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Side-by-side comparison ยท AI Browsers & Agents

Brave vs Dots by OpenAI vs Opera One

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

Dots by OpenAI

3.8

From $100

Opera One

3.9

Free to start

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

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.

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

Easiest to use

Pick it if: Anyone who wants a free Chrome alternative with a capable AI sidebar, tab organisation and a built-in VPN, without paying for anything.

Overview

AttributeBraveDots by OpenAIOpera One
In one lineA privacy browser with Leo, a free AI assistant that doesn't keep your chats.Always-on ChatGPT agents with their own cloud computer that keep working on your goals.Opera's free everyday browser with a built-in AI sidebar that reads your tabs.
Pricing modelFreemiumPaidFree
Starting price$14.99/mo$100Free
Free plan Yes No Yes
Works with Claude Code No No No

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeBraveDots by OpenAIOpera One
Overall rating3.93.83.9
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
4.0
4.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
3.5
4.5
3.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
3.5
4.0
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.5
3.0
4.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
3.5
4.0

Feature comparison

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

AttributeBraveDots by OpenAIOpera One
Access & platform
Free plan Yes No Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes Yes
Browser extension No No No
API access No No No
Teams & business
Team workspace No Yes No
Enterprise plan or SSO No Yes No
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 Noโ€“ Yes
Makes video Noโ€“ No
Writes code No Yes No
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes No
Learns your brand or style Noโ€“ No
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score7/ 1710/ 178/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeBraveDots by OpenAIOpera One
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Everyday summaries and questions while you browse.

ChatGPT ProOur pick

$100, $200 or $500/mo

Heavy ChatGPT users outside Europe who want a personal agent.

Free

Free

Everyone. There is no paid tier for the AI.

Leo Premium

$14.99/mo, or $149.99/yr

Daily users who want better answers and fewer limits.

Business Premium

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

Teams that want dots in every supported country.

Free with an Opera accountOur pick

Free

Anyone who wants chat history across devices and more images.

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.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.It's all free. Sign in with a free Opera account if you want your chats saved and more images; otherwise just download it and click Ask AI. Opera sells a separate VPN Pro, but you don't need it for the AI.

Key features

AttributeBraveDots by OpenAIOpera One
Standout features
  • Leo in the sidebar
  • Private by design
  • Choice of models
  • Bring your own model
  • AI browsing (early test)
  • Ask Brave
  • Always on
  • 4,000+ apps
  • Talk to it anywhere
  • Custom rules
  • Activity view
  • Saved logins
  • Opera AI sidebar
  • Tab Islands
  • Files and video
  • Browser Connector
  • Built-in extras
  • Privacy switches

Pros and cons

AttributeBraveDots by OpenAIOpera One
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
  • 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
  • Free, with no account needed for the AI
  • Tab Islands make the AI's context easy to control
  • Handles files, YouTube videos and images, not just web pages
  • Free VPN, ad blocker and translator built in
  • Page access is off until you allow it
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
  • 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
  • No agent: it can't click, fill in forms or finish tasks on sites
  • Browser Connector for ChatGPT and Claude is still an opt-in test feature
  • Opera doesn't say which Gemini model you get or publish chat limits
  • Sponsored speed dials and news on the start page by default

Who each one is for

AttributeBraveDots by OpenAIOpera One
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
  • 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
  • Summarising long pages and YouTube videos
  • Comparing suppliers or products grouped in a Tab Island
  • Quick drafts and translations while you browse
  • Keeping work and personal tabs organised
You'll find it used by
  • Privacy-minded owners
  • Researchers
  • Developers
  • Anyone leaving Chrome
  • Founders
  • Operations teams
  • Product teams
  • Researchers
  • Small business owners
  • Students
  • Researchers
  • Anyone switching from Chrome

Questions people ask

Which is better, Brave, Dots by OpenAI or Opera One?

They tie on our overall rating (Brave 3.9/5, Dots by OpenAI 3.8/5 and Opera One 3.9/5). Brave is best for summarising pages, PDFs and Google Docs privately and quick answers with Brave Search sources. 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. Opera One is best for summarising long pages and YouTube videos and comparing suppliers or products grouped in a Tab Island.

Which is cheaper, Brave, Dots by OpenAI or Opera One?

Brave: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $14.99/mo. Dots by OpenAI: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $100. Opera One: It's free to use.

Which is easier to use, Brave, Dots by OpenAI or Opera One?

Opera One rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone who wants a free Chrome alternative with a capable AI sidebar, tab organisation and a built-in VPN, without paying for anything.

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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