Brave vs Chrome

We make Yab, the third column.facts checked Oct 9 ↓

Brave is an open-source Chromium browser that blocks ads and trackers by default, with Leo, an AI chat that needs no account, on every desktop and phone.

Chrome is Google’s browser on every desktop and phone, with Gemini built in. Its auto browse agent works in your own signed-in Chrome on a paid Google AI plan, in the US and India.

Brave is Chromium with ads and trackers blocked by default, and your Chrome extensions work in it. Chrome has more AI, Gemini and a paid agent; Brave has Leo, an AI chat that needs no account.

The short answer

Pick Brave

if you want ads and trackers blocked by default
if you want AI chat without an account, or on your own local model
if you need the same browser on every desktop and phone

Pick Chrome

if you live in Google’s apps and want Gemini across Gmail, Calendar and your tabs
if you pay for Google AI Pro and want an agent in your own signed-in browser
if you need the same browser on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android

Or Yabours

if you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT and want it to work in your signed-in tabs
if you want Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to drive a real browser over MCP

At a glance

Brave and Chrome, with Yab beside them for a Mac.

Brave vs Chrome
What	Brave	Google Chrome	Yab
Made by	Brave Software	Google	Serafim Korablev
Status	Updated	Updated	Updated
Runs on	Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android	Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android	Mac
Phone app	iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history, no account	iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history	Not yet
Price	Free, with Leo; Leo Premium $14.99/month; Brave VPN $9.99/month	Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra	Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
AI	Chat about pages, on its own AI or yours	An agent that works in pages, on its own AI service	An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan
Driven by outside agents	No	MCP and a command line	MCP and a command line
Engine	Chromium	Chromium	WebKit
Tabs down the side	A setting	A setting	Yes
Spaces	No	No	Yes
Split View	Yes	Yes	Yes
Extensions	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store
Ad blocker	Built in	No	Built in
Open source	Yes	No	No

Checked October 9, 2026 on each maker’s own pages, linked under Sources. Prices are per month, in US dollars.

Where they differ

What separates them, area by area. Where one plainly has more, it says who; where it comes down to taste, it says so.

AIChrome leads

Only Chrome has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks in your pages. Leo chats about your tabs, PDFs and images, with no account, on Brave’s models or your own; an agent is in early testing behind a flag, in a separate profile without your sign-ins. Gemini chats about your tabs and sums up pages and videos; auto browse clicks, types and fills forms in your own Chrome, on Google AI Pro or Ultra, in the US and India.

Agents like Claude Code and CodexChrome leads

Brave has no MCP server or command line for outside agents. Chrome can be driven over MCP and a command line, through Google’s Chrome DevTools MCP, which starts its own profile unless you let it attach to your Chrome.

Tabs and windowseven

Both have tabs down the side as a setting, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.

Priceeven

Brave: Free, with Leo; Leo Premium $14.99/month; Brave VPN $9.99/month. Chrome: Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra.

Where it runseven

Both run on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Brave needs macOS 13 or later and Chrome needs macOS 13 or later. On the phone, Brave: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history, no account. On the phone, Chrome: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.

Engine and extensionsa matter of taste

Both are built on Chromium, as Chrome is, so sites work as they do in Chrome. Both take extensions from the Chrome Web Store.

PrivacyBrave leads

Brave has an ad blocker built in, a VPN and open code. Brave says Leo doesn’t keep or share chats, doesn’t train on them and doesn’t collect identifiers like IP addresses. Chrome has no ad blocker of its own. Tabs you share with Gemini go to Google; with Keep Activity on, chats are kept 18 months by default and may be reviewed and used to train models.

What their pages don’t lead with

Real limits, from the makers’ own words and our own use.

Brave

More Leo models and higher limits need Leo Premium at $14.99 a month
Its AI agent is an early test behind a flag, without your sign-ins
The VPN is $9.99 a month extra
Tabs down the side are a setting, and there are no spaces

Google Chrome

Auto browse needs Google AI Pro ($19.99 a month) or Ultra, in the US and India only
Gemini needs a signed-in Google account
With Keep Activity on, people may review your Gemini chats and Google may train on them
No ad blocker of its own

Yab, honestly

Mac only: macOS 15.4 or later, no Windows, iPhone or Android
New: first released in September 2026
Its AI needs a Claude or ChatGPT plan; ChatGPT’s free plan may work with low limits
WebKit, as in Safari: a site tested only in Chrome can misbehave
Closed source

What changed lately

July 2, 2026Brave: Containers added in Brave 1.92 for separate cookies per tab
June 4, 2026Brave: Brave Origin launched: a paid, minimal Brave without Leo, Rewards, Wallet and VPN
May 5, 2026Brave: Leo agentic AI browsing opened for early testing on all release channels, behind a flag
April 7, 2026Chrome: Vertical tabs began rolling out as an option
February 19, 2026Chrome: Split view for two tabs in one window
January 28, 2026Chrome: Auto browse agent launched in preview for Google AI Pro and Ultra in the US

Questions

Is Brave free?

Yes, with limits on its AI. Free, with Leo; Leo Premium $14.99/month; Brave VPN $9.99/month.

Is Google Chrome free?

Yes, with limits on its AI. Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra.

Which has an AI agent, Brave or Chrome?

Chrome. Leo chats about your tabs, PDFs and images, with no account, on Brave’s models or your own; an agent is in early testing behind a flag, in a separate profile without your sign-ins. Gemini chats about your tabs and sums up pages and videos; auto browse clicks, types and fills forms in your own Chrome, on Google AI Pro or Ultra, in the US and India.

Do Brave and Chrome run on Windows?

Yes, both. Brave runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android; Chrome on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android.

Do Brave and Chrome have phone apps?

Both do. On the phone, Brave: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history, no account. On the phone, Chrome: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.

Can I move from Chrome to Brave?

Yes: Brave’s own help says it brings in from Chrome.

Is there a third option on a Mac?

Yab, Yet Another Browser, is free for the Mac: tabs down the side as in Arc, with spaces, folders and Split View; an agent in your signed-in tabs like Chrome’s, on the Claude or ChatGPT plan you already pay for. Claude Code, Codex and any MCP client can drive it too. It runs on WebKit, the engine Safari uses, and takes Chrome extensions. It is Mac only, and new.

More comparisons

Brave vs Safari Brave vs Edge Brave vs Firefox Opera vs Brave Arc vs Brave Dia vs Brave Comet vs Brave Brave alternatives Yab vs Brave Safari vs Chrome Edge vs Chrome Firefox vs Chrome Opera vs Chrome Arc vs Chrome Dia vs Chrome Comet vs Chrome Chrome alternatives Yab vs Chrome

Sources, read October 9, 2026. Something out of date? Write to hello@serafimlabs.io and we fix it.

Yab, Yet Another Browser.

Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.

it’s freeMove from Brave Download