Yab

Vivaldi vs Brave

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

Vivaldi is a Chromium browser with a setting for nearly everything, mail, calendar and feeds built in, a free Proton VPN and no AI by design, on every desktop and phone.

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 Vivaldi
  • if you want mail, calendar, feeds, notes and a VPN in the browser
  • if you want to customize nearly everything, and no AI
  • if you need one browser on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android
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

At a glance

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

Vivaldi vs Brave
WhatVivaldiBraveYab
Made byVivaldi TechnologiesBrave SoftwareSerafim Korablev
StatusUpdatedUpdatedUpdated
Runs onMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and AndroidMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and AndroidMac
Phone appiPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords, history and notesiPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history, no accountNot yet
PriceFree; its Proton VPN is free with a Vivaldi accountFree, with Leo; Leo Premium $14.99/month; Brave VPN $9.99/monthFree; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
AINo AIChat about pages, on its own AI or yoursAn agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan
Driven by outside agentsNoNoMCP and a command line
EngineChromiumChromiumWebKit
Tabs down the sideA settingA settingYes
SpacesYesNoYes
Split ViewYesYesYes
ExtensionsChrome Web StoreChrome Web StoreChrome Web Store
Ad blockerBuilt inBuilt inBuilt in
Open sourceNoYesNo

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.

AIBrave leads

Brave has AI built in; Vivaldi has less of it. Vivaldi has no AI chat, summaries or agents, by choice. 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.

Tabs and windowsVivaldi leads

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

PriceBrave leads

Vivaldi: Free; its Proton VPN is free with a Vivaldi account. Brave: Free, with Leo; Leo Premium $14.99/month; Brave VPN $9.99/month.

Where it runseven

Both run on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Vivaldi needs macOS 13 or later and Brave needs macOS 13 or later. On the phone, Vivaldi: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords, history and notes. 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

Vivaldi has an ad blocker built in and a VPN. Vivaldi sends a daily ping with a unique ID, version and rough location to count users; crash logs only if you opt in. 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.

Vivaldi

  • No AI assistant or agent, by design
  • Tabs down the side are a setting, not the default
  • Its interface code isn’t open source
  • Sends a daily usage ping with a unique ID

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

  • 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 21, 2026Vivaldi: Vivaldi 8.0 redesigned the interface
  • May 5, 2026Brave: Leo agentic AI browsing opened for early testing on all release channels, behind a flag
  • January 29, 2026Vivaldi: Vivaldi 7.8 restated its no-AI stance
  • March 27, 2025Vivaldi: Proton VPN built into Vivaldi on desktop

Questions

Is Vivaldi free?

Yes. Free; its Proton VPN is free with a Vivaldi account.

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, Vivaldi or Brave?

Neither has an agent that does tasks in your pages. Vivaldi has no AI chat, summaries or agents, by choice. 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 Vivaldi and Brave run on Windows?

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

Do Vivaldi and Brave have phone apps?

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

Can I move from Brave to Vivaldi?

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

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 Vivaldi; an agent that works in your signed-in tabs, 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

Vivaldi vs ArcZen vs VivaldiOrion vs VivaldiSigmaOS vs VivaldiVivaldi vs ChromeVivaldi vs SafariVivaldi vs EdgeVivaldi alternativesYab vs VivaldiBrave vs ChromeBrave vs SafariBrave vs EdgeBrave vs FirefoxOpera vs BraveArc vs BraveDia vs BraveBrave alternativesYab 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 VivaldiDownload