Brave vs Microsoft Edge
Two of the top three web browsers, compared rule by rule on published facts.
In short
- Brave has 84 points and Microsoft Edge 73, 11 apart on our web browsers rules.
- Brave earns more on privacy and security, sync and sign-in and price; Microsoft Edge earns more on tabs and tools.
- Cost to use: Brave $0, Microsoft Edge not published.
- Only Brave meets: built-in ad blocker, open source, end-to-end encrypted sync and cost to use.
- Only Microsoft Edge meets: built-in VPN or proxy, saves passkeys and separate profiles.
Microsoft Edge73/100 #3 of 12
Best for: Windows users who want tracker blocking by default and Chrome extensions.
Points by group
| Group | Brave | Microsoft Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Systems of 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Privacy and security of 37 | 34 | 27 |
| Sync and sign-in of 22 | 17 | 14 |
| Extensions of 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Tabs and tools of 16 | 8 | 12 |
| Price of 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 84 | 73 |
Rule by rule
What each vendor publishes, and the points it earns. Sources are on each product page.
| Rule (points) | Brave | Microsoft Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Other systems (8) | macOS, Linux, iOS, Android 8 | macOS, Linux, iOS, Android 8 |
| Blocks trackers by default (8) | Yes 8 | Yes 8 |
| Built-in ad blocker (5) | Yes 5 | Not published 0 |
| Fingerprinting protection (7) | Yes 7 | Yes 7 |
| Built-in VPN or proxy (3) | No 0 | Yes 3 |
| Open source (5) | Yes 5 | Not published 0 |
| Public bug bounty (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Phishing and malware warnings (5) | Yes 5 | Yes 5 |
| Free sync across devices (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| End-to-end encrypted sync (8) | Yes 8 | Not published 0 |
| Built-in password manager (3) | Yes 3 | Yes 3 |
| Saves passkeys (5) | Not published 0 | Yes 5 |
| Chrome Web Store extensions (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| Manifest V2 extensions still work (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| Vertical tabs (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Tab groups (4) | Not published 0 | Not published 0 |
| Built-in page translation (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Separate profiles (4) | Not published 0 | Yes 4 |
| Cost to use (5) | $0 5 | Not published 0 |
Brave
Brave suits people who want ad, tracker and fingerprinting protection without adding extensions, and who still want Chrome Web Store add-ons. Only you hold the Sync decryption key. The catch: its VPN is a paid add-on that covers the whole device, not just the browser, and passkey storage is not documented on its feature or privacy pages.
Microsoft Edge
Edge suits people who want tracker blocking switched on from the first launch, a small built-in VPN allowance and access to Chrome extensions. Its bug bounty and vertical tabs are documented. It also saves passkeys. The catch: Microsoft does not document end-to-end encrypted sync with a key only you hold, and the Edge browser source is not published.
Both products are scored by the same rules: how we score web browsers.