Secure and fast Internet browsing made possible with this web browser that prioritizes privacy, security and ad blocking by stopping trackers.
Brave Browser is an Internet browser created to prevent trackers, ads and inappropriate content. It does so by sharing less information with online advertisers and ad networks.
The layout and usage of Brave isn't very different from other web browsers like Chrome or Firefox. If you're used to Google Chrome, then Brave is an easy switch as its layout and settings are very similar.
With the huge increase in different types of ad trackers and sophisticated data collection of large corporations like Google, Facebook and Amazon, it may be necessary to add some privacy protection to your web surfing with browsers like Brave.
Blocking ads and improved overall privacy while browsing
Brave does many things differently. For one, Brave will prevent advertisements from being displayed in your viewing area, instead opting to move them to different locations.
Brave Browser is optimized for using online shopping and payment services, all of which can be directly configured in the program settings.
The usage of HTTPS Everywhere is an excellent feature which will automatically direct your web browser to use the secure version of a web site, even if the web site has never converted over from the insecure HTTP protocol to HTTPS. This is an excellent initiative to completely secure web browsing.
Protection from Big Tech
The Brave project also attempts to move away from the so-called Big Tech giants and uses alternative services such as search and video. It does a great job at keeping online social media like Facebook from following you around the web as well as Google's services following you from site to site.
With Brave Browser, you're also pretty well protected from other types of trackers like thos from big advertisers, online shopping sites like Amazon and other intrusive advertising features.
In its mission to "ditch Big Tech", Brave has developed its own search engine, has free online video and telephony services and customized news feeds breaking away from the largest aggregators and data collectors.
Brave has also done away with cross-site trackers, cookies, fingerprinting, invasive advertisers and has also employed the Tor Network. The latter allows for completely anonymous web browsing.
To browse the web with Tor on Brave Browser, simply open a new Private window with Tor. This will open up a new incognito window and connect to the Tor network. When finished, a green notice will appear in the upper-left corner signalling that the connection has been established.
One really cool feature is the option to automatically redirect away from Google AMP pages to the original publisher's site. A really neat and useful feature.
A stable and fast browser based on the same code as Google Chrome
As Brave is based on the Chromium project, the same as Google Chrome, it's open-source, meaning anybody can obtain the code and inspect it.
One of the big advantages of having such a huge open-source base is its continued democratic development, speedy releases and identification of bugs and other issues encountered.
In closing
The browser has a few extra unique features that take advantage of newer technologies we've not seen on other browsers: the Crypto wallet, Brave Rewards and more.
In the end, Brave is a pretty good web browser which puts a little bit more thought into user privacy than other browsers.
Features of Brave Browser
- Integrates with Amazon and Facebook.
- Ad-blocker: Blocks third-party ads and trackers by default, which helps to improve online privacy and security, as well as speed up page loading times.
- Chromium-based: Built on Chromium, the open-source project behind Google Chrome, which means that it has a similar user interface and supports most of the same web standards and technologies.
- Earn crypto: Provides a feature called Brave Rewards, which allows users to earn cryptocurrency (Basic Attention Token or BAT) by viewing privacy-respecting ads and supporting their favorite content creators.
- Password manager: Integrates a password manager and form filler to make it easier to create and use strong passwords and fill out online forms.
- Private browsing: Offers a private browsing mode that prevents browsing history, search history and cookies from being saved.
- Secure browsing: Offers built-in support for HTTPS Everywhere, which automatically encrypts communication with websites that support it.
- Themes: Allows users to customize their browsing experience with a range of extensions and themes.
Compatibility and License
Brave Browser is free software made available under the Mozilla Public Licence for the Windows operating system from web browsers. With this type of license, users are permitted to freely download, modify and distribute it without any real restrictions.
What version of Windows can Brave Browser run on?
Brave Browser can be used on a computer running Windows 11 or Windows 10. Previous versions of the OS shouldn't be a problem with Windows 8 and Windows 7 having been tested. It comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit downloads.
Other operating systems: The latest Brave Browser version from 2024 is also available for Android, Mac and iPhone. These are often available from the app store.
Filed under:
- Brave Browser Download
- Free Web Browsers
- Open source and GPL software
- Secure Browsing Software
