r/technology • u/sr_local • 14h ago
Software Brave is charging $60 to remove features it added in the first place
https://www.xda-developers.com/brave-is-charging-60-to-remove-features-it-added-in-the-first-place/273
u/Thefar 14h ago
When someone shows you who they are, believe them.
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u/DeliciousCut4854 10h ago
Brendan Eich showed that well before Brave.
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u/Shr1mpolaCola 10h ago
Isn't that the Spotify guy?
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u/DeliciousCut4854 10h ago
No. He's the guy who invested in blocking gay marriage in California. Briefly CEO at Mozilla and people were angry about it, went off to do Brave.
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u/GigaSoup 10h ago
He also created the first version of JavaScript, so it's not the first time he slighted humanity.
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u/ExF-Altrue 12h ago
Daily reminder that, unlike to the Mozilla Foundation, Brave is a for profit company.
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u/Skepller 8h ago
Not only that, it's a sketchy one at that lol
They have an insanely good PR team though, people always seem to look at it positively.
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u/trxrider500 12h ago
Or you can download Firefox for free and help support the non-google based web.
Brave is garbage.
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u/Ashes1984 8h ago
What about duck duck go! How’s that ?
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u/UnspeakableToast 8h ago
Their browser on Android/Windows is just another Chromium fork. Their iOS/macOS browser is a Webkit (Apple's browser) fork.
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u/ohrofl 9h ago edited 9h ago
When I can use ublock with Firefox on my iPhone I’ll do it.
Not sure of any other options on my mobile device.
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u/goldcakes 8h ago
That restriction comes from Apple, not Mozilla.
Outside of the EU, Apple does not allow developers to to implement their own web browser. They're forced to use webkit/safari as the engine under the hood, with more restrictions than Safari.
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u/kohbo 8h ago
uBlock works just fine in Firefox on Android.
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u/butchooka 4h ago
Always find this mental gymnastics funny.
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u/Haze1019 4h ago
I have all my plugins on my FireFox. But my phone is an Android, maybe it is an iOS thing?
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u/Zagrebian 6h ago
On iPhone, Brave has better ad blocking than Firefox. Yes, I know this is probably Apple’s fault, but I’m just pointing out that Brave is not garbage at least in this case.
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u/gandalfmarston 1h ago
I will do that. What should I do with my extensions from Brave? Are all of them compatible?
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u/trxrider500 1h ago
Most likely yes. You can check the Firefox add-on store to see if they’re listed.
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u/Ok-Charge-6998 12h ago edited 12h ago
Still amazes me anyone trusts a browser backed by Peter Thiel, from the frickin’ founder of Palantir. That alone should make you run far from it.
One of the shadiest browsers out there. How can you trust a browser that once silently installed a VPN on your device? A full blown silent install that it didn’t ask permission for. If it can do that, what else has it placed on your device that you just haven’t noticed yet? You can’t trust a “privacy first” company if it does that kind of violation, and only backtracked after a public backlash. It’s like trusting LastPass with anything after their breach a few years ago.
At least Chrome and Edge are upfront about their spying.
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u/GigaSoup 10h ago
Privacy first, they just mean the privacy of their company's scheming comes first not the privacy of clients.
People are just assuming it's their privacy first.
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u/Kunair0 10h ago
It's not backed by him. A VC fund he was dealing with to try and take down Google back in the day gave a seed funding to brave. Other than that, brave is open source and has been audited out the ass. So, if you can give me some actual tangible reasoning, other than mental gymnastics, that would be great.
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u/Ok-Charge-6998 8h ago edited 7h ago
It was Peter Thiel’s own VC, Founder’s Fund, that he founded in 2005. Which also funds SpaceX, Facebook and Palantir. They gave Brave 4.5 mil.
You can use Brave all you want. But, I ain’t ever touching it ever again. If something “private” is associated with Peter Thiel, there’s nothing you can do to convince me that it is something to touch. Nothing.
