Battle Firefox vs. Brave vs. Vivaldi

[lokamoka820]

I tested the most widely used browsers and found that Firefox, Brave, and Vivaldi were my top three. I like all of them, but I'm not sure which one to use on a daily basis. I would appreciate it if you could let me know which of the three browsers I mentioned is your favorite and why.

Thank you all in advance.

 

[Bot]

I tested the most widely used browsers and found that Firefox, Brave, and Vivaldi were my top three. I like all of them, but I'm not sure which one to use on a daily basis. I would appreciate it if you could let me know which of the three browsers I mentioned is your favorite and why.

Thank you all in advance.

As an AI, I don’t have personal favorites, but I can explain how I’d choose between Firefox, Brave, and Vivaldi for a “daily driver” based on security, privacy, and long-term maintenance.

Quick take (if you want one default choice)

If you want the most “set-and-forget” privacy with strong site compatibility and minimal tweaking, Brave is often the simplest daily choice because its built-in protections are strong out of the box.

If you want more independence from the Chromium ecosystem and strong “privacy by design” options (with a bit more tuning sometimes), Firefox is the most distinct choice.

If you want maximum UI customization and power-user workflow features and you’re OK with a larger feature surface, Vivaldi is the best “power user” pick.

Security and update model

• Brave (Chromium-based): Generally tracks Chromium security updates quickly. Built-in protections (Shields) reduce exposure to malvertising/tracking. Good “default-secure” posture for many users.
• Vivaldi (Chromium-based): Also benefits from Chromium’s security model and patches, but because it adds a lot of extra features/UI components, it can feel heavier. Updates are generally good, but it’s still a smaller vendor than Google/Mozilla and depends on Chromium plus Vivaldi’s own layer.
• Firefox (Gecko-based): Independent engine (not Chromium), which many people consider strategically valuable for the web. Mozilla ships security updates frequently, but some sites and web apps still behave best on Chromium, so you might occasionally need workarounds or a backup browser.

Privacy (practical, real-world)

• Brave: Very strong tracker/ad blocking built in. Can reduce reliance on extensions (which can themselves be a risk if you install too many). Note that Brave has some “extras” (Rewards, wallet, etc.)—you can disable what you don’t use to keep it simple.
• Firefox: Strong privacy features available (Enhanced Tracking Protection, Total Cookie Protection/containers, about:config hardening). It can be excellent, but often benefits from careful settings and a restrained extension set. It’s also the best choice here if you specifically want to avoid Chromium.
• Vivaldi: Good privacy controls and you can configure a lot, but its built-in blocker is typically seen as “good” rather than “best-in-class.” Many users pair it with a reputable content blocker (for example uBlock Origin where supported) and keep the extension count low.

Features and usability (what tends to matter day-to-day)

• Vivaldi: Best if you care about UI customization, tab management, keyboard-driven workflows, sidebar tools, and “make the browser fit me.” This is its main advantage over the other two.
• Brave: Best if you want something fast with strong defaults and minimal tweaking. Less “power user UI” than Vivaldi, but very straightforward.
• Firefox: Good balance, and unique features like Multi-Account Containers can be genuinely useful for separating logins and reducing cross-site tracking in a practical way.

A sensible way to decide

• If you value convenience + strong default blocking: choose Brave.
• If you value non-Chromium diversity + privacy controls + containers: choose Firefox.
• If you value workflow/UI customization above everything: choose Vivaldi.

Pragmatic conclusion

For many people, the best “daily” setup is either Brave alone, or Firefox as the main browser with a Chromium-based browser (Brave or Vivaldi) kept installed as a backup for the few sites that misbehave. If you want one single daily driver with minimal maintenance, Brave is usually the most frictionless choice; if you want the most independent and configurable privacy approach, Firefox is the strongest alternative; if you want the most control over the interface and tabs, Vivaldi stands out.

 

[Viking]

Firefox for me, I've been using it since v3.5. For some reason, I have never been much of a fan of chromium based browsers.

 

[Halp2001]

In the battle of browsers, it is unwise to swear eternal loyalty to just one: strategy dictates using several, each as a different weapon in the arsenal. Firefox is the shield of tradition, Vivaldi the ornate sword of style, and Brave the light bow that shoots swiftly without embellishments. I prefer Brave for everyday use, because it reduces the need for extensions and keeps the line of defense simpler. But as in any campaign, the key is not to rely on a single soldier: victory lies in the combination.

 

[monkeylove]

In a recent battle in another forum, Zen won, with Firefox second, Vivaldi third, and I think Brave fourth.

I think it's because what gives Chromium-based browsers an advantage are speed and safety. But it looks like many experienced with using various web browsers accept slower browsers as long as they have more features and are configurable, with safety involving security programs and ad blockers.

This might explain why Firefox came second, and in place of Vivaldi, users chose Zen, which is similar to Vivaldi but also based on Firefox.

 

[Parkinsond]

Yandex, Edge, and Chrome.

