Best Brave Alternatives

Helium is a Chromium-based browser focused on privacy and minimalism. It blocks ads, trackers, phishing sites, and third-party cookies by default using built-in community filters and uBlock Origin, with no setup required. On first launch it makes no background network requests unless you act, and its compact, distraction-free interface is designed to stay fast and lightweight over long sessions.

Despite its simplicity, Helium adds useful power features. It supports split-view browsing, fast link copying via shortcuts, and standalone web apps without duplicating Chromium internals. All Chromium extensions are supported, including Manifest V2, and installs from the Chrome Web Store are anonymized. With over 13,000 “!bangs” shortcuts, you can jump directly to sites and services from the address bar.

Privacy is baked into every decision, including what is left out: there is no AI assistant and no crypto wallet, and the project says plainly it does not want either. Helium is fully open source, enforces HTTPS, and supports Passkeys. There’s no built-in password manager or cloud sync by design, keeping sensitive data local. For users who want Chromium compatibility and extensions without Big Tech tracking, Helium is a clean, no-nonsense alternative.

LibreWolf is for people who love Firefox but don't trust the "default" settings. It is a custom build of Firefox that strips out all telemetry, data collection, and non-essential features like Pocket or sponsored shortcuts. It pre-installs uBlock Origin, widely considered the best ad blocker available.

It applies a set of "hardened" settings out of the box—disabling WebGL to prevent fingerprinting, enforcing strict cookie policies, and clearing history on exit. This saves you the hours it would normally take to configure Firefox to this level of privacy.

Because it is so strict, it can sometimes break websites (like video streaming or complex web apps). It also doesn't include Firefox Sync by default (for privacy reasons). It’s a tool for users who are willing to sacrifice a little convenience for maximum privacy integrity.

Mozilla Firefox stands as the last major independent browser, powered by its own Gecko engine rather than Chromium. This independence allows it to prioritize user agency over corporate interests, offering a browsing experience that is open-source, transparent, and highly customizable.

Privacy is woven into the core. Features like Enhanced Tracking Protection block invasive trackers by default, while built-in container tabs (on by default since Firefox 153) let you isolate your digital lives—keeping Facebook data away from your banking, for example. Its customization engine is unmatched, allowing you to completely overhaul the UI with CSS if you choose.

While it may occasionally trail Chrome in raw JavaScript benchmarks, the difference is rarely noticeable in daily use. The extension library is mature and robust. For users who value the health of the open web and want a browser that serves them rather than advertisers, Firefox is the definitive choice.

Vivaldi is built for the user who wants to control every pixel of their browser. It offers an unparalleled level of customization: you can move the tab bar to any side of the screen, stack tabs into groups, tile multiple pages side-by-side, and create complex "Command Chains" to automate workflows.

Beyond the UI, Vivaldi integrates a full email client, calendar, and feed reader directly into the browser, aiming to be a complete productivity dashboard. It protects privacy by blocking trackers and ads without needing extensions, though it runs on the Chromium engine for full web compatibility.

The sheer number of options can be overwhelming for a casual user, and the interface can feel dense. But for power users who want a browser that adapts to them—rather than the other way around—Vivaldi is the ultimate playground.

Mullvad Browser is the result of a collaboration between Mullvad VPN and the Tor Project. The idea is powerful: take Tor Browser's industry-leading anti-fingerprinting protections and package them for VPN use rather than onion routing. With resistFingerprinting enabled, spoofed fonts and timezones, letterboxing to normalize window dimensions, and canvas/WebGL blocking, every Mullvad Browser user looks identical to websites.

Unlike Tor Browser, traffic is not routed through the Tor network, so you get much better speed. Instead, it's designed to be paired with Mullvad VPN (or any VPN) for IP privacy. DNS queries go through Mullvad DNS-over-HTTPS by default with no fallback. Telemetry is removed at compile time, and the browser runs in permanent private mode—no history, no cookies between sessions.

The trade-off is deliberate inconvenience. Mullvad Browser ships with uBlock Origin and NoScript pre-installed and actively discourages adding more extensions, since any change makes your fingerprint unique. There's no sync, no password manager, no bookmarks persistence. It's not a daily driver for most people, but for privacy-critical sessions it's one of the strongest options available. It is desktop-only — Linux, macOS and Windows — with no mobile build.

DuckDuckGo Browser is the antithesis of configuration-heavy privacy tools. It is designed to be "private by default," requiring zero setup to protect you. It automatically upgrades connections to HTTPS, blocks third-party trackers, and manages cookie pop-ups for you.

Its signature feature is the "Fire Button," which instantly clears all your tabs and browsing data with a satisfying animation—perfect for quick, leave-no-trace sessions. It also includes "Email Protection" to hide your real email address and "App Tracking Protection" on Android to block trackers in other apps.

It is a simpler browser, lacking support for most browser extensions, which may be a dealbreaker for power users. However, for the average person who wants to browse without being watched and doesn't want to fiddle with settings, DuckDuckGo is the friendliest option available.

Ungoogled Chromium describes itself as "Google Chromium, sans integration with Google", and it means it literally. Safe Browsing, the Google Host Detector, Cloud Messaging and the rest are disabled; Google binaries are stripped from the source; and requests that would reach Google are neutered by rewriting those domains to an address that cannot resolve. The goal is not to add privacy features but to remove a company, leaving the browser otherwise as close to stock Chromium as possible.

That makes it the reference point other privacy forks are measured against, and the base several are built on — Helium is ungoogled-chromium with conveniences layered on top. It is fully open source under a BSD licence, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux plus the BSDs, and because it is unmodified Chromium underneath, pages render exactly as they do in Chrome.

What it removes, it does not replace. There is no auto-updater, so keeping current is your job or your package manager's. The Chrome Web Store is not wired in, so extensions install manually or through a community helper that restores the store and semi-automatic updates. Widevine is absent, so Netflix and other DRM video need files extracted from a matching Chrome build — a genuinely fiddly process that breaks on version changes. Sync is gone with everything else Google. This is a browser for people who want Google removed and will accept real inconvenience to get it; anyone wanting that outcome with less work should look at Helium or Brave.