Brave is a free and open-source web browser developed by Brave Software Inc.
I am now recommending the Brave browser as a viable alternative to the Firefox browser. This is because the latest version of Brave supports Chrome extensions. Extension support is an important feature is any modern browser.
Brave include these built-in privacy features:
- ad blocking
- tracker blocking
- browser fingerprinting protection
- HTTPS everywhere
- script blocking
All of these features may be turned on or off.
Brave is based on the Chromium web browser. Chromium is the open-source version of Google’s Chrome browser. Chromium differs from Chrome, because it leave out these features:
- Auto-update capability
- Integrated Adobe Flash Player
- API keys for some Google services
- The Widevine digital rights management module
- Licensed codecs for the H.264 video and AAC audio formats
- Tracking mechanisms for usage and crash reports
Additionally, Brave developers have stated they have removed all the Google telemetry code from Brave browser. However, I understand that some privacy advocates may still feel that the association with Google is too concerning. Others want to avoid Chrome-based browsers because they wish to support alternative browser ecosystems (like Firefox).