Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Brave VS Waterfox

Compare Brave VS Waterfox and see what are their differences

Brave logo Brave

Fast and secure, ad and tracker blocking browser.

Waterfox logo Waterfox

Waterfox is a version of Firefox that has been optimized for 64-bit operating systems.
  • Brave Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-29
  • Waterfox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17

Brave

Website
brave.com
$ Details
Release Date
2015 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Brendan Eich
Employees
100 - 249

Brave features and specs

  • Privacy
    Brave blocks trackers and ads by default, providing users with increased privacy and preventing third-party companies from collecting their data.
  • Speed
    Due to its ad-blocking capabilities, Brave loads pages faster compared to browsers that display ads, enhancing the user experience.
  • Ad Blocking
    Brave automatically blocks intrusive ads, which not only helps with privacy but also reduces page clutter.
  • BAT Rewards
    Users can earn Basic Attention Tokens (BAT) by opting into Brave’s privacy-respecting ads, providing an incentive for users to view ads.
  • Security
    Brave includes features such as HTTPS Everywhere, ensuring secure connections, and a built-in password manager.
  • Open Source
    The Brave browser is open-source, allowing anyone to inspect the code and contribute to its development, fostering transparency and community involvement.
  • Chromium-Based
    Being based on Chromium, Brave supports a wide range of extensions available from the Chrome Web Store.

Possible disadvantages of Brave

  • Extension Compatibility
    While Brave supports many Chrome extensions, there are occasional compatibility issues with certain extensions.
  • Syncing Data
    Brave's data sync feature is still maturing and may not be as reliable or comprehensive as competitors’ syncing services.
  • Advertising Model
    Some users might find the BAT ad model confusing or may not be interested in participating, preferring traditional ad-free browsing.
  • New Ecosystem
    Brave is relatively new compared to other browsers like Chrome and Firefox, which might make users hesitant due to its less established ecosystem.
  • Customization
    While Brave offers various customization options, it may still lack certain features and settings that power-users expect from more established browsers.

Waterfox features and specs

  • Privacy
    Waterfox is designed with user privacy in mind, avoiding telemetry and data collection practices common in other browsers.
  • Customizability
    Users can customize their browsing experience extensively with a range of add-ons and extensions.
  • Legacy Extension Support
    Supports older Firefox extensions that no longer work on newer versions of Firefox.
  • Performance
    Optimization-focused, Waterfox often offers better performance and speed compared to other browsers.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, users can inspect the code for transparency and even contribute to its development.
  • Multi-platform Availability
    Available on various platforms including Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Possible disadvantages of Waterfox

  • Security Updates
    Since Waterfox is a fork of Firefox, it may lag behind in receiving the latest security updates.
  • Extension Compatibility
    Although it supports legacy extensions, some modern extensions designed for newer Firefox may not work properly.
  • Resource Usage
    May consume more system resources compared to other lightweight browsers.
  • Community Support
    Smaller user base means potentially less community support compared to more popular browsers like Firefox or Chrome.
  • Maintenance
    Maintenance and development are dependent on a smaller team, which might affect the speed of rolling out new features or fixes.
  • Website Compatibility
    Some websites may not function as intended due to compatibility issues with the browser.

Brave videos

Brave browser review

More videos:

  • Review - Brave Browser Review 2020: Why You NEED To Switch!
  • Review - Does the Brave Browser Really Beat Fingerprinting? Let's Test!
  • Demo - This Is Brave
  • Demo - song

Waterfox videos

Waterfox Review - Should I Switch?

More videos:

  • Review - Waterfox Browser Sold To Marketing Company System1
  • Review - Waterfox web browser as an alternative to Mozilla Firefox for Linux

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Brave and Waterfox)
Web Browsers
92 92%
8% 8
Security & Privacy
93 93%
7% 7
Web Development Tools
83 83%
17% 17
Ad Blockers
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Brave and Waterfox

Brave Reviews

The 7 best web browsers in 2025
Unlike ad blockers, though, Brave doesn't just ban advertisements: it replaces them with its own, far less intrusive and private promotions. Every time you browse Brave and see its ads, it rewards you with points, which you can then use to compensate your favorite publishers and creators. For this to work, the website must be a Brave partner. Many popular ones, like The...
Source: zapier.com
Brave Alternative - 8 Privacy-Focused and Reliable Options
Performance-wise, I found it to be a bit better than the Brave browser, but it doesn’t receive as frequent updates as Brave.
Source: mspoweruser.com
Best Tor Browser Alternative for Risk-Free Web Surfing
Brave Browser is a relatively newer entrant in the world of privacy-conscious browsers. Known for its aggressive approach to blocking advertisements and trackers, Brave Browser aims to deliver a fast and secure browsing experience. Additionally, Brave Browser supports Basic Attention Token (BAT), a cryptocurrency reward system for viewing privacy-respecting ads.
5 Most Privacy Focused Web Browsers
Brave features numerous privacy-centric settings, like the ability to sync browser data securely, without needing to create an account. The browser effectively blocks trackers to give you a private web experience.
Source: itsfoss.com
Avoid The Hack: 6 Best Privacy Browser Picks for Windows
Brave has a native adblocker ("shields") enabled by default. Brave proxies all/any requests to Google, effectively substituting Google Services with "Brave Services." For example, when "Safe Browsing" is enabled, Brave proxies the request to the Google Safe Browsing service.

Waterfox Reviews

Brave Alternative - 8 Privacy-Focused and Reliable Options
Overall, if you’re looking for a bloat-free and privacy-focused browser to replace Brave, WaterFox is a good choice.
Source: mspoweruser.com
The 11 Best Web Browsers Not Based on Chromium
Waterfox, as the name suggests, is a high-performance fork of the popular Mozilla Firefox browser. Its main focus is to provide users with enhanced privacy and control over their data collection. By offering such features, Waterfox stands out as a reliable alternative to Chromium-based browsers.
Source: stackdiary.com
10 Alternative Browsers Based on Mozilla Firefox
Originally Waterfox's angle was speed, but now prides itself as being an ethical, user-oriented browser and have even partnered with Ecosia which plants trees with its generated revenues.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'bonkersabouttech_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_1',108,'0']));

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Brave seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 581 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Brave mentions (581)

View more

Waterfox mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Waterfox yet. Tracking of Waterfox recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Brave and Waterfox, you can also consider the following products

Mozilla Firefox - Get the browsers that put your privacy first — and always have

Google Chrome - Google Chrome is a fast, secure, and free web browser, built for the modern web. Give it a try on your desktop today.

Vivaldi - Vivaldi is a free, fast web browser designed for power-users. You decide how you browse. Download Vivaldi's fully customisable browser now and browse your way.

Opera - Opera is a browser with innovative features, speed and security.

Tor Browser - Tor is free software for enabling anonymous communication.

Pale Moon - Pale Moon is an Open Source, Mozilla-derived web browser available for Microsoft Windows and Linux, focusing on efficiency and ease of use.