Pale Moon

Free plan Open source LinuxMacWindows

What Pale Moon is

Pale Moon is a free, open-source desktop web browser built on its own maintained platform and the Goanna rendering engine. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, with built-in ad blocking. Full theming changes the browser’s appearance, while XUL add-ons can alter features and capabilities. The official add-ons site provides extensions, themes, language packs, dictionaries, and search plugins. The maker says Pale Moon contains no ads, telemetry, or data gathering. It still connects to services for updates, add-on security lists, geolocation, certificate checks, and search; geolocation can be disabled. Pale Moon Sync can synchronize bookmarks, open tabs, browsing and form history, passwords, and a limited subset of preferences. According to the project, Sync encrypts data before transmission, stores the recovery key in the browser, and uses TLS connections. Sync is offered as a free courtesy service without availability guarantees or an SLA, and stored data may be purged. The project says it regularly receives security patches. It cautions that some sites built around Chrome-centric assumptions may require special consideration or a secondary browser. The community-driven project is led by M.C. Straver.

Who it suits

Pale Moon suits desktop users seeking a free, open-source browser with ad blocking, extensive theming, and XUL add-ons. It is also suitable for users who want optional synchronization across supported desktop installations and can handle possible Chrome-oriented site compatibility issues.

What it does well

Free and open source
Runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows
Built-in ad blocking
Full themes and XUL add-ons
Sync encrypts data before transmission
Regular security patches

What to know first

Some Chrome-centric websites may need another browser
Sync has no availability guarantee or SLA
Synced data may be purged
Sync covers only a limited subset of preferences

Limits

Pale Moon Sync is a courtesy service without availability guarantees or an SLA, and its stored data may be purged. Sync covers bookmarks, open tabs, browsing and form history, passwords, and only a limited subset of preferences.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Pale Moon	Free (gratis) to download and use · Open-source browser · released as-is	Free

As palemoon.org lists them, read 8 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Open the Pale Moon website
Download the build for Linux, macOS, or Windows
Install or run the browser on your desktop
Add themes, extensions, or other items from the official add-ons site
Enable Pale Moon Sync if you want supported data synchronized

Verdict

Pick Pale Moon if you want an open-source desktop browser with built-in ad blocking and deep appearance and feature customization. Consider another browser when your sites depend on Chrome-centric behavior or when Sync availability guarantees are important.

Questions

How much does Pale Moon cost?

Pale Moon is free to download and use.

Is Pale Moon open source?

Yes. It is an open-source browser.

Which platforms are supported?

Pale Moon supports desktop Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Does it block ads?

Yes. Built-in ad blocking is included.

What can Pale Moon Sync synchronize?

Sync can synchronize bookmarks, open tabs, browsing and form history, passwords, and a limited subset of preferences.

Who leads the project?

The project is community-driven and owned and led by M.C. Straver; Moonchild Productions is identified as the copyright holder.

Facts from Pale Moon's own pages

Browser engine: other · palemoon.org, 21 Sept 2026
Built-in ad blocking: Yes · palemoon.org, 21 Sept 2026
Compatibility limit: The maker warns that some websites may need special consideration or a secondary browser because they are designed around Chrome-centric assumptions. · palemoon.org, 8 Oct 2026
Cross-device sync: Yes · palemoon.org, 21 Sept 2026
Customization: The browser supports full theming and XUL add-ons that can change its features, capabilities, and appearance. · palemoon.org, 8 Oct 2026
Extensions: The official add-ons site offers extensions, themes, language packs, dictionaries, and search plugins. · addons.palemoon.org, 8 Oct 2026
Extension support: own_store · palemoon.org, 21 Sept 2026
Free plan: Yes · palemoon.org, 21 Sept 2026
Maker: The project is community-driven and owned and led by M.C. Straver; the site identifies Moonchild Productions as the copyright holder. · palemoon.org, 8 Oct 2026
Open source: Yes · palemoon.org, 21 Sept 2026
Platforms: Official downloads are listed for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS; FreeBSD builds are marked beta. · palemoon.org, 8 Oct 2026
Portable version: The Windows portable build keeps bookmarks, passwords, history, and downloads on removable media and requires write access to its location. · palemoon.org, 8 Oct 2026
Privacy: The maker says the browser contains no ads, telemetry, or data gathering. · palemoon.org, 8 Oct 2026
Privacy details: The browser connects to services for updates, add-on security lists, geolocation, certificate verification, and search; geolocation can be disabled. · palemoon.org, 8 Oct 2026
Product: Pale Moon is an open-source web browser built on its own maintained platform and Goanna rendering engine. · palemoon.org, 8 Oct 2026
Security: The maker says Pale Moon is regularly updated with security patches; release 35.0.2, dated 2026-10-06, is described as a performance, bugfix, and security release. · palemoon.org, 8 Oct 2026
Support: The project directs users to its community forum for questions and offers donations, merchandise, or service contributions to support development. · palemoon.org, 8 Oct 2026
Sync: Pale Moon Sync can synchronize bookmarks, open tabs, browsing history, form history, passwords, and a limited subset of preferences. · palemoon.org, 8 Oct 2026
Sync limitations: Sync is a free courtesy service without availability guarantees or an SLA, and stored data is transitional and may be purged. · palemoon.org, 8 Oct 2026
Sync security: The maker says Sync encrypts data before transmission, keeps the recovery key in the browser, and encrypts connections using TLS. · palemoon.org, 8 Oct 2026