Brave vs Chrome, and the Best Brave Alternatives

Feb 16, 2020 · Updated: Oct 30, 2026

Updated in October 2026 with a comparison of Brave alternatives, Chrome’s Manifest V3 switch, Brave Origin, and the Arc shutdown.

I wrote the first version of this post in 2020, when I moved from Chrome to Brave (still using it today!). Chrome had the developer tools I needed every day, Brave had the same tools on the same engine and blocked ads and trackers out of the box. That trade still holds.

Brave has changed since then. It now ships a crypto wallet, an AI assistant, a VPN upsell and its own ad network, and plenty of people searching for “Brave alternatives” want a browser without them. Others want off Chromium altogether.

This guide covers both directions. First Brave vs Chrome, then how Brave compares to Firefox, Zen, Vivaldi and Arc, and which one to pick.

Is Brave better than Chrome?

For privacy, yes. Brave is built on Chromium, the open-source project behind Chrome, so websites render the same and Chrome extensions install from the Chrome Web Store. The difference is what Google adds on top and what Brave takes out.

	Brave	Chrome
Engine	Chromium (Blink)	Chromium (Blink)
Ad blocking	Built in (Shields), on by default	None
Tracker blocking	On by default, plus fingerprinting protection	Limited, relies on Google’s own settings
Manifest V2	Brave hosts uBlock Origin and a few other MV2 extensions	Removed, full uBlock Origin no longer runs
Sync	End-to-end encrypted sync chain, no account needed	Google account, end-to-end only with a sync passphrase
Default search	Brave Search	Google
AI	Leo, can be turned off	Gemini
Private window	Optional Tor window	Incognito

The Manifest V2 row is the one that changed the most since 2020. Chrome dropped the extension API that full ad blockers depended on, so uBlock Origin is gone from Chrome and only uBlock Origin Lite remains. Brave keeps its own blocker working regardless, because Shields is part of the browser and not an extension. You can also install the full uBlock Origin from Settings > Extensions > Manifest V2 extensions.

Speed is the other reason people switch. Brave loads pages faster than Chrome on ad-heavy sites, mostly because it downloads less. On a clean site the two are about the same, since the engine is the same.

How to make Chrome more like Brave?

If you have to stay on Chrome, you can get part of the way:

Install uBlock Origin Lite.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Ad privacy and turn off every option.
Under Settings > Privacy and security > Third-party cookies, block third-party cookies.
Set a sync passphrase under Settings > You and Google > Sync so Google can’t read your synced data.

You still won’t get fingerprinting protection or the full uBlock Origin.

Why people look for Brave alternatives?

The complaints are mostly about what Brave added, not about Shields:

Brave Rewards and BAT. Brave’s opt-in ad network pays you in its own crypto token, BAT.
Brave Wallet, a built-in crypto wallet.
Leo, the AI assistant in the sidebar and address bar.
Brave VPN and Brave Talk, paid add-ons promoted inside the browser.
Brave News on the new tab page.

All of these can be switched off or hidden in settings, and none of them run unless you enable them. If the clutter is your only problem, spend ten minutes in settings before switching browsers.

Brave also sells Brave Origin, a version with Rewards, Wallet, Leo, VPN, News, Tor and the rest removed, for a one-time $59.99. It’s free on Linux. Shields stays. Paying to remove features you can turn off for free is a hard sell, but it’s there if you want a clean build.

If the problem is Brave itself, its business model or its reliance on Chromium, here are the alternatives.

Best Brave alternatives compared

Browser	Engine	Ad and tracker blocking by default	Sync	Extensions	Mobile	AI
Brave	Chromium	Ads and trackers	End-to-end encrypted, no account	Chrome Web Store, some MV2	Android, iOS	Leo, optional
Firefox	Gecko	Trackers only (Enhanced Tracking Protection)	End-to-end encrypted, Mozilla account	Firefox Add-ons, full uBlock Origin	Android, iOS	Optional, one switch turns it all off
Zen	Gecko (Firefox)	Trackers only (inherits Firefox)	Mozilla account, including Spaces	Firefox Add-ons, full uBlock Origin	None	Inherits Firefox’s optional AI
Vivaldi	Chromium	Asks during setup, ads and trackers available	End-to-end encrypted, Vivaldi account	Chrome Web Store	Android, iOS	None, by policy
Arc	Chromium	No	Arc account	Chrome Web Store	Arc Search only	Shutting down December 22, 2026

On iOS, every browser uses Apple’s WebKit engine, so the engine column only applies to desktop and Android.

Firefox

Firefox is the only major browser not built on Chromium or WebKit. If you want to leave Google’s engine behind, this is the default answer.

Enhanced Tracking Protection is on out of the box and blocks cross-site tracking cookies, social trackers and cryptominers. It doesn’t block ads, so install uBlock Origin. Firefox kept Manifest V2, so you get the full version Chrome no longer allows. With uBlock Origin installed, Firefox blocks as much as Brave Shields, often more.

