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Side-by-side comparison ยท AI Browsers & Agents

Brave vs Firefox

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Best overall

Brave

3.9

From $14.99/mo

Firefox

3.6

Free to start

Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

Best overallEasiest to use

Pick it if: Business owners who want an AI helper in the browser but don't want their browsing or chats stored or used for training.

Pick it if: Business owners who want a trusted, independent browser and want to decide for themselves whether AI is on or off.

Overview

AttributeBraveFirefox
In one lineA privacy browser with Leo, a free AI assistant that doesn't keep your chats.Mozilla's free browser with optional AI you can switch off with one setting.
Pricing modelFreemiumFree
Starting price$14.99/moFree
Free plan Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code No No

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeBraveFirefox
Overall rating3.9Winner3.6
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
3.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
3.5
3.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
3.5
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.5
4.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
3.5

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeBraveFirefox
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes
Browser extension No No
API access No No
Teams & business
Team workspace No No
Enterprise plan or SSO No Yes
Connects to other apps No Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes No
Understands images Yes No
Makes images No No
Makes video No No
Writes code No No
Runs agents or automations Yes No
Learns your brand or style No No
Works in many languages Yes Yes
Capabilities score7/ 176/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeBraveFirefox
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Everyday summaries and questions while you browse.

FirefoxOur pick

Free

Everyone, with AI on or off as you choose.

Leo Premium

$14.99/mo, or $149.99/yr

Daily users who want better answers and fewer limits.

Smart Window beta

Free

Heavy researchers in the US, Canada or France.

Which plan to pickStart free. If you hit the daily limits or the answers feel thin, Premium at $14.99 a month gets you Claude-level quality inside a private browser. If you already pay for ChatGPT or Claude, you may not need Premium at all, since those work in any browser.There's nothing to pay. Use the sidebar with whatever AI account you already have. If you're in the US, Canada or France, try Smart Window with a free Mozilla account. Everyone else can join the waitlist.

Key features

AttributeBraveFirefox
Standout features
  • Leo in the sidebar
  • Private by design
  • Choice of models
  • Bring your own model
  • AI browsing (early test)
  • Ask Brave
  • Smart Window (beta)
  • Pick your chatbot
  • Link previews
  • Choice of models
  • Optional memory
  • AI Controls

Pros and cons

AttributeBraveFirefox
Pros
  • Free Leo with no account and no chat history kept
  • Open source, with ads and trackers blocked by default
  • Premium includes Claude models for $14.99 a month
  • Can run your own or a local model
  • On Mac, Windows, Linux, Android and iPhone
  • Every AI feature is optional and free
  • One switch blocks all AI, and stays off through updates
  • Open source, from a non-profit-owned company
  • Use the chatbot you already pay for
  • Link previews run on your own computer
Cons
  • The agent is an opt-in experiment hidden in brave://flags
  • Free models give weaker answers than Comet or ChatGPT
  • Reviewers report the odd confidently wrong answer
  • No connections to Gmail, Slack or calendars like Dia
  • Crypto wallet and rewards extras some people find off-putting
  • Smart Window is only in the US, Canada and France, and still beta
  • No agent that clicks through sites or fills in forms
  • The sidebar is just the chatbot's website in a panel
  • Smart Window needs a Mozilla account and has daily limits
  • A Smart Window bug pulled in browsing from before people opted in, since fixed

Who each one is for

AttributeBraveFirefox
Best for
  • Summarising pages, PDFs and Google Docs privately
  • Quick answers with Brave Search sources
  • People who want ad and tracker blocking built in
  • Running your own or a local AI model in the browser
  • Keeping AI out of the browser entirely
  • Using your own ChatGPT or Claude in a sidebar
  • Summarising and tidying lots of open tabs (US, Canada, France)
  • A browser not owned by an ad or AI company
You'll find it used by
  • Privacy-minded owners
  • Researchers
  • Developers
  • Anyone leaving Chrome
  • Privacy-minded owners
  • Researchers
  • Developers
  • Teams with AI rules

Questions people ask

Which is better, Brave or Firefox?

Brave scores highest overall in our ratings (Brave 3.9/5 and Firefox 3.6/5). Brave is best for summarising pages, PDFs and Google Docs privately and quick answers with Brave Search sources. Firefox is best for Keeping AI out of the browser entirely and using your own ChatGPT or Claude in a sidebar.

Which is cheaper, Brave or Firefox?

Brave: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $14.99/mo. Firefox: It's free and open source.

Which is easier to use, Brave or Firefox?

Brave rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Business owners who want an AI helper in the browser but don't want their browsing or chats stored or used for training.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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