# Brave

> Open-source browser that blocks ads and trackers by default

Brave is a free, open-source browser built on Chromium that blocks third-party ads, trackers and fingerprinting by default through a feature called Shields. It includes the Leo AI assistant, Brave Search as the default search engine for most new users, private windows that route through Tor, and an optional crypto wallet and rewards program. Brave Software sells a VPN and premium tiers of Leo, Search and Talk as separate subscriptions.

- **Category:** Browsers
- **Made by:** Brave Software, Inc. (since 2015)
- **Website:** https://brave.com
- **Runs on:** Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

Brave has a free plan. Paid plans start at $3.00 per month, or $29.99 per year (Search premium).

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **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.
- **Free trial:** 7-day free trial on Brave VPN, Leo AI premium and Talk premium.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://brave.com/premium/ on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Brave before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **About 17% off with yearly billing** (Annual discount): 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. Source: https://brave.com/premium/

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.8 out of 5 from 660,596 ratings in the United States, read Oct 7, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1052879175

Often praised:

- Ad blocking that is built in and works from the start is a reason given again and again for choosing it, by reviewers and commenters alike. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1052879175, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49879909, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49880215)
- Reviewers and commenters describe it as quick, with several saying pages feel faster than in the browser they used before. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1052879175, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49879909, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49879589)
- Commenters welcome Brave Origin, which they describe as a pared-down edition that leaves out the extras of the standard browser. (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49884528, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49883107, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49879909)

Often criticised:

- Even commenters who use it daily say the standard browser arrives cluttered with cryptocurrency features and other extras that they turn off or hide. (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49879909, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49879589, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49878824)
- Reviewers of the iPhone app report websites or video players that do not work until its blocking is switched off, which one gives as the reason for going back to Chrome. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1052879175)

Based on 10 App Store reviews, five of them more than three years old, and about 30 Hacker News comments from one week in September and October 2026, most in a single thread. These are themes summarised from public reviews and discussions, not ToolGPA's own verdict.

## Works with

Chrome Web Store, Tor, Wayback Machine, Google Docs, Google Sheets

**Tags:** Web browser, Open source, AI features, Password manager, Video calls

## Alternatives

- [Firefox](https://toolgpa.com/tools/firefox): Free, open-source browser from Mozilla with tracker blocking built in. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/brave-vs-firefox)
- [DuckDuckGo Browser](https://toolgpa.com/tools/duckduckgo-browser): Free browser that blocks trackers, ads and cookie pop-ups by default. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/brave-vs-duckduckgo-browser)
- [Google Chrome](https://toolgpa.com/tools/google-chrome): Google's free browser for desktop and mobile, with Gemini built in. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/brave-vs-google-chrome)
- [Vivaldi](https://toolgpa.com/tools/vivaldi): Customizable browser with built-in mail, calendar and feed reader. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/brave-vs-vivaldi)
- [Opera](https://toolgpa.com/tools/opera): Browser with a built-in ad blocker, free VPN and sidebar messengers. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/brave-vs-opera)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026:

- https://brave.com/
- https://brave.com/premium/
- https://brave.com/features/
- https://brave.com/leo/
- https://brave.com/firewall-vpn/
- https://brave.com/origin/
- https://brave.com/about/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/brave
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).