Brave Browser - Ready for Prime Time?

[krs]

I came across the Brave browser a couple of months ago and decided to give it a try.

So far, I have used it for a half dozen sites I visit frequently, including mac-forums, and I have been pretty happy with it.

It's faster than Firefox which is still my main browser and much better than Safari.
Chrome I tend to stay away from

There was another browser I tried a year ago, Maxthon, which didn't work that well, also iCab which I have tried on and off, but it also hick upped too often.
I'm tempted to make Brave my default browser but wanted to see if any one else is using it and what the downsides are compared to the "bigger" names.

[Ratsima]

For those who are interested, the website is here: Secure, Fast & Private Web Browser with Adblocker | Brave Browser

FWIW, I couldn't access the website from Thailand without using a VPN.

You might want to read the Wikipedia article on this browser: Brave (web browser) - Wikipedia

[krs]

Just glancing through the Wiki....

Comment re their business model is:

Brave Software has announced that it is developing a feature allowing users to opt in to receiving ads sold by the company in place of ads blocked by the browser.

Do they seriously expect users to opt in to receive ads?

The reasons I like it so far is because it's faster than the other browsers and block ads and tracking

[chscag]

I tried Brave based on a recommendation from one of our members. However, at the time I tried it, it would not import bookmarks from Safari or any other browser. And I was not impressed with its speed. Those are my observations and may be different from yours. Right now, I'll stick with Safari as my default browser.

[dtravis7]

I tried Brave based on a recommendation from one of our members. However, at the time I tried it, it would not import bookmarks from Safari or any other browser. And I was not impressed with its speed. Those are my observations and may be different from yours. Right now, I'll stick with Safari as my default browser.

Not sure why but many lately seem to dislike Safari. as long as you are not running an old say OSX Safari is an excellent browser. I have no issues at all with it and I like the way it works.

[Rod]

I'm with you Dennis, I stopped using Safari about 8 years ago on Snow Leopard I think it was and swapped to Chrome after persevering with Netscape a bit longer. It was such an improvement I never went back, until now. After becoming a bit concerned about how invasive Google was becoming I switched to Firefox but the recent versions have put me off. So, now I'm back on Safari and it really is a much improved app. I'm using the free AdGuard extension for Safari and the combination works very well after a little tweaking of the AdGuard preferences. I've ditched Ghostery and all my other Ad Blokers and use DuckDuckGo as my default search engine. All together it's a pretty good package. As for this site when opened in Safari from an email notification I get the option to open the post in the Mac-Forums app which is great on the iPad and iPhone.
As for Brave, I have tried it but was not impressed. Like many early browsers it just can't open some sites. Alternatively I would give Vivaldi more use if it had an iOS version. It's actually a very good browser with some unique features.

PS I gave Opera a good run too but the iOS version (Opera Mini) was a pain and syncing bookmarks, history and passwords was tiresome to set up and use. This is one of the areas that Safari really shines in. Full syncing of history, bookmarks, passwords, autofill and access to all other devices, not to mention seamless Handoff.


Sent from my iPad using Mac-Forums

[Randy B. Singer]

I'm tempted to make Brave my default browser but wanted to see if any one else is using it and what the downsides are compared to the "bigger" names.

I *LOVE* Brave! It has all the speed of Chrome, without any of Google's spyware. It has as much security and freedom from ads as you want it to have (set it up the way that you want in Preferences), without the need for extensions that might cause it to become unstable. (It even has the option to use the Tor network, if you are seriously paranoid.) It is compatible with just about everything on the Web (like Safari), and it is being improved constantly. What's not to like?

There are a bunch of browsers on the scene now, trying to become your favorite. But none is as advanced as Brave, and none seem to be being improved as quickly. Others include:

SlimJet
Vivaldi
WaterFox
Opera
Epic
TorBrowser

And, you know, since all of these browsers are free, and since none of them conflict with each other, you can download as many of them as you like, and switch off as often as you like. You don't need to be afraid of any of them. I have about 8 browsers installed...so far I keep coming back to Brave because it's speed and freedom from ads is addicting.

[MacInWin]

For me, Brave simply doesn't work. It won't import bookmarks from Safari, although it reports that it has done so. Most websites don't open properly, if at all. The blocker doesn't seem to work when it does open sites. I gave it a try when it was first brought up here, dropped it immediately. Just tried it again. No improvements I can see. It might be something in my setup, as see others are happy with it. For me, not working at all and I don't have the time/energy to do a lot of diagnostic work on it, given that Safari is just fine.

Mojave 10.14.5 on a mid-2015 15" MBPr.

I do like Safari for 99% of my browsing. Opera for when that 1% is needed.

[Raz0rEdge]

I find the statement "Chrome I tend to stay away from" very ironic, since Brave is based on Chromium. As is Opera and whatever Microsoft will call their newest incarnation of their browser after Edge was a fail. While based on the same underpinnings, they all add a little bit of extra to differentiate themselves from Chrome. Brave and Opera do VPN, they claim to be faster, stronger, able to leap tall buildings in a single leap and all that.

Go with the browser that you like and are comfortable with, there is absolutely NO right answer here.

[dtravis7]

Jake, after reading all this I tried Brave again and made sure it was all uninstalled. Had to use a terminal command to remove part of the old install.

Well this time in High Sierra on my 2010 iMac i7 it did import all the Safari bookmarks and even the bookmarks bar! I guess that is an improvement. I tried a few speed tests though and Safari so far was always way faster.

[MacInWin]

Dennis, frankly, if I uninstall Brave, it's gone and not coming back. But for now it's doing no harm, so I'll leave it as it is. Maybe when they figure it out...

[Randy B. Singer]

I find the statement "Chrome I tend to stay away from" very ironic, since Brave is based on Chromium.

I don't see anything ironic about that statement. In fact, quite the contrary. Chrome is a Google product. It's full of Google's software to spy on you, track you, and keep information on you. Brave is the opposite, it is supremely secure.

[RobNJ]

I'd love Brave, except for 1) the way it handles my online grocery shopping site (the "additional information" pop-ups, are so large, that 1/3 is not viewable).. That I could get around, by using a different browser, when ordering.. but the deal breaker, for me, is 2) The way Youtube adds a caption, and a strip of video thumbnails across the screen, when stooping the video (One of my main pass times, is taking screenshots, of nature cams...What can I say? I have no life LOL

ETA: These SAME issues keep me away from Google Chrome, too

[krs]

I just decided to switch from FireFox to Brave.

If it does all the imports from FireFox it promises, this will be great.
I should know in a day or two if all the imports, especially the auto logins worked as promised

Brave Import Settings.jpg

[krs]

Maybe a bit early to make a final judgement on the Brave browser, but so far so good.

Interestingly enough, Brave ported all the saved user names and passwords so far, but only of "non-financial" websites.
For banking and credit card websites, I had to enter user name and password again, two of those actually needed additional verification via a code that was sent to my contact information.
I think that is all good especially with the fraud that is currently going on with people having their cellphone numbers ported out and then the fraudulent user who now has the cellphone number locking accounts and/or cleaning them out.

One other nice, unexpected (by me anyway) transfer was all of the autofill info that was transferred from FireFox.

And I also like the browsers automatic capability to place the icons of often used websites on the browser home page for quick access to those sites.
Thankfully Brave doesn't use the gigantic tiles that Opera uses.

Unless I run into some major problems with one of the websites I frequent, the Brave browser is here to stay - for the time being anyway.