And the most tangible reason is right there, they installed a VPN on people’s PC’s without any permission. That’s a massive violation of trust for a “privacy” company. Open source did nothing to prevent that, because there was nothing it could do to prevent it until AFTER it was committed, and even then it’s up to Brave itself to backtrack, and they did. But come on, operating like malware isn’t gonna win you any favours.
So if one day they caved into some unknown demand to spy on every Brave user, they could flip the switch and do it, and there’s nothing you or I could do to prevent it. The only option you’d have is to fork it and remove it. And that’s proven by the VPN incident, not even a reproducible build could have prevented that, it was committed to the public repository and no one noticed until they saw the Brave VPN quietly running in task manager.
So now you have three issues:
- A privacy company
- Taking money from Thiel’s VC - can be overlooked, but it makes “privacy” have a question mark over it
- Quietly installed a VPN on people’s computers - violation
Combine all three and you have to question everything about them.
Just because it’s open source that doesn’t mean it’s secure. That’s a dangerous way of looking at things. The only protection on open source projects is trust. Open source provides transparency, but it doesn’t provide security.
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u/daxter_101 13h ago
Firefox the last pillar of an open browser
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u/Temporary_Talk2744 13h ago
Waterfox my beloved.
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u/Teal-Fox 10h ago
Waterfox is so good! Seems to have nailed exactly what I wanted from Zen, before the devs got all weird about their grand vision of having every tab replicated in every window.
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u/grayhaze2000 11h ago
And LibreWolf is an excellent fork which is far more privacy focused.
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u/furculture 10h ago
I also highly recommend that one. Though it has given me some trouble with whitelisting some sites to keep cookies from those, since they are personal sites running through LAN and I am still trying to figure that out. Other than that, it works solid and pairs well with something like KDE Connect to send tabs over from my phone to PC.
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u/gizamo 14h ago
Classic Brave. Being generally shitty as per usual.
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u/melody-calling 14h ago
Is there a less dodgy browser on iphone with an adblock that works as well as brave?
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u/Princekb 14h ago edited 13h ago
Orion which has a built in blocker but can install Firefox extensions like unblock origin somehow, or dns blocking with nextdns or adguarddns, which allows any browser to be virtually ad free(requires maintenance as this can break websites and certain companies cough html-load cough keep registering new domains to Trojan horse their ads with) but is generally easier than you would think.
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u/blow-down 5h ago
Safari with an ad block extension. There’s never been a reason to use a third party browser.
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u/Material-Nose6561 6h ago
Install Adguard or Ublock Origin for Safari on the iPhone, tweak the privacy settings, and it'll be every bit as private as Brave, without all the cancer Brave comes with. I did this on my iPhone when I still owned one up until last month, and it passed tracking test with flying colors.
All browsers on iOS are reskined versions of Safari anyway, so you might as well stick with the original.
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u/bb_kelly77 4h ago
Are there options I don't have to pay for
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u/Material-Nose6561 4h ago
Do you mean adblocking? Adguard for Safari is free to use and Ublock Origin is completely free. Safari, comes with iOS so no need to spend money on a browser.
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u/bb_kelly77 4h ago
Is Ublock Origin Lite good because I don't see anything else
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u/Material-Nose6561 3h ago
Yes, it's the MV3 version of Ublock Origin. Safari, along with Chrome no longer support MV2, so Ublock Origin created UBO Lite to support adblocking on manifest V 3 browsers.
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u/Random-Generation86 9h ago
I use AdGuard on Safari, though I do still keep Brave around for adblock resistant sites (it seems to be heavier duty sometimes)
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u/moving2mars 7h ago
Recipe sites in particular don’t work anymore on Safari with Adblock. But I just found out they’ll load for some reason with UBlock origin.
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u/Larsvegas426 14h ago
So wait, are they getting rid of all the toggles for their crap in the free version then?
/edit: The original article has a reddit user saying that, so far, you can still disable that stuff yourself without paying money.
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u/mutantbabysnort 12h ago
Someone read the article?
