Brave Browser, which recently crossed over 3 Million monthly active users, is one of the best examples of cryptocurrency-based technology which has a meaningful offering for the users. A browser that is ad-free, high on privacy and very secure, the Brave Browser is the crypto world’s answer to all the paranoia around privacy issues these days.
The Brave Browser is powered by Basic Attention Token, popularly known among crypto-traders as BAT. The developers published a press release on the website of the token, stating that the browser is now on its way to cross the five million user mark. It was a big day not only for the developers but for the world of cryptocurrencies at large, as a crypto-based product is gaining major mainstream approval.
While the Brave Browser faced a number of issues back when it initially launched - it has since become one of the top trending apps in the Google Play Store in multiple countries across the world. The browser felt rather ‘heavy’ and didn’t really have an appealing UI back when the early versions were developed - but since then, it has improved in leaps and bounds - crossing new landmarks at a rapid speed!
What Makes the Brave Browser Special?
Interestingly, the browser is based on the same Chromium code that powers the Google Chrome browser. However, it is a major improvement upon the product that Google has developed. Google Chrome users would agree that keeping the ads and tracking at bay on the browser is quite a tedious task and involves the installation of a number of add-on services. However, Brave ensures that all of this is already done by default, without needing any extra plugin.
The Brave Browser blocks all advertisements as well as ad-trackers. Moreover, all connections on the browser are HTTPS connections - giving the users an extra layer of security while browsing. For those who require an even higher level of privacy, the browser comes with Tor as well.
For those wondering how the cryptocurrency aspect fits in, here’s a quick insight into the functioning of the Brave Browser: While the browser blocks all third-party ads, it allows a few publishers to publish ads on their platform. The users get to choose which ads they see. Moreover, there are various content providers for the brave platform - over 18,000 content publishers are listed on the brave browser - who can be paid by the users of the browser with BAT tokens.
The cryptocurrency aspect of the browser is so negligible that one can continue to use the browser without ever knowing that it is a crypto-powered product. Unlike other crypto-based browsers, there is no hidden mining secretly happening on your device. However, cryptos are a core element of the Brave Browser - as it was funded by cryptocurrencies during an ICO where it raised $36 Million last year.
A Look At the Drawbacks
While the Brave Browser is a unique and innovative offering which provides value to the users, the browser also has some drawbacks of its own.
First off, the browser is still in a developmental stage. Over the years, it has improved quite a bit - but it is far from being a finished product like other major browsers such as Chrome or Firefox are. The browser does have bugs from time to time - but to their credit, the devs fix them up quickly!
In addition to that, another major drawback that the Brave Browser has against other browsers is that it cannot sync between browsers. Unlike other browsers, which can easily synchronize bookmarks, history, passwords, etc - the Brave Browser does not permit that (yet). While this is a feature that many eagerly await, it continues to be a drawback for now.
The mobile version of the browser lacks certain features which are available in the web version such as Brave payments, as well as Tor tabs. However, being in the development phase, we expect these features to be introduced over the next few months.