Edge vs Brave: An In-Depth Comparison Guide For You

As far as web browsers go, Microsoft Edge and Brave are some of the best. Though they are relatively new compared to household names like Chrome and Firefox, they are rapidly catching up in popularity.

They have many features that make them stand out. In deciding what browser you prefer in the matchup of Edge vs Brave, this article will help you.

There are many features people look out for in a browser. For some, the be-all and end-all is a friendly user interface. As long as they can surf the internet hassle-free, they are happy. For others, they look for some niche features. Others value aesthetics. Browsing speed is also a deciding factor for many.

Privacy is another important factor to consider when deciding what browser to use. Not everyone is comfortable with their personal data being used for profit, and using a browser that offers more privacy is their way of taking back the internet.

This Edge vs Brave comparison will walk you through the differences between these browsers. Before we begin the comparison, a brief introduction to these two browsers is necessary.

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge, just like Google Chrome and Brave, is a Chromium-based browser. It was initially built using Microsoft’s Chakra JavaScript engine and its proprietary browser engine EdgeHTML.

It made the switch to being a Chromium-based browser in 2019. Those who used the old Edge can switch to the new one easily. 

The switch to Chromium makes Edge a viable alternative to Chrome. Not everyone wants all their data about all facets of their life to be in the hands of Google. Using Edge means one can enjoy the functionality as well as extensions from Chrome while maintaining a degree of privacy.

Microsoft Edge was first developed for Windows in 2015 and is the default browser on Windows 10, Windows 10 mobile, and Xbox One consoles.

The Android and iOS versions were released in 2017, and 2019 for macOS. This means that Edge is a browser that works across platforms. 

It was designed to be an alternative to, and an improvement over Internet Explorer; and has grown in popularity since its release in 2015. It has some interesting features such as an integrated Adobe Flash player, and PDF reader.

Microsoft’s online platforms are well integrated with Edge to provide greater functionality, as well as features such as voice control. Annotations can be made to webpages and stored on OneDrive. The presence of these as well as other customizable features make Edge one of the best browsers to use.

Brave

Just like Edge, Brave is a Chromium-based browser. It is available on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. The unique approach to the operation of a browser is what sets brave apart from almost all other browsers.

It prizes the user privacy very highly. If you’re seeking a browser that doesn’t mine your data for profit and respects your privacy, brave is your go-to browser.

Most websites you visit contain trackers that make it easier for your device to be recognized. Brave blocks trackers by default, which means you can browse in relative privacy.

In addition to blocking trackers, ads are blocked on the brave browser. Blocking ads means your pages load faster and you use fewer data in opening pages.

Many tech companies like Google and Facebook have been known to sell your data to advertisers, Brave doesn’t continue in that tradition.

The Brave browser prides itself on being the foremost privacy browser. It does all this without having a drop in other functions. Due to the fact that it is a Chromium-based browser, it has many similarities with Edge in its user interface. 

A discussion about Brave will be incomplete without mentioning Brave’s Basic Attention Token (BAT). It is known that most internet publishers and content creators rely on ads as a source of revenue.

Blocking ads will mean that many content creators will see a decline in revenue. The BAT is a Brave’s reward program. Sites you visit are rewarded with BAT—a cryptocurrency— meaning it is quality that is rewarded not just ads sold. 

At the end of the month, Brave calculates the time spent on different sites and shares the BAT accordingly. You can decide to tip any creator you like or remove a site from the list of those to be rewarded.

Hence, a lot of control is placed in the hands of the users. This gives content creators an incentive to prioritize quality in order to get more traffic and revenue.

Brave is a unique browser with great features, particularly its privacy features. Many wonder if it is a safe browser to use, the answer is YES!

Edge vs Brave comparison

There are some similarities between Edge and Brave. They are both Chromium-based browsers and thus have a lot alike. The different features will be compared. A comparison of speed, privacy, security is also important. Let’s dive into our comparison of the two browsers.

1. Default search engine:

On Edge, the default search engine is Bing. This can be changed in the browser settings. The latest versions of Brave use five search engines—including their partner DuckDuckGo—by default. 

2. Cross-platform compatibility

Edge is supported on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. On the other hand, Brave is supported on all those platforms and also on Linux. Brave has the edge in this regard. There are plans for Edge to be released on Linux in the future.

3. Speed

Both Edge and Brave pride themselves on being amongst the fastest browsers. This is largely because they vigorously block trackers and they take adblocking to the next level.

Edge allows hardware acceleration which makes it fast. Brave comes out tops in most speed tests amongst browsers.

Because ads and trackers are blocked, there are fewer data to be loaded, and pages load quicker 

4. Adblocking

Both Edge and Brave block trackers. Brave offers a dedicated adblocker. Ads are blocked on Brave. This does not include ads that are part of a page or a video. This adblocking feature is one of the foremost reasons people choose Brave.

With Edge, there are three privacy modes, and when the privacy is set to “strict”, it acts almost like an ad blocker. You can also install ad blocker extensions that block most ads.

5. Privacy

Both Edge and Brave have a private or incognito mode in addition to the regular mode. 

Many people stop using Chrome because they don’t want all their information to be on the hands of Google. Microsoft owns Edge, and your information is kept by Microsoft. Brave on the other hand doesn’t keep your information. There is no feat that your data will be used or sold to other companies.

Blocking of ads and trackers also is a big way of ensuring privacy. On Brave, you can easily access the Tor network. The Tor network is a very private network. Your browsing is essentially anonymous. Not even your IP address is known.

Edge has three privacy modes: basic, balanced, and strict. Hence, you have plenty of control over your privacy.

6. Security

Being Chromium-based browsers, the security features of both Edge and Brave is similar to that of Chrome. The blocking of trackers and ads adds an extra layer of security though.

Furthermore, you can install extensions that protect your browser in different ways. Brave has a feature that upgrades HTTP to HTTPS, ensuring that sites you visit are safer.

7. User interface

There are similarities between the Brave and Microsoft Edge user interfaces because they are both Chromium-based browsers. Both Edge and Brave have dark modes, the major difference being that Edge doesn’t support Chrome’s dark theme.

Brave’s home screen is all about displaying their efforts in maintaining your privacy. The number of ads and trackers blocked is displayed. The time that has been saved as a result is also displayed, as well as the number of HTTPS upgrades done.

A clock, Brave rewards, and top sites are also featured presentations on the home page. The settings menu is well arranged and easy to navigate through.

Edge has a beautiful home screen. It also boasts an easy-to-use interface.

8. Other Features

Edge has an excellent reader mode that helps you strip away unwanted elements. You can highlight aspects from a page and save them. You can change the font style, text size, and choose between different themes. There is a PDF reader that makes it easy to read documents easily. 

Brave has many features in common with Edge. The feature that sets it apart is its use of the Basic Attention Token as a reward system for content creators.

in this video, Kevin explained about new edge features in detail.

Conclusion

Edge and Brave bring a lot of innovation to the way browsers work. They are slowly becoming household names. They have many things in common being Chromium-based browsers. The winner in the matchup of Edge vs Brave depends on what feature you value the most.

This article is part of our Brave comparison guide with other browsers.

Brave Vs Chrome: An In-Depth Comparison Guide For You

Brave vs Duckduckgo: A Detailed Review and Comparison

Brave vs Firefox: An In-Depth Comparison Guide For You