I noticed this this morning after the update. And it looks, let’s just say, weird 
Maybe it’s just a matter of habit, since I’m used to using a monochrome version of Firefox. Its FOSS also wrote something about it
I’m not using Firefox anymore. But what I can see on Its FOSS looks great. There isn’t such a big difference I think, isn’t it?
They returned thje compact density option, which I prefer. It was the first thing I used to enable in about:config every time I installed firefox.
The only two visual improvements, in my opinion, are:
- better icons
- better tab groups
Oh, maybe the additional new tab wallpapers as well.
These tabs look like shite with Container tabs. 
It looks a lot like Zen Browser 
I don’t like Zen due to the forced vertical tabs, but I feel like you’re disrespecting Zen. 
Zen is my daily and when I saw the pics it looks like what I am using I had to back out and look make sure I was in the right spot. I’m sure when you dig into settings and all there may be differences I’m just talking the overall look of it in those pictures make it look more like Zen or a Zen clone.
I’m using firefox-wayland-cachy-hg, pretty slick on wayland.
I like the new themes they have added. The accented colors on the browser itself look really neat with dark themes and offer a smidge of color with white themes. The only thing I find a bit odd looking compared to the previous UI is the near zero separation in the UI between tabs. It looks rather weird to me, but eh.
Gives me some strong Cosmic Desktop vibes. I personally like the old theme better. But I like the stuff I’m used to most of the time … I’m a “Früher war alles besser”- guy 
They made everything round and purple and are touting it as “Firefox’s biggest visual refresh in years”, messing up contrasts and cutting off visible areas in some menus. And on top of that they keep adding more nonsense that is just there to show you ads. For me Firefox is now the browser where I have to do the most post-install config to get rid / change all the stupid stuff they are doing.
The absolute state of Mozilla and Firefox in 2026 is pretty sad.
They should take a hint from Brave Origin and just make a cut down, nonsene free version. I’d even give them money for it …
That’s the browser I switched to from Firefox some weeks ago. 
Can you believe that the only mainstream web browser that doesn’t use Chromium as its base needs money? I can’t believe it, quite frankly.
Disable the shit you don’t need/don’t use it and leave it there. No one asks you to use it if you don’t want to. They are there because Mozilla wants marketshare, not to please open source goons who hate them with their guts for needing money to maintain a web browser engine and instead went to Brave who only recently decided to the Brave Origin shtick when people finally realized that their business model is even more than Mozilla’s.
Can you believe that the only mainstream web browser that doesn’t use Chromium as its base makes hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year? I can’t believe it, quite frankly.
| Year | Total Revenue | Primary Source | Total Expenses | Software Development Spend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $680M | Google search (~86%, $585M) | $588M | $290M |
| 2023 | $653M | Google search (~85%, $555M) | $497M | $261M |
| 2022 | $593M | Google search (~81%, $480M) | $425M | $220M |
| 2021 | $600M | Google search (~83%, $498M) | $339M | $199M |
| 2020 | $497M | Google search (~86%, $427M) | $438M | $242M |
5-Year Totals:
- Revenue: $3.02 billion
- Software Development: $1.21 billion
- Expenses: $2.29 billion
They only spent ~40% to ~50% of their money on software development. They don’t even disclose how much of that money is actually going to Firefox.
People need to stop thinking that Mozilla is still that small poor idealistic company, only financed by donations to the Mozilla foundation, always in dire need of money.
The Mozilla CEO made roughly $21 million from 2020 - 2023. While Mozilla laid off ~450 people in the last 5 years she roughly tripled her own pay. They are a corporation, making money like a corporation, buying other companies like a corporation and acting like a corporation. The Mozilla of old is long gone.
Regarding Firefox they only do the bare minimum so they can keep getting that free money from Google. The only ones still advancing Firefox with regards to user interests are the ones making the forks.
At least Brave is throwing us a bone with Brave Origin while Firefox is steadily taking only the bad hints from Brave.
Yeah, kind of like a rainbow on LSD or something 
That nova redesign broke my primary use of the vertical tabs in minimized mode - the container indicators were way too small and something inside of me simply can’t create an analogy between a circle and a register card (of opened browser tabs).
Do ask how much time I had to spent to revert the redesign to circular tab indicators within the minimized vertical tabs sidebar…
Edit:
For those using librewolf:
There is a sweet button to get rid of the Nora redesign.
In case you’re using userChrome.css customizations (as I do), your mileage may vary.
R.I.P. Firefox …