How is Brave different from Chrome?

Both browsers handle everyday browsing, but they take different approaches to default privacy, ad blocking, and overall experience.

Brave ships with ad and tracker protection plus Leo AI—familiar browsing with more privacy control.

Download Brave for free See detailed comparison

Four key comparison areas

Privacy protection

Brave limits cross-site tracking by default to cut down on unnecessary data collection. Chrome has privacy controls too, but defaults and product priorities differ.

Brave Browser

Privacy by default—for browsing that feels better.

Brave is built on Chromium for a familiar feel and extension compatibility, with ad blocking, tracker protection, and Brave Leo AI built in.

Feature highlights

Ad and tracking protection by default
Brave Shields built in
Includes the Leo AI assistant
Supports Brave Sync

Google Chrome

A familiar experience plus the Google services you rely on.

Chrome is also Chromium-based, with a huge extension library, Google account sync, and related AI features— a natural fit if you live in Google services.

Feature highlights

Large browser extension ecosystem
Google account and services integration
Gemini-powered AI features
Sync data across devices

Detailed feature comparison

See default ad blocking and privacy side by side on the same page scenario.

Features	Brave	Chrome
Ad blocking on by default	Brave Shields built in	No equivalent third-party ad blocking by default
Privacy and tracking protection	Cross-site tracking protection by default	Privacy controls you can use
Extension ecosystem	Desktop works with many Chromium extensions	Wide extension ecosystem
AI assistant	Brave Leo	Gemini features (availability varies by region, device, and account)
Sync	Brave Sync	Google account sync