01
Privacy protection
Brave and Firefox both include privacy protections, but with different tech and strategies.
Brave and Firefox,What's different?
Both browsers care about privacy and user choice, but they differ in ad blocking, engine, extensions, and AI—by design.
Brave bundles Shields ad and tracker blocking with the Leo AI assistant. Firefox runs on its own Gecko engine, with Enhanced Tracking Protection and a rich add-ons ecosystem.
See how they compare and choose what works for you.
Four differences worth knowing
02
Ad blocking
Brave Shields includes ad blocking. Firefox includes tracking protection; for broader ad blocking, add-ons are common.
03
Browser engine
Brave is Chromium-based; Firefox uses the Gecko engine—different foundations under the hood.
04
Extensions and AI
Brave supports Chromium-compatible extensions and includes Leo AI. Firefox has its own add-ons and related AI features.
Brave Browser
Feels familiar, with more privacy built in by default.
Ad blocking, tracker protection, and an AI assistant live in one browser—less tinkering, more browsing.
Highlights
- Brave Shields built in
- Built on Chromium
- Supports Chromium-compatible extensions
- Brave Leo AI built in
Mozilla Firefox
An independent browser with flexible ways to browse.
Firefox uses the Gecko engine, with Enhanced Tracking Protection, its own extension ecosystem, and deep customization.
Highlights
- Enhanced tracking protection
- Gecko browser engine
- Firefox add-on ecosystem
- Flexible browser customization
Detailed spec comparison
Browse by topic to see how Brave and Firefox compare at a glance.
Privacy protection
Both browsers ship with privacy tools built in. Brave blocks ads and trackers more aggressively by default through Shields and related features. Firefox offers Enhanced Tracking Protection (Standard blocks some trackers; Strict goes further), plus Total Cookie Protection, fingerprinting protection, and more.
Ad blocking
Brave Shields includes ad blocking. Firefox blocks some tracking content by default; fuller ad blocking often means add-ons.
Extension ecosystem
Brave desktop supports many Chromium extensions. Firefox has its own add-on ecosystem—great if that's the customization you prefer.
AI assistant
Brave includes Leo AI; Firefox offers related AI features. Both can assist your browsing, but integration and defaults differ.
| Comparison criteria | Brave | Firefox |
|---|---|---|
| Browser engine | Chromium | Gecko |
| Privacy protection by default | Brave Shields | Enhanced tracking protection |
| Ad blocking | Built-in ad blocking | Some tracker blocking built in; extensions available too |
| Extension ecosystem | Chromium-compatible extensions | Firefox add-ons |
| AI assistant | Brave Leo | Firefox AI features |
Curious what makes Brave different?
From built-in ad blocking to AI help—download Brave and see how it compares to Firefox yourself.
For Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.