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A completely secure and fast mobile browser that rewards users for opting into ad viewing

A completely secure and fast mobile browser that rewards users for opting into ad viewing

Vote: (2 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Brave Software

Version: 1.0.61

Vote:

Program license

(2 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

Brave Software

1.0.61

What is the Brave browser?

Brave is a Chromium-based browser that tackles the biggest upcoming questions in privacy and advertising.

Ad blocking plugins and systems are constantly changing to keep up with keeping the internet free of clutter. Unfortunately, it costs money to support the many websites and content creators out there.

What do you do about it? You could keep using ad blockers, but many sites detect ad blocking and will stop you from viewing the content completely. You could use alternative sources, but more sites are joining the cause.

Because web hosting is expensive.

Brave challenges the issue by not just having built-in ad blocking, but a system that helps you support the content creators you love if you want to.

Putting Site Support In Your Hands

The main features that set Brave apart from other Chromium browsers are the built-in ad blocking and the wallet system.

Ad blocking is a project of passion, and often only good when passionate, independent developers work on the project. Many ad blockers such as Adblock, Adblock Plus, and NoScript have sold themselves to other companies, or fell apart due to infighting.

Brave is a professional venture into the ad blocking and ad management space. Rather than giving users a false sense of protection and then bringing in unexpected ads from partners, the partnership option is given to users.

When you use brave, you have a wallet that can be used to pay the sites you visit. You can use most national currencies, along with cryptocurrencies. Fiat and other cryptocurrency options are available.

Of course, you can also choose to completely block ads. Sites that don't want you to visit will still block your access, and you can do anything that you'd do with a normal, functional ad blocker.

If you want to circumvent, do so. If you want to whitelist a site and allow adds, you can. If you want to block ads and pay to sites without joining a membership platform on every site, Brave's wallet is the way.

If there is a site you want to support, but you can't get it to work with Brave, contact Brave's support team and inform the site's administrator.

Pros and Cons

PROS:

  • Fast and lightweight. It's a Chromium browser and you don't need to install an add-on for ad blocking to slow things down.
  • Built-in ad blocker.
  • Options to support content creators. Use the Brave payment system--including the wallet--to give money in the place of adds automatically.
  • Open Source. Brave will evolve efficiently, and if you want to work on a Brave-based project, there are tools and ideas available.

CONS:

  • Chromium-based. If you don't trust Google and its tools, this isn't for you. If a Google engineer knows of an exploit in Chrome, they could use the same exploit in any Chromium browser. If you're worried about Google monitoring, any Chromium browser counts.
  • Not yet widely-adopted. Although most sites that support Chrome will support Brave, some slight differences may break website experience. Having more than one browser installed for comparison is helpful.
  • Low add-on support. While this is a Chromium browser, not all Chromium projects have direct add-on support. Some may work with manual installation if you know a bit of code, but others may break completely without support from the add-on developer or a supporting tool from Brave
  • Brave is in beta. This isn't a final product. The approach to ad management and supporting content creators is experimental, as are many other products. Give it a try if you don't mind troubleshooting, but keep another browser installed.