although the quality of the service has yet to be seen.
Moves such as these bring Opera and Firefox significantly ahead of Chrome when it comes to privacy, even though Chrome still seems to be the most popular solution.
For now, the company is focusing on completing the beta and publishing the platforms.
How Mozilla will fair against an industry already saturated with big name players is left to be seen. However, one thing is clear, the VPN industry has certainly come of age with such big names moving to take a piece of the action.
