20 Essential Firefox Addons
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Firefox Addons
Firefox addons are the things that define your online experience as a Firefox user. From saving your work when your internet cuts, to getting rid of annoying popups, to just making your browser a little more aesthetically pleasing; Firefox addons impact every aspect of your browsing.
Luckily, there's a huge range of Firefox addons out there - each vying for a little spot on your status bar. So here's 20 of the best; if nothing tickles your fancy here, you're probably better off downloading Google Chrome instead!
Note: For the mostpart, this list is alphabetical but for continuity, Greasemonkey comes before Greasefire.
Luckily, there's a huge range of Firefox addons out there - each vying for a little spot on your status bar. So here's 20 of the best; if nothing tickles your fancy here, you're probably better off downloading Google Chrome instead!
Note: For the mostpart, this list is alphabetical but for continuity, Greasemonkey comes before Greasefire.
Not a Firefox user?
You can download Firefox *here*!
Adblock Plus
Kicking off this list is Adblock Plus - the top Firefox addon to get rid of those pesky popups! With a range of features that can block banner ads, popups and pay-to-click adverts, Adblock Plus is a great way to clean up your internet browsing. With nearly 785,000 weekly downloads - surely that many people can't be wrong!Download it yourself here.
ColorfulTabs
ColorfulTabs is nothing more than what it claims to be - it colours your tabs. Colour can help you distinguish between different tabs and you can colour-code your tabs based on why they're open.
A great addon for anybody that works with tab numbers in double figures and you can download it here.
A great addon for anybody that works with tab numbers in double figures and you can download it here.
Echofon
Echofon is my Twitter client of choice. It sits nicely on your status bar, can update every 1-5 minutes and is pretty much the perfect, low-key Twitter client.
Ok, so it doesn't have as many functions as Tweetdeck or other larger apps but it splits Tweets into "friends", "mentions" and "messages" and keeps it simple. It's also available for the iPhone and Mac.
I like it - If you like the sound of it, you can download it here.
Ok, so it doesn't have as many functions as Tweetdeck or other larger apps but it splits Tweets into "friends", "mentions" and "messages" and keeps it simple. It's also available for the iPhone and Mac.
I like it - If you like the sound of it, you can download it here.
Echofon on Twitter!
FoxyTunes
As I type this, I'm playing music via FoxyTunes. Paramore actually, don't judge me!
Anyway, FoxyTunes is an addon that allows you to play your media from your browser, instead of tabbing into Windows Media Player every few minutes to change song. You can also search band bios, lyrics, covers and videos through it, have your currently playing music in your email signature and it is recommended by Mozilla.
Rock out and increase your productivity. Win-win. Get FoxyTunes here!
Anyway, FoxyTunes is an addon that allows you to play your media from your browser, instead of tabbing into Windows Media Player every few minutes to change song. You can also search band bios, lyrics, covers and videos through it, have your currently playing music in your email signature and it is recommended by Mozilla.
Rock out and increase your productivity. Win-win. Get FoxyTunes here!
Ghostery
Ghostery should satisfy the needs of even the most curious of web-surfers. It will list all the hidden nasties on a webpage and all the different companies that are tracking your existence on that page.
Curious? Download Ghostery here!
Curious? Download Ghostery here!
Greasemonkey
Greasemonkey is the ultimate in customisable tools for your browser. The little monkey icon sits on your status bar and when activated, will use installed scripts to change each website to how you want to view it.Download the little monkey here!
Greasefire
Greasefire is an addon that searches scripts for Greasemonkey. Scripts are great for cleaning up unwanted features on a site or adding features that aren't normally there and this addon puts a world of scripts at your fingertips.
Set your browser ablaze by downloading Greasefire here!
Set your browser ablaze by downloading Greasefire here!
Squidoo Workshop Script!
If you're a Firefox using lensmaster, don't forget to download thefluffanutta's script for the workshop!
IE Tab
IE Tab is simply an addon that allows you to open Internet Explorer windows within the Firefox browser. Great for testing website compatibility with Internet Explorer, for running a website that generally runs better in IE and takes the strain off your PC by running one process less.You can download the IE Tab Firefox addon here.
Morning Coffee
Morning Coffee is your daily time-saver.Do you read the same website every morning? How about only on Tuesday and Thursday? Does your favourite blog only post Monday/Wednesday/Friday? Morning Coffee allows you to set the websites you want opening on a particular day and it will open them at the click of a button.
Get your Morning Coffee here!
NoScript
NoScript blocks all scripts on a page until you allow them to run. Whilst quite irritating to begin with as you'll need to allow all your favourite trusted websites, it is fantastic for when you're browsing websites you may not have been on before. If there's a malicious code, plugin or script on a page, NoScript will stop it.
You can download NoScript here.
You can download NoScript here.
Personal Menu
Personal Menu is a nifty Firefox addon that can get rid of those "file", "edit", "view" (etc etc) buttons and put them into a drop down menu with a funky icon. If you prefer icons to text, Personal Menu is your kind of addon!
Make your browser that little bit more iconic here!
Make your browser that little bit more iconic here!
Firefox Addons Poll
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Personas Plus
Personas Plus is a great Firefox addon for designing the background image of your browser. With over 130,000 personas to choose from at the moment, there's surely something to suit everybody. (My current favourite is Abstract Black!)
And you can get the Personas Plus Firefox addon here.
And you can get the Personas Plus Firefox addon here.
Read It Later
Ever wanted to catch the news before your morning commute but didn't have time to read any more than the headline? How about those times were you really can't be bothered reading something but won't have an internet connection to read it later? Read It Later is the Firefox addon for moments like that.
