Aloha Browser vs Brave (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Brave: it is second in our ranking of browsers, and it grades higher too, 3.8 against 2.8.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Brave grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Aloha Browser
Private browser with a free VPN, ad blocking and a paid Premium tier
Brave
Open-source browser that blocks ads and trackers by default
Which one is for you
Pick Aloha Browser if
- Fits if you want a VPN and an ad blocker inside the browser itself
- Works for locking individual tabs with a passcode or Face/Touch ID
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want VPN country choice or a kill switch without paying, as those are Premium
- Pricey if you pay monthly: $7.99 a month is $69.99 a year, about $5.83 a month
- Watch out: the Premium price shown is the US App Store one and may vary by region
- Watch out: the privacy claims are the vendor's own, backed by an audit of its privacy policy it cites
- Not for you if a crypto wallet is a turn-off: Premium can be turned into an NFT through an Aloha Profile
Pick Brave if
- Fits if you want ads and trackers gone without installing a single extension
- Works for people leaving Chrome who want to keep their Chrome Web Store extensions
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if a crypto wallet and rewards in your browser annoy you, since removing them for good means Brave Origin at $59.99
- Pricey if you want the VPN, Leo premium and Talk premium together, as each is its own subscription with no bundle
- Not for you if you expect a free VPN, because Brave's is $9.99 a month
- Tight if you lean on Leo, as free limits vary with traffic and more models mean $14.99 a month
- Watch out: some iPhone reviewers report a site or video player that only works with Shields turned off
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAAloha BrowserGood | 3.8GPABraveExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPremium is $7.99 a month or $69.99 a year, about $5.83 a month, which sits inside this category's cheapest quarter ($7 or less). | BThe browser costs nothing, which is the point. What's unusual in this category is how much sits outside it: Search premium $3 a month, Talk $7, the VPN $9.99, Leo premium $14.99, each its own subscription with no bundle. And Brave Origin, the build without the extras, is $59.99 unless you're on Linux. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free plan includes a VPN, ad blocking, tracking protection, a privacy report and tab locking, and a 1-week Premium trial is offered in the app. | AFree outright, with Shields, encrypted sync, Brave Search, Brave Talk calls and a tier of Leo that works without an account. Leo's free limits shift with traffic, and the VPN, Leo premium and Talk premium each start with a 7-day trial. |
| Features | CA VPN, ad blocker, locks and file tools, but more VPN locations, the kill switch and device-wide VPN are Premium only. | AShields stop ads, trackers, fingerprinting and cookie notices on every site, YouTube video ads too. Then Brave's own search index, private windows routed through Tor, fingerprint randomization, Leo on your own model if you like, vertical tabs, and MV2 extensions still working. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record. It installs and runs as a browser with ad blocking and tracking protection on by default. | A4.8 from about 660,000 App Store ratings. The blocking is on from the first launch, so there's nothing to configure. Some iPhone reviewers do report a site or video player that needs Shields turned off. |
| Platforms and integrations | BiOS, Android, Windows and macOS are listed, with Premium syncing across devices. No list of integrations. | AWindows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone, with bookmarks, passwords and tabs synced encrypted between them. Chrome Web Store extensions work, so leaving Chrome costs you nothing you had installed. |
| Best for | a phone browser with a free built-in VPN | blocking ads and trackers out of the box |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Aloha Browser and Brave. How we grade
Price against what you get
Aloha Browser starts at $5.83 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Brave starts at $2.50 a month when paid by the year and scores 4.0.
Brave scores higher and starts $3.33 a month lower. Of the other browsers on the chart, 8 score higher than Aloha Browser for less, and none scores higher than Brave for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Brave is open source, according to its own site.
- Aloha Browser also covers vPN and ad and tracker blocking.
- Brave also covers password manager and video calls.
At a glance
| Aloha Browser | Brave | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $7.99 per month, or $69.99 per year | $3.00 per month, or $29.99 per year (Search premium) |
| Free plan | Browser with a free VPN, ad block, tracking protection, a privacy report and tab locking. | The browser is free and fully supported, with Shields ad and tracker blocking, sync, Brave Search, Brave Talk and the free tier of Leo, which needs no account and has usage limits that vary with traffic. |
| Free trial | 1-week Premium trial in the app | 7-day free trial on Brave VPN, Leo AI premium and Talk premium |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Aloha Mobile Ltd | Brave Software, Inc. |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | brave.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Aloha Browser
- The listed Premium price is from the US App Store; the listing says prices may vary by region.
- The VPN's wide location choice, device-wide use and kill switch need Premium.
