andrew

May 30, 2025

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

4.33/5

The Privacy-First, Ad-Blocking Browser with Built-In Web3 Tools

Brave is a fast, Chromium-based browser that emphasizes user privacy, ad blocking, and cryptocurrency integration. Developed by Brave Software, it automatically blocks trackers, invasive ads, and third-party cookies, offering a smoother, faster, and more private browsing experience out of the box.

Brave includes Brave Shields, a dashboard that shows what is being blocked on each site, giving users full transparency and control. It also comes with built-in Tor integration for private tabs, IPFS support, and Brave Search, an independent search engine. Uniquely, Brave offers a crypto-centric rewards system via Brave Rewards and the BAT (Basic Attention Token) — users can opt in to see privacy-respecting ads and earn tokens, which can be used to tip creators or support sites.

As a Chromium browser, Brave supports all Chrome extensions and is highly compatible with modern web apps. It’s well-suited for users seeking performance with robust out-of-the-box privacy features. However, users uninterested in Web3 may find the crypto components unnecessary or confusing.

Brave is ideal for users who value privacy, speed, and transparency — and want a browser that doesn’t just talk about privacy, but enforces it by default.