Read It Later puts a small arrow in your address bar. With one click, you can save that page for further viewing - online or offline! It does more than that too; you can also sync your reading lists to other devices and strip away ads in a text only setting. The addon has also been featured by the New York Times, Washington Post and Lifehacker.
Download Read It Later here!
Read It Later puts a small arrow in your address bar. With one click, you can save that page for further viewing - online or offline! It does more than that too; you can also sync your reading lists to other devices and strip away ads in a text only setting. The addon has also been featured by the New York Times, Washington Post and Lifehacker.
Download Read It Later here!
Screen Capture Elite
Screen Capture Elite is my favourite Firefox addon for taking screenshots. You can take full screen captures, part-screen captures and the addon allows scrolling (unlike most screen capture addons).
Try it out! Download it here.
Note: This addon is incompatible with Firefox 7.
Try it out! Download it here.
Note: This addon is incompatible with Firefox 7.
Shareaholic
Shareaholic is simply for the sharaholics; those types of people that see things and just have to tell someone else. With integration for over 100 websites, you can share that page however you want!Click here to start sharing!
Shareaholic for Squidoo!
Check out Loyalis' lens to see how it can help lensmasters!
SimilarWeb
SimilarWeb combines the "related videos" sidebar on YouTube with the "like/don't like" feel of Facebook and StumbleUpon. As you search the internet, SimilarWeb will show you related pages that may or may not be of interest to you and you can vote on their relevance. This is an awesome Firefox addon for anybody doing broad research or somebody with a lot of time to kill!
Download SimilarWeb here!
Download SimilarWeb here!
StumbleUpon
This is the Firefox addon for all the chronic procrastinators. This toolbar allows you to Stumble pages, rate them as "like" or "don't like", favourite pages, share pages with friends and of course, "Stumble" - Find a randomly generated webpage based on your previous likes and dislikes.It is another Firefox addon recommended by Mozilla and you can download it here.
Textarea Cache
Fed up of losing that 20-minute forum post on a hot topic? This is the addon for you!
Textarea Cache saves your last twenty pieces of text so that you can rescue any unsaved work. This is the addon that will save you when your Firefox freezes up, when your internet cuts off or when you forget your laptop has a battery that needs charging.
For those worried about possible security breaches; it isn't marked as "experimental" so has been tested by Mozilla and it won't record any entries in smaller text fields.
Note: This Firefox addon saved me during the writing of this lens because my intro somehow disappeared and it was saved in the cache. Yay!
You can get it here!
Textarea Cache saves your last twenty pieces of text so that you can rescue any unsaved work. This is the addon that will save you when your Firefox freezes up, when your internet cuts off or when you forget your laptop has a battery that needs charging.
For those worried about possible security breaches; it isn't marked as "experimental" so has been tested by Mozilla and it won't record any entries in smaller text fields.
Note: This Firefox addon saved me during the writing of this lens because my intro somehow disappeared and it was saved in the cache. Yay!
You can get it here!
Video DownloadHelper
Another Firefox addon where the name says it all. Luckily though, the Video DownloadHelper can download most streaming files - including audio, with or without video.
Browse the internet as you normally would and if the Video DownloadHelper detects it can do something for you, it's graphic will animate and list the files that you can download.
Download the DownloadHelper here!
Browse the internet as you normally would and if the Video DownloadHelper detects it can do something for you, it's graphic will animate and list the files that you can download.
Download the DownloadHelper here!
Web of Trust
WOT is a rating system for websites. Submitted by its millions of users, it shows a traffic-light rating based on four factors; trustworthiness, vendor reliability, privacy and child safety.
If a website is particularly poor in any of those factors, a warning screen will appear as you attempt to view the website and it will provide you with details of which aspect is poorly rated. You can then choose whether to go back or proceed with viewing the site. If you choose the latter, you can re-rate the website.
You can get the Web of Trust Firefox addon here!
If a website is particularly poor in any of those factors, a warning screen will appear as you attempt to view the website and it will provide you with details of which aspect is poorly rated. You can then choose whether to go back or proceed with viewing the site. If you choose the latter, you can re-rate the website.
You can get the Web of Trust Firefox addon here!
Firefox on Twitter!
And A Bonus for Lensmasters...
The Official Squidoo Firefox Addon!
This nifty Firefox addon is the official Squidoo extension and it is packed full of features to help lensmasters. With Squidoo search, a bookmarklet and numerous shortcuts back to the site, you have no excuse to forget that all-important link you so wanted to add to your prized lens!Lensmasters; download it here!
More Great Firefox Lenses!
Firefox Feedback
Are you a Firefox user with some essential addons or are you an IE/Chrome convert? Let me know here!
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sponias
Aug 2, 2011 @ 4:02 pm | delete
- I'm a Firefox user with a few addons. I believe that Firefox is very helpful for many reasons.
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Kirilov
Jul 27, 2011 @ 2:36 pm | delete
- Good resource, especially for users of Firefox like me who are interested in the endlessly extendable capabilities of this web browser.
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AirT-23
Jun 7, 2011 @ 4:59 pm | delete
- Great add-ons! I have about 50 add-ons in my Firefox browser and still works fast! Great lens!
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chefkeem
May 9, 2010 @ 4:33 pm | delete
- I use some of these already but hadn't heard of Shareaholic and ScreenCapture. Thanks for the introduction, Rock!
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Norma_Budden
May 3, 2010 @ 11:40 pm | delete
- Decided to pop over for a bit and see what I may learn before getting some shut-eye. I downloaded a couple of these add ons and will view the remaining items when my brain is a little more alert. Great job on this!
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Pmona
May 3, 2010 @ 8:32 pm | delete
- I'm a Firefox user and up until now I believe the only add on I use is Greasemonkey.
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