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Side-by-side comparison ยท AI Browsers & Agents

Brave vs Microsoft Edge vs Dots by OpenAI

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

Microsoft Edge

3.9

From $19.99/mo

Dots by OpenAI

3.8

From $100

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Best value

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.

Easiest to use

Pick it if: Windows and Microsoft 365 users who want AI help with reading, comparing and researching in the browser they already have.

Pick it if: ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium users who want an assistant that keeps working on ongoing jobs without being asked every time.

Overview

AttributeBraveMicrosoft EdgeDots by OpenAI
In one lineA privacy browser with Leo, a free AI assistant that doesn't keep your chats.Microsoft's free browser with Copilot built in to read pages, compare tabs and do tasks.Always-on ChatGPT agents with their own cloud computer that keep working on your goals.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumPaid
Starting price$14.99/mo$19.99/mo$100
Free plan Yes Yes No
Works with Claude Code No No No

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeBraveMicrosoft EdgeDots by OpenAI
Overall rating3.93.93.8
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
4.5
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
3.5
3.5
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
3.5
3.5
4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.5
4.0
3.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
4.0
3.5

Feature comparison

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

AttributeBraveMicrosoft EdgeDots by OpenAI
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes No
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes Yes
Browser extension No Yes No
API access No No No
Teams & business
Team workspace No Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO No Yes Yes
Connects to other apps No Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes Yes
Understands images Yes Yes Yes
Makes images No Yesโ€“
Makes video No Noโ€“
Writes code No No Yes
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style No Noโ€“
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score7/ 1712/ 1710/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeBraveMicrosoft EdgeDots by OpenAI
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Everyday summaries and questions while you browse.

FreeOur pick

Free

Most people: summaries, tab comparisons and Journeys.

ChatGPT ProOur pick

$100, $200 or $500/mo

Heavy ChatGPT users outside Europe who want a personal agent.

Leo Premium

$14.99/mo, or $149.99/yr

Daily users who want better answers and fewer limits.

Microsoft 365 Premium

$19.99/mo, or $199.99/yr

US households and sole traders who want the agent and Office apps in one bill.

Business Premium

$100/seat/mo billed yearly, or $125 monthly

Teams that want dots in every supported country.

Microsoft 365 Copilot (business)

See website

Companies on Microsoft 365 business plans.

Enterprise and Edu

Custom

Large organisations testing agents under admin control.

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.Stay on free. The side panel, tab comparisons and Journeys cover what most business owners need, and they cost nothing. Microsoft 365 Premium is only worth it if you're in the US and already want Office for the household; don't buy it just for the browser agent, which Microsoft still calls experimental.Pro 100 is the cheapest way in for one person, and the bigger Pro tiers don't give you a better dot, just more room for the work it runs. If you're in the UK or Europe, or you want dots for staff, Business Premium is the only option. Don't upgrade from Plus just to try it until OpenAI publishes the usage terms that apply after the launch month.

Key features

AttributeBraveMicrosoft EdgeDots by OpenAI
Standout features
  • Leo in the sidebar
  • Private by design
  • Choice of models
  • Bring your own model
  • AI browsing (early test)
  • Ask Brave
  • Copilot side panel
  • Journeys
  • Browse with Copilot
  • Memory and history
  • Study, write, listen
  • Voice and Vision on mobile
  • Always on
  • 4,000+ apps
  • Talk to it anywhere
  • Custom rules
  • Activity view
  • Saved logins

Pros and cons

AttributeBraveMicrosoft EdgeDots by OpenAI
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
  • Already installed on Windows, nothing new to learn
  • Free Copilot reads pages and compares open tabs well
  • Journeys makes it easy to pick research back up
  • Chrome extensions and bookmarks work
  • Strong admin controls for businesses on Microsoft 365
  • Keeps working on a goal without you starting each task
  • Its own cloud computer, so nothing runs on your laptop
  • Custom rules give clear control over what it can do alone
  • Reach it in Slack and Teams, not just ChatGPT
  • Chatting with it doesn't count against your ChatGPT limits
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
  • The agent is US only and needs Microsoft 365 Premium
  • Several features are US or English-language only, so Australian users get less
  • Microsoft calls the agent experimental and warns it can misread instructions
  • Copilot prompts are pushed into many corners of the browser, which some find cluttered
  • Screenshots from agent sessions are kept with the chat for up to 30 days
  • Needs Pro or Business Premium, at $100 a month or more
  • Pro users in the EU, UK and Switzerland can't use it yet
  • Tasks it runs still use your plan's limits, and later pricing for extra dots is unknown
  • Early reviews reported failed checkouts, dropped messages and permission bugs
  • An agent with access to your apps around the clock needs careful rules and regular checks

Who each one is for

AttributeBraveMicrosoft EdgeDots by OpenAI
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 long pages and PDFs
  • Comparing products or quotes across open tabs
  • Picking research back up days later with Journeys
  • Businesses already paying for Microsoft 365
  • Ongoing watch jobs like reviews, competitors or a support inbox
  • Daily or weekly briefings pulled from your apps
  • Research that keeps running in the background
  • Teams that want an agent inside Slack or Teams
You'll find it used by
  • Privacy-minded owners
  • Researchers
  • Developers
  • Anyone leaving Chrome
  • Office workers
  • Small business owners
  • Students
  • Windows users
  • Founders
  • Operations teams
  • Product teams
  • Researchers

Questions people ask

Which is better, Brave, Microsoft Edge or Dots by OpenAI?

They tie on our overall rating (Brave 3.9/5, Microsoft Edge 3.9/5 and Dots by OpenAI 3.8/5). Brave is best for summarising pages, PDFs and Google Docs privately and quick answers with Brave Search sources. Microsoft Edge is best for summarising long pages and PDFs and comparing products or quotes across open tabs. Dots by OpenAI is best for ongoing watch jobs like reviews, competitors or a support inbox and daily or weekly briefings pulled from your apps.

Which is cheaper, Brave, Microsoft Edge or Dots by OpenAI?

Brave: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $14.99/mo. Microsoft Edge: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.99/mo. Dots by OpenAI: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $100.

Which is easier to use, Brave, Microsoft Edge or Dots by OpenAI?

Microsoft Edge rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Windows and Microsoft 365 users who want AI help with reading, comparing and researching in the browser they already have.

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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