Brave vs Min (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 3.2.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Brave grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. Min grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Brave
Open-source browser that blocks ads and trackers by default
Which one is for you
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
Pick Min if
- Fits if you keep lots of tabs open and want them grouped into tasks
- Works for people who want to search the text of pages they've visited
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want it on your phone, as there are no mobile versions
- Tight if you want paid help when something breaks, since it's a small open-source project with no paid support
- Watch out: the releases are separate files for each system, such as Windows installers, Debian and RPM packages and macOS zips
How we grade them
| 3.8GPABraveExcellent | 3.2GPAMinVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | AFree open-source software with no paid tier, and a program anyone can download and run. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | AThe whole browser is free, with ad and tracker blocking already on. |
| Features | 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. | BTabs, tasks, Focus Mode, bookmark tags and full-text history search cover the browser's job, with nothing in the listing showing a gap. |
| Ease of use | 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. | BNo store rating on record. You install it and use it, with keyboard shortcuts to learn if you want them. |
| Platforms and 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. | CWindows, Mac and Linux only. The release files cover no mobile versions. |
| Best for | blocking ads and trackers out of the box | a plain browser with tasks and history search |
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: Brave and Min. How we grade
Price against what you get
Brave starts at $2.50 a month when paid by the year and scores 4.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Min has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
Brave scores higher, and starts $2.50 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other browsers on the chart, none scores higher than Brave for less, and none scores higher than Min 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 also covers password manager and video calls.
- Min also covers ad and tracker blocking.
At a glance
| Brave | Min | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $3.00 per month, or $29.99 per year (Search premium) | Free |
| Free plan | 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. | Min is free, open-source software with no paid tier. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial on Brave VPN, Leo AI premium and Talk premium | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Brave Software, Inc. | Min open-source project |
| Price read from | brave.com | minbrowser.org |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Min
- There are no mobile versions; the release files cover Windows, macOS and Linux.
- It is a small open-source project, so there is no paid support.
- The release list names Windows installers, Debian and RPM packages, and macOS zip files rather than a single installer per system.
Key features
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.
Min
- Compact tabs and Focus Mode
- Tabs take little space, pages you have not looked at in a while fade out, and Focus Mode hides the other tabs.
- Tasks
- Tasks group and organize tabs, with keyboard shortcuts to switch between them, and tasks collapse automatically when unused.
- Full-text history search
- You can search the full text of every page you have visited, and the site says this happens on your device.
- Bookmark tags
- Bookmarks are organized with tags, and Min suggests similar pages based on what you have bookmarked.
- Ad and tracker blocking
- Most ads and trackers are blocked automatically, and the site says it does not share browsing history.
Plans
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.
Min
Free$0
The full browser, with ad and tracker blocking on by default.
Ways to pay less
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.
Min
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Brave or Min?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Min is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $2.50 a month when paid by the year for Brave. Brave starts at $3.00 per month, or $29.99 per year (Search premium), and Min is free.
Which has a free plan, Brave or Min?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Brave and Min have a free plan.
Which platforms do Brave and Min run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Brave lists iOS and Android apps. Both list macOS, Windows and Linux 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.