Is it worth exchanging the Chrome browser for Brave Browser?

My computer is no longer the same and, due to a problem, i had to postpone replacing my machine for two months. For this reason, I choose to optimize my computer's software to the maximum, to make it faster. I started using exclusively the Brave browser instead of Chrome and, to my surprise, everything was significantly faster.

If you still don't know Brave Browser, don't worry, as compared to Google Chrome, this browser is still considered very small. However, this does not mean that it is not growing, on the contrary, today there are more than 4 million active users. If we take into account that Brave gained popularity from last year, after receiving a series of new features, this is a great achievement.

Last Wednesday, the browser made headlines for announcing the arrival of a feature that had been in testing for some time: the Brave Ads program, which rewards users who choose to consume advertising in the browser. In other words, the company that owns the browser will pay people for some ads while surfing the internet. As the topic caught my attention, I decided to test the service for a few days and my first impressions are positive.

Google Chrome vs Brave Browser: usability and security

I have been using Chrome for a long time, so much so that I was already too used to the Google browser, I even wrote about it . In these five days using Brave, which is also based on Chromium, I had to open Chrome in only two circumstances, due to specific settings of the content editor of the site. And that was enough to show the difference in loading speed between one browser and the other.

Brave is known for being safe, fast and friendly. Much of this fame is thanks to the ad blocking and tracking features offered by default in the browser. Thus, unlike Chrome, it is not necessary to use extensions for this.

In addition, you can import your Chrome bookmarks, browsing history and passwords folders into Brave, which made everything easier, as well as syncing devices. Even the colors of Chrome or the Google search engine itself can be added as a usage pattern. Finally, the layout of the two platforms becomes so similar that, were it not for the name of the software appearing at the top of the screen, you would hardly even notice the difference between one and the other. However, if visually everything is very similar, in relation to the navigation experience, things completely change the scenario.

Brave Browser blocks ads natively and uses only the https protocol. In addition, it is possible to choose what data will be deleted at the end of a browsing session, as well as to personalize practically the entire browsing experience, whether in the address bar, through shortcuts, or directly in the settings.

Of course, Chrome is also safe, after all, Google constantly updates the browser to prevent malicious software from finding loopholes in the system to steal users' data. However, being the most used browser among people, the Google browser is also the most targeted by cybercriminals.

Regarding advertising blocking, Chrome has great extensions for that. In fact, compared to Brave, Google's browser certainly wins out when it comes to extensions. This is because the developers of Brave limit the use of this feature too much, in order to ensure that no malicious extension compromises the user's security.

Google Chrome vs Brave Browser: privacy

Regarding privacy on Brave, the standard ad blocker inhibits the tracking of online users' activities. The incognito window in Brave uses Tor to prevent any unsecured connections. Chrome, on the other hand, is a great tool from Google to make money on the activities of online users, even if it contains a request "Do not Track" the navigation traffic, it is an intrinsic feature of the service.

Google Chrome vs Brave Browser: speed

But the security and privacy features didn't catch my attention as much as the difference in the speed of loading pages on Brave. But how can this browser be so much faster?

Both Brave and Chrome are developed on top of the Chromium system, as well as the new Microsoft Edge. The difference between these is that the lack of third-party ads on Brave means that we have less content to download before accessing a web page. That simple!

The Brave team made a comparison between the loading speeds of Brave, Chrome and Firefox, in which we can see a good advantage of Brave over competitors. However, it is necessary to view this result with some caution, as much of it comes from blocking ads, so this result may not always be replicated.

Google Chrome vs Brave Browser: payment method

Another function that made me choose Brave was the Basic Attention Token (BAT) cryptocurrency wallet. Among other functions, BAT is a way to compensate people for the time spent on ads, as well as encouraging payment for content that is consumed on the internet, by sending contributions to the sites most used by users. However, the feature was only announced last week and is still being implemented, so I was unable to test it.

In other words, when functional, you start receiving cryptocurrencies (BAT) to see advertising in the browser, not on the sites themselves. In the end, you can choose to contribute to the publications or even withdraw the value of your portfolio. Chrome, in addition to not offering this type of option, makes money from analyzing the activities of online users. In fact, this would be the currency of exchange for the fee-free use of the service.

Google Chrome vs Brave Browser: was the exchange worth it?

So far, the browser switch is paying off. Because of all that i describe, I will remain using Brave instead of Chrome on my computer and cell phone. The browser is secure, guarantees my privacy, loads the pages much faster, helping me a lot at this point, and as soon as the Brave Ads program is available to me, I will be able to see if this history of user remuneration is factual or another marketing trick.

Of course, there are other options on the market, also lightweight, Opera is an example of that. However, the similarity and ease of synchronizing data and devices helped a lot in the transition from Chrome to Brave.

If you want to download and test the Brave Browser, visit the official browser page for download - http://bit.ly/_brave_browser .