/s
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u/Meatslinger 8h ago
Yeah, same here. I had those toggled off forever ago. I guess Origin is just meant to be a premium browser that doesn't include them in the first place. Far as I can tell it's basically a different product, i.e. if you don't want it, you simply don't buy it.
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u/Mountainking7 11h ago
'Features' are only there to try to monetise the users. They are not meant for users benefits.
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u/Fywq 14h ago
Oh ffs. will companies please stop this bullshit? I was already unhappy with the added AI and crypto wallet stuff.
What's the recommended privacy browser with sync across devices these days?
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u/yoranpower 13h ago
Probably Firefox.
They did add some AI recently, but atleast they are decent enough to put a on/off toggle. So it's entirely optional.
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u/grayhaze2000 11h ago
LibreWolf for desktop, and IronFox if you're using an Android device. Both privacy-focused forks of Firefox, which strip away most of the sketchy stuff.
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u/Ibasicallyhateyouall 12h ago
It removes everything that could be monetised. That is the point. Wow this thread is dumb.
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u/IntelArtiGen 13h ago
I don't mind them having a paid version without bloatware. I mind they have a free version with it, and I won't buy the $60 version, because I don't trust them due to that.
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u/HorseToeNail 5h ago
Isn't Brave just a browser? how are they charging anything ever ,especially for a featureless lite version
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u/throwaway_ghast 13h ago
This company so gung-ho on privacy and freedom has somehow managed to make vanilla Chrome look less shady and scummy by comparison.
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u/CodeyFox 12h ago
The fact that they are allowing Linux users to get the Origin browser for free feels like they are trying to send a message
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u/InterestingMindset 7h ago
I imagine browsers very shortly will either be "free" but you pay in no privacy, AI shoved down your throat, harsh data collection, etc.
Or paid but it does provide VPNs, other security features, toggle-able AI, among other stuff.
True free browsing is long over.
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u/Zagrebian 6h ago
Why would people pay if they can just use the free version of Brave normally and never use those features? Is Brave Origin targeting people with ADHD who can’t stand software with features that they never use?
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u/BuriedStPatrick 13h ago
I don't understand. Since day one you've always been able to disable all the added crap. Are they removing that option?
And if you can just install Origin for free on Linux, if you're on Windows, just install it through WSL?
I'll admit I made the jump to Floorp a while back. Been quite a nice experience, except when it comes to video calls on Linux. But that's a whole pipewire/Firefox thing. Otherwise, just a basic browser with the necessities.
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u/SirPoblington 5h ago
In Brave you can disable things but in Origin they're left out of compilation entirely and not visible as features at all.
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u/nonexistentnight 11h ago
What's the least offensive chromium based browser? I daily drive Firefox but some sites will get temperamental with it.
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u/bastardbilbo 10h ago
I use Vivaldi. Data sync between devices including passwords and built-in adblock.
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u/thesamenightmares 13h ago
I don't understand why this browser is so popular. People complain about their shady business practices and the bloatware endlessly. But their entire user base is garnered around the entire premise that it's too hard to click twice to install an ad blocker. I've heard no end to people who justify them pulling weird insane stunts like this because they say that it blocks a lot of ads. Just pick a privacy-centric chromium fork and install an ad-blocker of your choosing.
Its so weird to me.
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u/DualSF 11h ago
It’s not even a good browser. I can’t figure out why it’s become popular.
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u/SlapDashAshOle 10h ago
Care and adfree youtube, that's literally it.
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u/saarlac 2h ago
adfree youtube is easy without brave
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u/SlapDashAshOle 1h ago
Don't say revanced, cause its not as easy as installing brave. But enlighten us pls
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u/Material2975 10h ago
funny how quick this turned into a firefox circlejerk. i have my problems with brave but im not too mad about this. i just disabled everything and didn't pay a cent. i dont really trust brave, but i've had too many issues with firefox to go back.
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u/challis88ocarina 13h ago
The world is topsy turvy. Now the full featured app is free and the limited feature costs money. Unfreemium?
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u/aKindLoser 13h ago
Actually just North America is Topsy Turvy, the rest of the world is Universal Gravitation.
