Choosing the right browser is one of the most important decisions you can make regarding your online experience. While searching for the perfect window to the web, Brave might have caught your eye. Its cutting-edge features and outstanding security ratings are difficult to ignore. But is Brave browser safe? In this blog post, we’re going to dive deep into all the details you need to know before making the switch.
Brave browser at a glance
Brave browser is built on Chromium, an open-source web project by Google. This project is the backbone of several browsers, such as Chrome, Vivaldi, and Opera. As such, Brave bears a strong resemblance to the appearance and customization of these browsers. Moreover, with Brave, you don’t need to sacrifice browsing aids, such as bookmarks or favorites. It was also created by the person who invented JavaScript, Brendan Eich, so you can trust he knows his stuff. But is Brave browser safe? Keep reading to learn more.
Brave provides a password manager as part of its features. This simplifies managing unique logins for all your accounts (which you should have). Additional features, such as Brave Search, enhance the security of your network traffic by making it even more challenging to trace. Brave Search differs from an incognito tab. The latter uses a window to access regular search engines like Google and may still disclose information. Brave Search ensures your traffic remains entirely private from its origin.
In case you aren’t familiar, Tor is another open-source browser project designed to make online communication anonymous. Through volunteer-operated servers globally, online traffic is encrypted, making online activities untraceable. However, Tor can have limitations. Brave presents a feature known as Private Window with Tor to address them. This allows users to link to the server network and enjoy enhanced online privacy. All while also retaining the expected functionality of a conventional browser.
See also: Choosing the best web browser for you: an ultimate guide
What makes Brave different from other browsers?
Our previous discussions have already illuminated Brave’s unique positioning. But what if your attention is mainly on its fundamental settings and not the bells and whistles? (Although they are helpful and worth considering.) Brave’s approach to online safety is simplified compared to others. Many acclaimed browsers, such as Firefox, boast about their security features. But Brave eliminates many of the technical challenges for greater convenience.
What sets Brave apart from most browsers is its stress on security. It commits to this by automatically blocking potentially dangerous third parties, such as ads, cross-site cookies, phishing, and malware. You can find that using the shield icon in the address bar if you want to know what Brave has blocked.
While many browsers don’t provide automatic safety measures and often require users to activate them, Brave touts a one-stop solution for privacy and security. This is far different from Google Chrome, where users may need to download third-party extensions (a process that carries its risks) to enable certain security features. Brave also offers monthly updates, equipping the user with new privacy enhancements. The best part is that it’s free for desktop and mobile devices.
Is Brave browser fast?
We acknowledge that only some people will willingly give up performance for security. Brave also understands standard user conduct. They assert they are 3x faster than any other major browser for both Mac and Windows. They accomplish this by trimming the fat and eliminating unnecessary elements on web pages that slow down loading times. This goes hand-in-hand with its ad-blocking capabilities. But is Brave browser safe to use without paying for it?
Brave is free, so what does that mean for the user?
As we know, free software with premium-level capabilities often implies a hidden cost for the user. With browsers like Chrome, this cost comes in the form of data collection. This is how Google maintains its free services yet still generates profit. Is Brave browser safe in this respect? Brave states in their Privacy Policy that they do not store any of this information; it’s just one more reason why it is a more reliable browser than most.
However, despite blocking ads, they do have an ad-supported program called Brave Rewards. It deals with Basic Attention Tokens (BAT) for enabling Brave Ads, which you can donate to creators if you wish. By default, ads are blocked, but Brave Ads are different from real ads because they do not track you. Instead, these ads can earn you monetary rewards like gift cards or cryptocurrency. These ad deals and transactions, along with their premium membership, all generate revenue for the browser.
Is Brave browser safe enough without a VPN?
No matter the security of your chosen browser, using a VPN is still the best way to browse the web safely and securely. Even while using Brave’s built-in Tor browser, it is stripped down to give you a more streamlined experience with the product. This ultimately removes some of its ability to mask your internet traffic.
Without a VPN, your valuable data may still be visible to third parties. These include third parties like advertisers and your internet service provider. With this information, they can restrict your service, slow your internet, or manipulate your buying habits. Similarly, while using public Wi-Fi, sensitive data may be visible to hackers on the same network. This includes your passwords, financial information, and media.
Many people view these nuisances as a necessary evil or calculated risk on the internet. But, letting your data run unprotected through the internet makes you more vulnerable to cybercrime, which can strike anytime. Using Brave is not enough to shield you from these random events, and that’s why using a reliable VPN like IPVanish is essential when using the internet.
You may notice your internet speeds to be faster while pairing these two security-focused programs together, as we have over 2,200 global servers readily available to encrypt your traffic should a slowdown occur. So, is Brave browser safe? More so than other browsers, but realistically, no free software will give you the overarching support the average user needs to stay private on the internet. Pairing any browser with a VPN is (literally) your safest bet.