- Premium can be turned into an NFT through an Aloha Profile and crypto wallet, per the Premium page.
- The privacy claims are the vendor's own; the site cites an audit of its privacy policy by Leviathan Security Group.
Brave
- The VPN is not part of the free browser: it is a subscription at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
- Free access to Leo varies with traffic and usage. Higher rate limits and more models need Leo AI premium at $14.99 per month.
- VPN, Leo, Search and Talk premium are each sold as a separate subscription; the pricing page lists no bundle.
- Brave Origin, the version without Leo, News, Rewards, VPN or Wallet, is a $59.99 one-time purchase on every system except Linux.
Key features
Aloha Browser
- Free VPN
- A VPN is built in on the free plan; Premium adds 80+ locations, autostart, an always-on kill switch and phone-wide protection.
- Ad block and tracking protection
- Ad blocking and tracking protection are on by default, with a privacy report showing blocked ads, trackers and pop-ups.
- Locks and biometrics
- Individual tabs or the whole app can be locked with a passcode or Face/Touch ID.
- File tools
- Wi-Fi file sharing, a file manager, multi-thread downloads and a media player; Premium adds locked folders and ZIP.
- Private AI
- The site lists a Private AI feature, with higher request limits and a smarter model on Premium.
Brave
- Shields ad and tracker blocking
- Shields block third-party ads, trackers, fingerprinting and cookie consent notices by default on every site, including video ads on YouTube. The settings can be customized or left alone.
- Leo AI assistant
- Leo summarizes webpages, PDFs and Google Docs, answers questions and drafts text with no account required. Chats are not retained or used for training, and Bring Your Own Model connects local or remote models.
- Brave Search
- The default search engine for most new Brave users serves results from Brave's own independent index of the web, offers AI answers and does not profile the people using it.
- Private Windows with Tor
- Tor integration in private windows proxies the IP address, and fingerprint randomization makes the browser look different to every site on each visit.
- Sync, vertical tabs and extensions
- Bookmarks, passwords and tabs sync encrypted across devices, tabs can be stacked vertically, and Chrome Web Store extensions work, including those that rely on MV2.
- Rewards, Wallet and Talk
- Brave Rewards pays BAT to people who opt in to privacy-preserving ads, Brave Wallet is a self-custody crypto wallet, and Brave Talk runs private video calls in the browser.
Plans
Aloha Browser
Free$0
The browser with a free VPN, ad blocking, tracking protection and a privacy report.
Premium (monthly)$7.99
per month
More VPN country choice, device-wide VPN, VPN auto-start, ZIP support and premium themes.
Premium (yearly)$69.99
per year
The same Premium features billed yearly; Premium syncs across devices through an Aloha Profile.
Brave
Free$0
The full browser with Shields ad and tracker blocking, encrypted sync, the free tier of Leo, Brave Search and Brave Talk video calls.
Search premium$3.00
per month, or $29.99 per year
Ad-free Brave Search results and a cleaner view on all results pages.
Talk premium$7.00
per month, or $69.99 per year
Video calls with hundreds of people, call recordings, participant muting and passcodes. Includes a 7-day free trial.
Brave VPN$9.99
per month, or $99.99 per year
Whole-device VPN for up to 10 devices across desktop, Android and iOS, with speeds up to 500 Mbps. Includes a 7-day free trial.
Leo AI premium$14.99
per month, or $149.99 per year
More AI models, higher rate limits and early access to new Leo features. Includes a 7-day free trial.
Brave Origin$59.99
one-time purchase
A minimalist version of the browser that can switch off or remove Leo, News, Rewards, VPN, Wallet and other features. Free on Linux.
Ways to pay less
Aloha Browser
- Annual discount
Yearly Premium costs less than 12 months
The App Store listing shows Premium at $69.99 a year against $7.99 a month, which is $95.88 over twelve months billed monthly.
Brave
- Annual discount
About 17% off with yearly billing
Each Brave premium subscription costs about 17% less when paid yearly: Brave VPN is $99.99 a year against $119.88 for twelve months at $9.99, and Leo AI premium is $149.99 against $179.88.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Aloha Browser or Brave?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Brave is cheaper to start with: $2.50 a month when paid by the year, against $5.83 a month when paid by the year for Aloha Browser. Aloha Browser starts at $7.99 per month, or $69.99 per year, and Brave starts at $3.00 per month, or $29.99 per year (Search premium).
Which has a free plan, Aloha Browser or Brave?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Aloha Browser and Brave have a free plan.
Which platforms do Aloha Browser and Brave run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Brave lists a Linux app. Both list macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.