Brave Browser

Brave is a free, open-source web browser developed by Brave Software (founded by Brendan Eich, the creator of JavaScript and co-founder of Mozilla, and Brian Bondy). Built on the Chromium engine (the same rendering engine used by Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Vivaldi), Brave distinguishes itself through its strong privacy-first approach: it blocks advertisements, website trackers, and fingerprinting scripts by default, without requiring users to install third-party extensions. The browser includes Shields, a built-in ad and tracker blocking system based on the EasyList and uBlock Origin filter lists, which blocks third-party ads, cross-site trackers, crypto-mining scripts, and annoying cookie consent dialogs. Brave also includes built-in support for HTTPS Everywhere (automatically upgrading HTTP connections to HTTPS), fingerprinting protection (randomizing browser fingerprints to prevent cross-site tracking), and a built-in Tor integration for private browsing in onion mode. Unique features include: Brave Rewards (an optional system where users can earn Basic Attention Token (BAT) cryptocurrency by viewing privacy-respecting first-party Brave Ads, and optionally contribute BAT to their favorite content creators and websites), Brave Search (an independent search engine built from scratch with its own index, not dependent on Google or Bing results), Brave Wallet (a built-in cryptocurrency wallet supporting Ethereum, Solana, and EVM-compatible chains), and Brave Fireworks (native IPFS support for accessing decentralized content). As of 2026, Brave has over 60 million monthly active users and over 18,000 stars on the browser-laptop repository.