Brave Browser vs Tor Browser
Brave Browser
brave.comTor Browser
torproject.orgSide by side
| Figure | Brave Browser | Tor Browser |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2.50/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 1 |
| Spec score · Web browsers | 9.5 (#1) | 9.1 (#10) |
| Spec score · Privacy browsers | 9.5 (#1) | 9.1 (#4) |
| Founded | 2015 | 2006 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Supported platforms | both | both |
| Tracker Blocking | Shields blocks third-party tracking scripts and the ads that depend on them. | Each website is isolated so third-party trackers and ads cannot follow the user, and cookies are cleared when the session ends. |
Plans
Brave Browser
- FreeFree
- Brave Origin$59.99, paid once
- Search premium$29.99 a year
- Talk premium$69.99 a year
- Brave VPN$99.99 a year
- Leo AI premium$149.99 a year
In their own words
Brave Browser
Brave Browser is a free, open-source browser for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. It blocks third-party ads and tracking, including video, search, and social media ads; Shields also blocks tracking scripts and ads that depend on them. Brave protects against browser fingerprinting and can upgrade webpages to secure HTTPS connections. Users may choose to view privacy-protecting ads and earn BAT through Brave Rewards, and browser ads can be switched off. Brave Search is the default for most new users and works in any browser, but disabling its search ads requires Search Premium. The browser is built on the open-source Chromium Web core under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. Separate services include Search Premium at $29.99 per year, Talk Premium at $69.99 per year, Brave VPN at $99.99 per year, and Leo AI Premium at $149.99 per year. VPN, Talk Premium, and Leo Premium offer seven-day free trials. Brave says its VPN encrypts every connection, follows a no-logs policy, and receives independent software and infrastructure audits. Enterprise group policies can customize enabled and disabled features.
Tor Browser
Tor Browser routes its own web traffic through the Tor network to help hide a user's real IP address and resist tracking, surveillance, and censorship. Based on Mozilla Firefox ESR, it adds measures such as letterboxing, user-agent spoofing, and first-party isolation to make browser fingerprinting harder. Connections to different websites use different Tor circuits, while connections to the same website address use the same circuit. HTTPS-Only Mode upgrades connections to HTTPS where possible. Standard, Safer, and Safest security levels restrict browser features to varying degrees, which can cause some pages to work improperly. The browser can access onion services, and users in censored regions can configure bridges during setup. It is free, open-source software for Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows. Only Tor Browser traffic goes through Tor; other applications on the device are not automatically protected. The Tor Project recommends verifying download signatures and strongly discourages extra browser add-ons because they can affect privacy, security, or functionality.