Brave 1.28.105 / 1.29.58 Beta

Browse the Internet faster than ever with the help of Brave, the next-gen Chromium-based browser that blocks trackers and protects your online privacy

It’s a “brave” new world, a world in which we’re becoming more aware of how important privacy and security are. Brave is a free, open-source, Chromium-based browser developed by Brian Bondy and Brendan Eich, the latter being the creator of JavaScript and co-founder of Mozilla.

Brave has been around for some time now (officially launched in January of 2016 after a long testing period), and it’s mostly regarded as being a security and privacy-focused browser. While this is true, there’s so much more to Brave.

For example, one of Brave’s main missions is to revolutionize the current advertising model that’s currently plaguing the Internet. It’s a damn fine browser for the average user, and here’s why.

First impressions

Upon first launching Brave, you’re met by a mini-tutorial that does a good job of explaining the basics philosophy of brave. Its design is simplistic and very functional (very much like Chrome) and it has a rather interesting  New Tab section that displays a customizable Dashboard with a background image, some Brave stats, news, and a clock.

Speaking of statistics, these include the total number of blocked ads and trackers, how much time and bandwidth this process has saved you. This brings us to our next point. The second thing you’ll notice about Brave is just how smooth as fast it is. Websites are loaded much faster than practically any other browser out there. The difference is not astronomical, of course, but it’s noticeable right from the get-go.

This is mainly because Brave blocks all ads, scrips, and trackers by default. If you want to see just how efficient Brave is, just use it for a couple of weeks, and check out the stats measured in the New Tab section.  Don’t be amazed if you’ll see tens of thousands of trackers and ads blocked, and a couple of GB saved.

Strong security and privacy features

Most of the browser’s security features are packed within the so-called “Shields.” These shields are responsible for ad blocking, fingerprint prevention, cookie control, HTTPS upgrading, and blocking off scripts.

They have one unique advantage worth knowing about: they are configurable on a global (browser-wide) level, as well as on a per-site basis. Furthermore, shields can be disabled for each individual website if you desire.

Carrying on with security features, Brave has a built-in password manager, form autofill, a feature that sends “Do not track” with browsing requests, and it blocks phishing, malware, and aggressive advertising attempts by default.

Then there’s Brave Sync, a feature that allows encrypts all your bookmarks and preferred settings (using a 4-word seed phrase) before synchronizing them to other devices.

As expected, Brave has a “Stealth Mode,” called Private Window. The kicker with this feature is that it also provides you direct access to Tor. Your traffic can be rerouted over the Tor anonymity (Onion) network.

Brave Rewards explained

This is probably the most confusing aspect of Brave for some users, while others will simply go about their daily browsing business and not care all that much.

Should you care? We think – yes! The simple explanation is this: Brave Rewards is a program that allows you to earn tokens for viewing occasional ads. Typically, these will appear as notifications or billboards in the New Tab section.

This means that while Brave blocks third-party ads, it doesn’t block “first-party” ones. Before we go even further, please note that Brave doesn’t shove this feature down your throat. You can completely disable Brave Rewards (and all its elements) if you want.

There are two main elements of this business model: the BAT token (a cryptocurrency token, Brave Attention Token) and the ad network itself. Content creators can sign up to the ad network, and their ads will eventually find their way into Brave while you browse.

These tokens can be used to pay ad creators from the network (the BAT amount is automatically sent to ad providers based on your attention and browsing time) or to buy gif cards through the TAP network.

Verdict

To conclude, even though Brave’s on a straight path towards a revolution of sorts, it’s really up to you if you want to take part in it. Y

You can use Brave as your daily browser and enjoy all the advantages (awesome features, insane security, and access to most of Google Chrome’s ecosystem including extensions), or you can continue to use it with the Rewards system turn off and see how if it’s for you or not.

How about disadvantages? You may or may not align with Brave’s philosophy regarding revolutionizing the ad model of the Internet, therefore, Brave might not be for everyone.

Furthermore, Brave does come pre-packed with tons of plug-ins, extensions, and other similar elements. So, if utter simplicity is what you’re after, again, Brave might not be for you.

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Secure Browser Ad blocker Block Tracker Browser Security Privacy Blocker