BrowserOS vs Brave

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

BrowserOS is an open-source Chromium agent browser for Mac, Windows and Linux. Its agent runs on the AI you connect: an API key, a ChatGPT or Copilot plan, Claude Code or Codex, or a local model.

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.

The short answer

Pick BrowserOS

if you want an open-source agent browser on your own AI keys or local models
if you want Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to drive a signed-in browser over MCP
if you use Linux

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

Or Yabours

if you miss Arc and want spaces, pins and folders kept, on a Mac
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

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

BrowserOS vs Brave
What	BrowserOS	Brave	Yab
Made by	Felafax, Inc.	Brave Software	Serafim Korablev
Status	Updated	Updated	Updated
Runs on	Mac, Windows and Linux	Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android	Mac
Phone app	None; desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026	iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history, no account	Not yet
Price	Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider	Free, with Leo; Leo Premium $14.99/month; Brave VPN $9.99/month	Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
AI	An agent that works in pages, on its own AI or yours	Chat about pages, on its own AI or yours	An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan
Driven by outside agents	MCP and a command line	No	MCP and a command line
Engine	Chromium	Chromium	WebKit
Tabs down the side	Yes	A setting	Yes
Spaces	No	No	Yes
Split View	Yes	Yes	Yes
Extensions	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store
Ad blocker	No	Built in	Built in
Open source	Yes	Yes	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.

AIBrowserOS leads

Only BrowserOS has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks in your pages. BrowserOS’s agent, in the new tab and side panel, clicks, types, fills forms and pulls out data, on the AI you connect. 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.

Agents like Claude Code and CodexBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS can be driven over MCP and a command line, through a built-in MCP server with one-click setup for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor, and a command line. Brave has no MCP server or command line for outside agents.

Tabs and windowsBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS has tabs down the side, Split View and folders in the sidebar. Brave has tabs down the side as a setting, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.

PriceBrowserOS leads

BrowserOS: Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider. Brave: Free, with Leo; Leo Premium $14.99/month; Brave VPN $9.99/month.

Where it runsBrave leads

BrowserOS runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Brave runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Brave needs macOS 13 or later. BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. On the phone, Brave: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history, no account.

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

BrowserOS has open code. BrowserOS sends prompts and pages only to the AI you connect, or keeps them local with Ollama or LM Studio; it sends anonymous usage analytics. 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.

What their pages don’t lead with

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

BrowserOS

No built-in model since version 0.51: connect a provider before the agent works
Its own docs say local models are too weak for agent tasks
Before 1.0 and changing fast: Skills and Memory were pulled in June 2026
No phone apps

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

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

October 5, 2026BrowserOS: Built-in model and account sign-in removed; Chromium 155 (0.51.0)
July 2, 2026Brave: Containers added in Brave 1.92 for separate cookies per tab
June 17, 2026BrowserOS: Claude Code and Codex built into the agent; Skills and Memory removed (0.46.0)
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
March 9, 2026BrowserOS: Vertical tabs became the default (0.42.0)

Questions

Is BrowserOS free?

Yes. Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider.

Is Brave free?

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

Which has an AI agent, BrowserOS or Brave?

BrowserOS. BrowserOS’s agent, in the new tab and side panel, clicks, types, fills forms and pulls out data, on the AI you connect. 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.

Do BrowserOS and Brave run on Windows?

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

Do BrowserOS and Brave have phone apps?

Brave does. BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. On the phone, Brave: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history, no account.

Is there a third option on a Mac?

Yab, Yet Another Browser, is free for the Mac: tabs down the side with spaces, folders and Split View, as in BrowserOS; an agent in your signed-in tabs like BrowserOS’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

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

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