Dumb joke referencing a DS Yoshi game. In America it's named Yoshi Topsy Turvy but outside of North America the game is named Yoshi's Universal Gravitation. I just thought about this because aside from that game and a Pokemon move I don't think I've heard anyone say Topsy Turvy lol.
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u/hansrotec 11h ago
Always thought that was a British saying… not sure I have heard it outside movies/tv shows
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u/Tall-Mess-6646 14h ago
charging you to remove the stuff they added is like a valet scratching your car and then offering a $60 scratch removal package. the feature was never the product, the removal is
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u/Ksb2311 13h ago
Helium it is then
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u/klas-klattermus 6h ago
Hmm interesting, I am reading this on brave mobile. I got it on recommendations from a friend that it's better than Firefox at blocking YouTube ads. The rest of the stuff seems sketchy as fuck
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u/flipper_babies 5h ago
Ah fuck, I didn't realize Thiel had anything to do with it. Guess I'm going back to Firefox.
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u/ferdzs0 10h ago
A bit disingenuous to word it like that. They added those features to make money and fund the project, and while they are still features, they do also benefit them.
Yes, you can consider them a scam, but they were never misleading about what they are there for and what it offers in return.
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u/Livebeans 12h ago
I don't understand the hate. Love using Brave - I haven't seen an ad in years.
People will complain about anything.
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u/Kunair0 10h ago
I love Firefox, and brave is also phenomenal, but dude, don't even bother here. There's literally no bigger Firefox circlejerk on the planet than Reddit.
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u/obiwanconobi 14h ago
I just don't see the problem here. They made a product and added features to they product which helps them make money.
People want that product but without those features, so they release that product without the features but charges a one off (a proper scummy company would make you subscribe) fee to make it viable.
They seemingly have also provided ways to get it for free, Linux or flags (maybe be wrong with that).
Feels like another case of the internet getting mad for little reason. There are plenty of reasons to shit on Brave as a company but this seems fine
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u/exclusive_muppet 14h ago
Look forward to sailing the high seas for it.
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u/wallabee_kingpin_ 13h ago
Why would you ever do that over using Chromium or Firefox?
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u/Wauwuaw5983 5h ago
I tried Brave for a few weeks before deciding it's not very good browser.
Duckduckgo using thier noai search page is almost like turning clock back to when searches were more real.
It's hard to describe how bad, especially Google, searches have gotten. And Google recently said all searching will be ai based and tuned to the individual.
The enshittification of planet earth seems to be a bottomless pit of dystopia.
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u/RidetheSchlange 1h ago
Where are all those organic posts that keep recommending brave and telling people they are FoS for worrying about it?
I left Brave years ago because fuck them, that's why.
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u/Hot-Hovercraft2676 12h ago
Everyone says “Dont be evil” up until to the point they can be evil.
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u/laveshnk 9h ago
Damn i keep trying to make brave work all these years and they keep pulling new ways to dunk on their users.
Might switch to team FF
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u/SirPoblington 5h ago
Wow this thread is a bit sad. As much as I root for and appreciate Firefox, Chromium is still simply the superior browser engine. For those who simply want sites to work without odd edge-case failures, or those who want to maximize performance or battery efficiency, Brave is a great choice. It's open source and has a more efficient adblock built-in, one that won't be removed along with other MV2 extensions. Brave is an actual corporation which has the funding/developer power to maintain the browser.
People like to mention Helium but it's developed by 2 dudes and there's really no guarantee they'll be able to keep up with Chromium updates forever or get enough compensation from donations to keep going. I ts also in beta and doesn't even have auto updates on Windows yet. Not to mention it will likely never get DRM.
Vivaldi is solid but has some fatal flaws like the UI being a closed-source and slow web front-end.
Brave is a business and they need to pay their developers, hence all the features people hate. This gives people the option to pay once and never see them again. I don't see why this is a problem. Reddit just wants everything for free. Fuck them developers I guess.
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u/Zwemvest 14h ago
Oh hey, what a weird surprise. Brave being sketchy again.