Mozilla added AI features in 2025 and 2026, then shipped a single AI controls switch in Firefox 148 after the backlash. One click under Settings > AI controls disables chatbots, AI translations and the rest.

The downsides: some sites are only tested in Chrome and occasionally break, and Firefox’s developer tools work differently from Chrome’s if that’s what you’re used to.

Zen

Zen is Firefox with a different interface. It has vertical tabs, Spaces, split view and a compact mode that hides the toolbars, which is the closest thing to Arc you can get today. Under the hood it’s Firefox, so you get Gecko, Firefox Add-ons and the full uBlock Origin.

Sync runs through a Mozilla account. Since version 1.22b it also syncs Spaces, folders and open tabs between computers.

Two caveats. Zen is still versioned as beta (1.23.3b in October 2026), and a small team maintains it, so security fixes arrive after Firefox ships them. It also has no mobile app. If you sync to your phone, you’d use Firefox there.

Vivaldi

Vivaldi is the Chromium alternative for people who like settings. It’s made by former Opera developers and includes a built-in ad and tracker blocker (you choose the level during setup), tab stacking and tiling, a mail client, a calendar and a feed reader. Almost every part of the interface can be moved or hidden.

Vivaldi’s CEO has said publicly that the browser won’t add AI features, which makes it the clear pick if that’s why you’re leaving Brave. Sync is end-to-end encrypted.

The trade-offs: the interface code isn’t open source, unlike Brave and Firefox. And because it’s Chromium, it follows Chrome on Manifest V3, so plan on the built-in blocker or uBlock Origin Lite instead of the full uBlock Origin.

Arc

Arc used to be the answer for anyone who wanted a better tab layout. That’s over. The Browser Company stopped developing Arc in 2025, sold itself to Atlassian, and has announced that Arc for macOS and Windows will stop working on December 22, 2026. New signups closed in October 2026, and account data will be deleted within 30 days of the shutdown.

The company points Arc users to its new browser, Dia, which is built around an AI assistant. If you liked Arc for its sidebar and Spaces, Zen is closer to what Arc was.

Other browsers worth a look

Helium is built on ungoogled-chromium and ships with uBlock Origin preinstalled. It’s the closest to “Brave without the extras” for free, but it’s young and still in beta.
Mullvad Browser comes from Mullvad and the Tor Project. It’s Tor Browser without the Tor network, built to make every user look the same to fingerprinting scripts.
LibreWolf is Firefox with telemetry removed and stricter privacy settings by default.
Safari is worth reconsidering if you’re on a Mac. It’s the fastest and most battery-friendly browser on macOS, syncs through iCloud, and blocks cross-site tracking by default. It’s what I use outside of work.

Which Brave alternative should you pick?

You want Brave’s blocking but not its crypto and AI. Stay on Brave and turn those features off, or try Helium.
You want off Chromium. Firefox with uBlock Origin.
You liked Arc. Zen.
You want no AI at all, on a Chromium browser. Vivaldi.
You want the strongest anti-fingerprinting. Mullvad Browser.
You’re on a Mac and mostly browse. Safari.

Arc isn’t on the list because it stops working in December.

How to move from Brave to another browser

Most browsers offer to import from Brave when you first open them. If yours doesn’t list Brave, export the data first:

Open the bookmark manager in Brave (Ctrl+Shift+O, or Cmd+Option+B on a Mac), click the three-dot menu and choose Export bookmarks. You get an HTML file every browser can import.
Go to Settings > Autofill and passwords > Password Manager > Settings and click Export passwords. This saves a CSV file. It isn’t encrypted, so delete it once the import is done.
Write down your extensions. Chromium browsers like Vivaldi and Helium install them from the Chrome Web Store. For Firefox and Zen, look up each one on Firefox Add-ons.

Q&A

Q: What is the best alternative to Brave browser? A: Firefox with uBlock Origin for most people. It blocks as much as Brave, isn’t built on Chromium, and has no crypto features. Pick Zen if you want vertical tabs and Spaces, or Vivaldi if you want a Chromium browser with no AI.

Q: Is Brave better than Chrome? A: For privacy, yes. Brave blocks ads and trackers by default, protects against fingerprinting, and still runs the full uBlock Origin, which Chrome no longer allows. Both use the same Chromium engine, so sites and Chrome extensions work the same.

Q: Is Brave based on Chrome? A: Brave is based on Chromium, the open-source project Chrome is built on. It removes Google’s services and adds its own ad blocking, Tor windows, and optional features like Leo AI, Brave Rewards and Brave Wallet.

Q: Is Arc still a good alternative to Brave? A: No. The Browser Company will shut Arc down on December 22, 2026, and has moved development to its AI browser, Dia. Zen is the closest replacement for Arc’s layout.

Q: How do I make Chrome more like Brave? A: Install uBlock Origin Lite, turn off the Ad privacy options, block third-party cookies, and set a sync passphrase. Chrome still won’t have Brave’s fingerprinting protection or the full uBlock Origin.