Hot Take Brave is beginning to suck.

russ0408

russ0408

Level 6
Thread author
Verified
Well-known
Forum Veteran
Jul 28, 2013
250
1,273
469
71
Ontario Canada
Hello all. I don't know if it's just me, or any of you finding the same thing with Brave browser? When I try to go on a site the page hangs forever trying to load. I thought maybe it was just a cold start thing, but no, even after you been using the browser it will hang on some pages. I thought maybe it was because I have the content filter at aggressive so I changed it to standard, still no difference. I added a few flags, thought maybe that was the problem so I went back to default on the flags. I'm just wondering if this is Brave's way of trying push users to use their paid browser. I find it kind of weird where have to pay for a browser that has less. Does that mean they're going to load the free version with crap. Anyway I went to Firefox develop version, and I'm pleasantly surprised, it loads fast, pages load fast, it's what Brave used to be.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sorrento, piquiteco, Halp2001 and 4 others
russ0408 said:
Hello all. I don't know if it's just me, or any of you finding the same thing with Brave browser? When I try to go on a site the page hangs forever trying to load. I thought maybe it was just a cold start thing, but no, even after you been using the browser it will hang on some pages. I thought maybe it was because I have the content filter at aggressive so I changed it to standard, still no difference. I added a few flags, thought maybe that was the problem so I went back to default on the flags. I'm just wondering if this is Brave's way of trying push users to use their paid browser. I find it kind of weird where have to pay for a browser that has less. Does that mean they're going to load the free version with crap. Anyway I went to Firefox develop version, and I'm pleasantly surprised, it loads fast, pages load fast, it's what Brave used to be.
Click to expand...


Hi russ0408, switching to Firefox Developer Edition is a perfectly reasonable outcome if it loads the same sites normally. That comparison suggests the slowdown is specific to Brave’s profile, settings, extensions, or its interaction with those sites—not that your connection is generally slow. There’s no evidence here that Brave is deliberately crippling the free browser to push a paid version; that theory is doing rather more work than the facts.

What your tests tell us​

Resetting the experimental flags and changing Shields from Aggressive to Standard were sensible checks. Since neither helped, those settings are less likely to explain it, although the test does not rule out other Brave components.

Firefox loading normally also makes a broad network problem less likely, but not impossible: browsers can use different DNS, connection, proxy, cache, extension, and filtering paths. A fast Firefox test therefore narrows the field; it does not identify the exact Brave fault.

If you want to isolate the Brave issue​

There is no need to troubleshoot further if Firefox already suits you. If curiosity wins, these are the smallest useful checks:

  1. Try one affected page in a Brave private window. If it loads there, an extension or ordinary profile/session data becomes more likely. Private mode changes several things, so it does not prove which one.
  2. Disable extensions one at a time, starting with any recently added or updated blocker, privacy tool, antivirus browser add-on, or script manager. Retest the same page after each change.
  3. Try a temporary fresh Brave profile. If that works while the normal profile hangs, the problem is profile-specific. If both hang, a wider Brave issue or interaction with security/network software becomes more plausible.
  4. Note where it stalls—for example, a blank page, “Waiting for…” a particular domain, or a specific error. That detail is much more useful than the browser merely feeling slow.

Avoid reinstalling immediately: if the existing profile is retained, a reinstall may preserve the cause and teach you nothing.

About the paid-browser idea​

Paid services around a browser do not by themselves mean that ordinary browsing is intentionally degraded. To support that claim, there would need to be evidence such as a documented product distinction, reproducible throttling tied to account tier, or a consistent comparison under controlled conditions. Random page hangs fit a bug, extension conflict, damaged profile, or site interaction far better.

So the practical verdict is simple: Firefox currently works better on your setup, and using it is the sensible choice. Your report is useful as a Brave performance observation, but it does not establish deliberate sabotage of the free version.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Halp2001
I abandoned Brave browser last week after using it as my main browser for about 4 months. During my use of it, I noticed some problems and reported them in the Brave community, but they did not fix them. Instead, they told me that they were aware of this problem beforehand and that it was just a problem related to the graphical interface and did not affect how the browser worked. I also noticed that videos do not work at all on a website that I visit daily, even when the shields are disabled. Then, with the latest update, I found that it writes excess data to the disk even while idle, which is something I do not understand.
 
  • Like
  • +Reputation
Reactions: Sorrento, Berny, piquiteco and 4 others
I got annoyed with disabling the Wallet, VPN and Rewards icons on the Toolbar after some of the updates, then needing to re-pin my extensions. I guess it's Brave's way of reminding us of those features. I never had any problems with webpage loading and speed, though. And the embedded ad blocker is nice. Still enjoying using Firefox...wish they had a better dictionary.
 
