Brave vs Zen Browser
We give Brave a 3.8 GPA and Zen Browser a 3.4, out of 4.0. Brave grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. Zen Browser 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
Zen Browser
Free, open-source desktop browser built around vertical tabs
How we grade them
| 3.8GPABraveExcellent | 3.4GPAZen BrowserVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BThe browser is free. The extras are sold one at a time: Search premium at $3 a month, Talk at $7, the VPN at $9.99 and Leo premium at $14.99, with no bundle. Each price is about typical, but they add up fast. | AFree and open source, with no paid tier. The team is funded by optional donations through Patreon and Ko-fi and by sponsors, so paying is up to you. |
| Free plan and trial | AAll of the browser is free: Shields, encrypted sync, Brave Search, Brave Talk calls and the free tier of Leo, which needs no account. Leo's free limits do move with traffic. The VPN, Leo premium and Talk premium each have a 7-day trial. | AAll of it is free: Workspaces, Split View, Compact Mode, Glance and Zen Mods. Sync is free too, and runs through a Mozilla account. |
| Features | AShields block ads, trackers, fingerprinting and cookie notices on every site. Add Leo for summarising pages and PDFs, private windows that go through Tor, vertical tabs, encrypted sync and Chrome Web Store extensions, the MV2 ones too. | BWorkspaces, a vertical tab bar, Compact Mode, Split View, Glance for your most-used tabs, and Zen Mods to restyle it. But there's no Widevine license, so DRM-protected streaming doesn't play on Windows or Mac. Horizontal tabs aren't supported either. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 660,000 App Store ratings. The blocking is on by default, so there's nothing to set up. Some iPhone reviewers do say a site or video player won't work until they switch it off. | BNo App Store rating to go on. It's a desktop app you download and use. But it's labeled a beta and kept up by a small team, so bug reports and feature requests can take time. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWindows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone, with bookmarks, passwords and tabs synced between them. Chrome Web Store extensions work as well. | BMac, Windows and Linux, with add-ons, bookmarks, history and passwords synced through Firefox Sync. There's no Android or iPhone version, and the FAQ says none is planned. |
| Best for | blocking ads and trackers out of the box | vertical tabs on an open-source browser |
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 Zen Browser. How we grade
Where they differ
- Brave starts at $3.00 per month, or $29.99 per year (Search premium). Zen Browser is free.
- Only Brave lists Android and iOS apps.
- Brave also covers password manager and video calls.
At a glance
| Brave | Zen Browser | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Zen is free and open-source with no paid tier. Development is supported by optional donations through Patreon and Ko-fi and by sponsors. |
| 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. | Zen Team |
| Price read from | brave.com | zen-browser.app |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Zen Browser
- People who prefer vertical tabs and a minimal interface
- Firefox users who want workspaces and split view built in
- Those who want an open-source browser funded by donations
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.
Zen Browser
- Zen is labeled a beta and is maintained by a small team, so bug reports and feature requests can take time.
- There is no Android or iOS version, and the FAQ says none is planned.
- The FAQ says Zen has no Widevine license, so DRM-protected streaming does not play on Windows or macOS.
- Horizontal tabs are not supported; the team says they will not be added in the near future.
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.
Zen Browser
- Workspaces
- Tabs are organized into Workspaces so that separate projects stay apart, with quick switching from one to another.
- Vertical tabs and Compact Mode
- The whole interface is built around a vertical tab bar. Compact Mode hides that bar until it is needed, leaving more of the screen for the page.
- Split View
- Split View shows tabs side by side for comparison. Tabs are selected with Ctrl or Shift and split from the right-click menu.
- Glance
- Glance gives quick access to the tabs a person uses most, without scrolling back through history to find them.
- Zen Mods
- Zen Mods are themes and modifications that change how the browser looks and behaves, and the documentation covers live CSS editing for further customization.
- Sync through Firefox Sync
- Signing in with a Mozilla account syncs add-ons, bookmarks, history, passwords and other browser data across devices.
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.
Zen Browser
Free$0
The full browser for macOS, Windows and Linux, including Workspaces, Split View, Compact Mode and Zen Mods.
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.
Zen Browser
No public discounts listed.
