Mac users have a genuine choice between Firefox and Safari. Both are fast, privacy-respecting browsers. The key difference for extension users is the extension ecosystem.
Safari extensions
Safari uses Apple's App Store for extension distribution. The App Store review process is strict but different from Firefox's AMO review.
What Safari has:
- Strong privacy-focused extension vetting
- Integration with iCloud for settings sync
- Native macOS look and feel
- Passkeys and iCloud Keychain integration
What Safari lacks:
- Many popular extensions are Firefox/Chrome-only
- The extension catalog is smaller
- Some Firefox-specific extensions (uBlock Origin's full capability) are not available
Firefox on Mac
Firefox on macOS has the same extension ecosystem as Firefox on Windows and Linux. All 20,000+ extensions on AMO are available.
What Firefox has on Mac:
- Manifest V2 support (uBlock Origin's most capable version)
- AMO-reviewed extensions with manual code review
- Multi-Account Containers (no Safari equivalent)
- More extension variety for niche use cases
What Firefox lacks on Mac:
- Not the system default browser for Apple services
- Less seamless integration with iCloud Keychain, Handoff, and other Apple features
For specific extension needs
If you need extensions that are Firefox-only (Multi-Account Containers, Tree Style Tab, or the extensions in this series), Firefox is the right choice.
If you rely heavily on Apple's ecosystem (iCloud sync, Handoff, Continuity Camera), Safari's integration is more seamless.
The extensions in this series on Mac
All 11 extensions in this series are available on Firefox for macOS. They work identically on Mac, Windows, and Linux — the WebExtensions API is cross-platform.
The 11 Firefox extensions I built all work on Firefox for macOS — see the full series.
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