Mozilla introduces VPN extension with per-site IP controls
Mozilla has introduced a new extension for its VPN service that allows Firefox users to set IP addresses for specific websites. However, it only works on Windows and the service itself depends on Mullvad, a third-party vendor.
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Mozilla has introduced a new extension for its VPN service that allows Firefox users to set IP addresses for specific websites. However, it only works on Windows and the service itself depends on Mullvad, a third-party vendor.
Mozilla believes that the current VPN experience “can be frustrating” due to the rigid and all-or-nothing approach.
“Unfortunately, traditional VPNs apply a blanket location setting to all traffic, making it cumbersome to switch between vantage points,” the blog post reads.
“Many websites – whether news platforms, social media, banking services, or streaming sites – often misinterpret VPN traffic as suspicious. This can lead to access restrictions, additional authentication steps, or slowdowns.”
Mozilla hopes to solve this problem with its new extension for Firefox on Windows.
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It introduces two new features to users. The first is the ability to select websites that don't require VPN protection. The second one is setting different VPN locations per site.
“No more toggling your VPN on and off just to access certain sites. A clear indicator in the URL bar shows when a site isn’t using VPN protection, making it easy to turn it back on if needed,” Mozilla said.
“Browse one site as if you’re in the US while accessing another as if you’re in Paris – all in the same Firefox session.”
Mozilla said it’s working to bring new features to other platforms soon and is actively improving the extension, focusing on stability, reliability and performance.
“Too often I’ve disabled my VPN just to visit a specific site, only to realize later that I failed to turn it back on,” Santiago Andrigo, Principal Product Manager at Mozilla, explains.
However, Mozilla doesn’t run its own VPN infrastructure and its service is just a wrapper of Mullvad, which actually maintains the servers and offers cheaper services.
Mozilla VPN's monthly subscription costs €9.99, while the annual subscription is almost €60 (€4.99 per month), 50% cheaper. Mullvad only has one flat rate of €5 per month.
Like Mullvad, Mozilla VPN offers the same 500 servers in more than 30 countries.
Mozilla didn’t specify in a blog post how its solution addresses many other domains that load content for the same website, including trackers and ads.
Using a wrapper VPN can introduce additional risks compared to using Mullvad’s or other VPN providers directly. Users must now trust two companies instead of one. Even if both companies claim a strict no-logs policy, this setup increases the attack surface and introduces potential policy differences and legal compliance risks.
Mozilla is based in the US, which raises surveillance concerns, while Mullvad operates from Sweden, which has stronger privacy protections but is still subject to EU regulations.