Brave vs Firefox

Brave

• People who want ads and trackers blocked without installing extensions
• Chrome users who want to keep their Chrome Web Store extensions
• Those who want an AI assistant that works without an account
• Crypto users who want a self-custody wallet built into the browser

Firefox

• People who want tracker blocking switched on by default
• Users who prefer an open-source browser that is not based on Chromium
• Those who want to pick their own AI chatbot, or turn AI off
• Anyone moving between Windows, macOS, Linux and a phone

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.

Firefox

• The built-in VPN is capped at 50 GB per month and protects browser traffic only. Mozilla's paid VPN service costs $59.88 per year or $9.99 per month, plus tax.
• Firefox shows optional ads on its homepage to fund development. They can be turned off.
• The built-in VPN has not reached Firefox for Android or iOS; Mozilla's roadmap lists VPN on mobile as upcoming work.
• Windows 8.1 and below and macOS 10.14 and below are no longer supported by the standard release; they need Firefox ESR.

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.

Firefox

Tracking and cookie protection

Enhanced Tracking Protection blocks known trackers by default, and Total Cookie Protection keeps each site's cookies separate. The shield icon in the address bar shows what was blocked.

Built-in VPN

A VPN toggle in the desktop toolbar routes browser traffic through a proxy server to hide the IP address, free for up to 50 GB per month. It covers the browser only, not other apps on the device.

Tab groups, vertical tabs and sidebar

Tabs can be grouped and color coded or stacked vertically, and a customizable sidebar gives one-click access to bookmarks, history, synced tabs and other tools.

AI chatbots in the sidebar

The sidebar can host a third-party assistant such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude or Mistral Chat. AI features are optional and can be turned off entirely.

Sync with a Mozilla account

Bookmarks, history, saved passwords and open tabs sync across desktop and mobile with end-to-end encryption, and Send Tab pushes a page from one device to another.

Reader mode, PDF editor and translation

Reader mode strips clutter from articles, a built-in editor fills, signs and annotates PDFs, and pages are translated in the browser without sharing the data with anyone else.

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.

Firefox

• Free$0

  The full browser on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, including tracker blocking, sync and, on desktop, the built-in VPN up to 50 GB a month.

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.

Firefox

No public discounts listed.