Perplexity's free web browser with an assistant that reads your tabs and does tasks.
AI Browsers & Agents
Brave
A privacy browser with Leo, a free AI assistant that doesn't keep your chats.
3.9our rating
FreemiumOpen sourceFrom $14.99/mo
Quick take
- A fast, free Chrome-style browser that blocks ads, with Leo, an AI sidebar that summarises and answers questions about the page you're on.
- Leo is free with daily limits and no account. Premium is $14.99 a month, or $149.99 a year, for Claude and other larger models.
- Brave doesn't keep your chats or train on them, and you can plug in your own model. That's the main reason to choose it over Comet.
- The agent that clicks through websites is still an early test you switch on in a hidden settings page. Don't choose Brave for that yet.
What is Brave?
Brave is a free, open source web browser from Brave Software, built on the same engine as Chrome and known for blocking ads and trackers by default. Its AI assistant, Leo, sits in the sidebar and the address bar. It can summarise the page you're on, a PDF, a Google Doc or Sheet, answer questions about it, translate, and draft text. There's no account needed for the free version, and Brave says it doesn't keep your chats or use them to train models.
Day to day, Leo is a reader and a writer: it explains what's in front of you, and mixes in Brave Search results for fresher answers. Premium unlocks larger models, including Claude Sonnet and Opus, and higher limits. You can also plug in your own model, including one running on your own computer. Since May 2026 there's an early test of AI browsing, where Leo clicks through sites for you in a separate, walled-off profile, but you have to switch it on in a hidden settings page. Pick Brave if privacy matters most and you mainly want summaries and answers; pick Comet if you want a more capable agent that does tasks for you; pick Dia if you work inside Slack and Atlassian tools.
The catch is that Leo is a step behind on doing things. The agent is still an experiment Brave itself calls risky, it doesn't share your logged-in sessions, and the free models give weaker answers than Comet or ChatGPT. Reviewers also flag the odd confidently wrong answer. Some people dislike Brave's crypto wallet and rewards extras, though you can turn them off.
Who's using it, and who it's for
- Privacy-minded owners
- Researchers
- Developers
- Anyone leaving Chrome
Business owners who want an AI helper in the browser but don't want their browsing or chats stored or used for training.
Key features
Leo in the sidebar
Summarises and answers questions about the page, a PDF, a video transcript, or a Google Doc or Sheet you have open.
Private by design
No account on the free plan, chats aren't kept or used for training, and models run on Brave's own servers rather than going to the model makers.
Choice of models
Free models include Llama and Qwen. Premium adds Claude Sonnet and Opus, DeepSeek and others, plus an automatic mode that picks for you.
Bring your own model
Connect your own AI account or a model running on your computer, so nothing leaves your machine.
AI browsing (early test)
Since May 2026, Leo can click through sites to finish a task in a separate profile, once you switch it on in brave://flags.
Ask Brave
Free AI answers and follow-up chat in Brave Search, in any browser, including a deep research mode.
How we rate it
3.9 / 5
Our rating
From using the tool ourselves. The average of the five scores.
- Ease of use
- 4.0
- Features
- 3.5
- Output quality
- 3.5
- Value for money
- 4.5
- Speed & reliability
- 4.0
How quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
How completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
How good the results are before you fix them.
What you get for the price, including the free plan.
How fast it is and how often it falls over.
Brave pricing
- Our pick
Free
Free
Everyday summaries and questions while you browse.
- The full browser on desktop and mobile
- Leo with standard models and daily limits
- No account needed
- Ask Brave AI answers in Brave Search
Leo Premium
$14.99/mo, or $149.99/yr
Daily users who want better answers and fewer limits.
- Claude Sonnet and Opus, DeepSeek and other larger models
- Higher usage limits and faster replies
- Works across your devices
- Subscription can't be linked to your chats
Which plan should you pick?
Start 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.
Prices in USD unless noted, checked 22 October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their site before you buy.
Best use cases
Ways Brave can slot into your week.
- 1
Read a contract summary privately
Open a supplier agreement as a PDF and ask Leo for the key terms, without the text being stored or used for training.
- 2
Get the gist of a long report
Ask Leo for the five points that matter to your business from an industry report or competitor page.
- 3
Draft a quick reply
Highlight an email or post and have Leo draft a response or tidy your wording.
- 4
Research without tracking
Use Ask Brave for an answer with sources, without ads following you around afterwards.
How it fits your tech stack
Brave replaces Chrome and keeps your extensions, bookmarks and passwords. It works on its own, with no ties to Google or Microsoft apps. If you want an agent that books and fills forms today, Comet goes further; if you want AI tied into your work apps, Dia or Edge with Copilot fit better.
Connects to
- Brave Search
- Chrome extensions
- Google Docs
- Google Sheets
- Ollama and other local models
Pros and cons
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
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
Brave alternatives
The closest alternatives to Brave in the library, best rated first.
Best for weekly reports built from several sources
Compare with BraveBest for summarising pages and YouTube videos
Compare with Brave
ChatGPT Work
4.0
Best for sorting inbox and calendar admin across connected apps
Compare with BraveComet
3.9
Best for summarising long pages, PDFs and videos
Compare with Brave
Why it made the list
It's the most private mainstream AI browser, with a useful free assistant, open source code and the option to use your own model.
Brave FAQ
How much does Brave cost?
There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $14.99/mo. Prices checked 22 October 2026 against Brave's pricing page.
Is Brave free?
Yes, Brave has a free option. Start 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.
What is Brave best for?
Brave is best for summarising pages, PDFs and Google Docs privately, quick answers with Brave Search sources and people who want ad and tracker blocking built in. Business owners who want an AI helper in the browser but don't want their browsing or chats stored or used for training.
What are the best Brave alternatives?
The closest alternatives are Claude Cowork, Google Chrome, ChatGPT Work and Comet. Claude Cowork is best for weekly reports built from several sources.
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