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Side-by-side comparison ยท AI Browsers & Agents

Brave vs Google Chrome

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

Brave

3.9

From $14.99/mo

Best overall

Google Chrome

4.1

From $19.99/mo

Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

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.

Best overallEasiest to use

Pick it if: Anyone already using Chrome and Google's apps who wants AI help reading, comparing and researching without switching browsers.

Overview

AttributeBraveGoogle Chrome
In one lineA privacy browser with Leo, a free AI assistant that doesn't keep your chats.The world's most used browser, now with Gemini built in to read pages and do tasks.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$14.99/mo$19.99/mo
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.

AttributeBraveGoogle Chrome
Overall rating3.94.1Winner
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
4.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
3.5
4.0
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
4.0

Feature comparison

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

AttributeBraveGoogle Chrome
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes
Browser extension No Yes
API access No No
Teams & business
Team workspace No Yes
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 Yes
Understands images Yes Yes
Makes images No Yes
Makes video No No
Writes code No No
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style No No
Works in many languages Yes Yes
Capabilities score7/ 1712/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeBraveGoogle Chrome
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Everyday summaries and questions while you browse.

FreeOur pick

Free

Most people: summaries, tab comparisons and AI search.

Leo Premium

$14.99/mo, or $149.99/yr

Daily users who want better answers and fewer limits.

Google AI Pro

$19.99/mo

US users who want Gemini to do tasks on websites for them.

Google AI Ultra

From $99.99/mo

Heavy users who hit Pro's limits.

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.Use it free. The side panel is what most business owners will actually use, and it's free in Australia. Only pay for AI Pro if you're in the US or India and want auto browse, or you want Gemini's better models anyway. Nobody needs Ultra for the browser.

Key features

AttributeBraveGoogle Chrome
Standout features
  • Leo in the sidebar
  • Private by design
  • Choice of models
  • Bring your own model
  • AI browsing (early test)
  • Ask Brave
  • Gemini side panel
  • Auto browse
  • Works with Google apps
  • AI Mode in the address bar
  • Skills
  • Scam protection

Pros and cons

AttributeBraveGoogle Chrome
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
  • Most people already use it, so there's nothing to switch
  • Free Gemini side panel, available in Australia
  • Works with Gmail, Calendar and YouTube
  • Huge extension library
  • Asks before sign-ins and purchases during auto browse
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
  • Auto browse is paid, US and India only, and not on iPhone
  • Early reviews found auto browse unreliable and prone to claiming tasks it hadn't done
  • Page content you share with Gemini is sent to Google
  • Not yet available in the EU
  • Gemini prompts are increasingly pushed into the browser whether you want them or not

Who each one is for

AttributeBraveGoogle Chrome
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
  • Summarising pages and YouTube videos
  • Comparing products or suppliers across tabs
  • Adding events to Google Calendar from a page
  • Google Workspace users who don't want a new browser
You'll find it used by
  • Privacy-minded owners
  • Researchers
  • Developers
  • Anyone leaving Chrome
  • Small business owners
  • Marketers
  • Students
  • Google Workspace users

Questions people ask

Which is better, Brave or Google Chrome?

Google Chrome scores highest overall in our ratings (Brave 3.9/5 and Google Chrome 4.1/5). Brave is best for summarising pages, PDFs and Google Docs privately and quick answers with Brave Search sources. Google Chrome is best for summarising pages and YouTube videos and comparing products or suppliers across tabs.

Which is cheaper, Brave or Google Chrome?

Brave: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $14.99/mo. Google Chrome: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo.

Which is easier to use, Brave or Google Chrome?

Google Chrome rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone already using Chrome and Google's apps who wants AI help reading, comparing and researching without switching browsers.

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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