  • Like
  • Hundred Points
Reactions: Sorrento, piquiteco, Halp2001 and 2 others
Jonny Quest said:
For me, it seemed to do the job. What would you like to see improved, more advanced options or filter lists?
Click to expand...
Lists are not the issue.
It is supposed to use uBO lists, as the others such as Vivalid blocker and Ghostery.
The real issue is how to implement the lists.
uBOL with the same lists (no extras) blocks items not blocked by the others.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sorrento, lokamoka820, oldschool and 1 other person
Parkinsond said:
Lists are not the issue.
It is supposed to use uBO lists, as the others such as Vivalid blocker and Ghostery.
The real issue is how to implement the lists.
uBOL with the same lists (no extras) blocks items not blocked by the others.
Click to expand...

I probably wouldn't even notice the difference 😅 Some of you all are really observant, including disk writes etc. :)
 
  • HaHa
  • Like
Reactions: Sorrento, piquiteco, lokamoka820 and 2 others
Parkinsond said:
It is supposed to use uBO lists, as the others such as Vivalid blocker and Ghostery.
Click to expand...
It's really strange to read this. Even the RU AdList: Counters filter works perfectly for me in Brave, and in my opinion, this is one of the most complex filters, since it uses complex rules to block ads from Yandex—ads that constantly and dynamically change their nesting, style names, and basically everything you could possibly latch onto—and this is despite the fact that the author recommends using it only in uBlock. Based on this, I've always had the impression that Brave fully supports uBlock's syntax and rules.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sorrento, piquiteco and Halp2001
CyberDevil said:
It's really strange to read this. Even the RU AdList: Counters filter works perfectly for me in Brave
Click to expand...
Try some drama piracy websites and you will be surprised with amount of popup ad windows everywhere.

In addition, the only one blocking some vidoes on the my favorite news website is Brave, even the modest Ghostery and the unknwon Stands adblocker does not ruint the website.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sorrento
Parkinsond said:
Yandex is a unbeatable; even uBOL fails to block Yandex weather ads with RU filters enabled.
Click to expand...
1789691025116.png


As I mentioned, to block ads from Yandex, all you need is this filter: https://easylist-downloads.adblockplus.org/cntblock.txt
 
  • Like
  • Thanks
Reactions: Sorrento, piquiteco and Parkinsond
Reading through the experiences shared here, it seems that we may not all be experiencing exactly the same issue: some users mention pages not loading properly, others report disk activity, and others mention changes after updates. This could suggest that we are dealing with different situations rather than a single general problem.

One possible explanation in cases like these is the browser profile itself (cached data, internal databases, extensions, or stored settings). A conflict within the profile could potentially explain both prolonged loading times and unexpected disk activity. Extensions, custom configurations, or experimental flags can also play a role. In addition, browser behavior can sometimes be affected by the wider system environment, such as VPNs, DNS settings, security software, or other network/privacy tools.

For that reason, before assuming that Brave is trying to push users toward its paid version, it may be worth testing with a clean profile or disabling extensions to see if the behavior changes. This can help distinguish between a specific bug, a configuration issue, or a broader problem. 🦁⚙️
 
  • Applause
  • Hundred Points
  • +Reputation
Reactions: Morro, Sorrento, piquiteco and 3 others
Halp2001 said:
Reading through the experiences shared here, it seems that we may not all be experiencing exactly the same issue: some users mention pages not loading properly, others report disk activity, and others mention changes after updates. This could suggest that we are dealing with different situations rather than a single general problem.

One possible explanation in cases like these is the browser profile itself (cached data, internal databases, extensions, or stored settings). A conflict within the profile could potentially explain both prolonged loading times and unexpected disk activity. Extensions, custom configurations, or experimental flags can also play a role. In addition, browser behavior can sometimes be affected by the wider system environment, such as VPNs, DNS settings, security software, or other network/privacy tools.

For that reason, before assuming that Brave is trying to push users toward its paid version, it may be worth testing with a clean profile or disabling extensions to see if the behavior changes. This can help distinguish between a specific bug, a configuration issue, or a broader problem. 🦁⚙️
Click to expand...

A little more investigation, process of eliminate type of sleuthing, before we discredit it to much? :)

Still not sure what can be done regarding Brave "resetting" itself after some of the updates.
 
  • Like
  • +Reputation
Reactions: Sorrento, piquiteco and Halp2001

You may also like...