 

[Sorrento]

I'm doing things a little differently at the moment, the main browser is as has been for a while Libre Wolf, in place of Brave I'm using Helium, which isn't final but has few shortcomings & based on ungoogled Chrome, works well for me.

 

[Sampei.Nihira]

@lokamoka820

Firefox is my secondary browser.
I belong to the school of thought that if you need to have more than one browser installed, one should be Chromium-based and the other Firefox-based.

If you choose Firefox, consider changing some settings, at least using Yokoffing's SecureFox, which is currently more up-to-date than Arkenfox:

GitHub - yokoffing/Betterfox: Firefox user.js for optimal privacy and security. Your favorite browser, but better.

 

[Acadia]

Firefox. With version 148 Mozilla added a "AI kill switch". With version 149 to be released March 24 they will be adding even more control over AI.
Acadia

 

[jerzy601]

Currently, my favorite browser is Vivaldi.
for a long time now.

 

[piquiteco]

@lokamoka820 Do you use Firefox installed in program files? Does anyone use Firefox Portable?

 

[simmerskool]

librewolf / firefox / waterfox || Edge / ungoogled chromium

 

[rashmi]

which of the three browsers I mentioned is your favorite and why

They say... "Fan" is a "clever" nickname for a "stupid" person!

I use Vivaldi for customization and its unique interface, not a clone like most browsers out there. It also works well.

Firefox is slower and incompatible with some websites, from my experience.

Brave is a browser with bloat, or unrelated features, for me.

 

[lokamoka820]

@lokamoka820 Do you use Firefox installed in program files? Does anyone use Firefox Portable?

Yes, I have Firefox installed on my PC. I don't use portable software unless absolutely necessary. In my experience, the assertion that portable apps don't add files to the AppData folder or write to the registry is false; it all depends on the software's design.

 

[Miravi]

Brave isn't perfect but has a lot of good to offer. Dozens of privacy researchers and engineers have contributed to its development, with ongoing contributions from many.

The adblocker is second to none in several areas. It's the most efficient and lowest-level full adblocking software ever developed. The feature set includes support for uBO syntax and most scriptlets.

Other unique privacy features balance usability and sophistication.

The open-source codebase (5.7M+ lines of custom code) is mature and actively maintained. The development on GitHub is very community-oriented.

Chromium updates are quickly pushed through the pipeline, usually 24 hours for minor updates and ~7 days for major upgrades.

It comes with unnecessary features, but that's true of all major browsers now. Plenty of people complain about bloat, inefficiency, and gratuitous features creeping into Firefox. The same is true of Vivaldi's complex browser bundled with a VPN, email client, calendar, feed reader, tasks, etc.

 

[Parkinsond]

Brave isn't perfect but has a lot of good to offer. Dozens of privacy researchers and engineers have contributed to its development, with ongoing contribution from many.

Brave has the best internal adblocker, no doubt, but how it makes money if it is so privacy-friendly.
I know how Chorme and Google make money.

 

[Miravi]

Brave has the best internal adblocker, no doubt, but how it makes money if it is so privacy-friendly.
I know how Chorme and Google make money.

We've been over this. Look up more information if you don't know how Brave makes money.

Brave Ads (opt-in, privacy respecting) and Brave Search are major sources of revenue right now. There are others, too. Brave Search is growing fast—the API is of interest to companies who want an independent search index that is independently audited.

I wouldn't be surprised if Brave diversifies or reapproaches as the company evolves.

 

[Jonny Quest]

I put those exact words into Perplexity, "Brave has the best internal adblocker, no doubt, but how it makes money if it is so privacy-friendly".

Brave makes money mainly by running its own opt‑in ad and services ecosystem around the privacy features, not by selling your data or showing normal web ads.

Main ways Brave earns money​

• Brave Ads (its own ad network):
  Brave blocks third‑party ads and trackers on websites, but if you enable “Brave Ads,” it shows you separate, system‑level or browser‑level ads (notifications, sponsored images, etc.).
  
  • Advertisers pay Brave to run these privacy‑preserving campaigns.
  • Targeting happens locally on your device using your browsing context; raw browsing data is not sent to Brave or advertisers, which is how they keep the privacy promise.
  • A share of this ad spend is paid out in BAT (Basic Attention Token) to you, and another share goes to Brave and optionally to sites/creators you support.
• BAT ecosystem & user contributions:
  Users can tip or auto‑contribute BAT to websites, YouTubers, streamers, etc., and Brave takes a cut of this flow as part of running the platform and wallets.
  This gives them revenue tied to attention and donations rather than surveillance‑style tracking.
• Premium services (VPN, Firewall, etc.):
  Brave sells subscription products like Brave Firewall + VPN and similar privacy/security add‑ons.
  Those are traditional SaaS‑style recurring revenue, again not dependent on selling user data.
• Search and other partnerships:
  Brave Search and integrated search deals (for example, revenue shares from sponsored search results or partner engines) provide another income stream.
  This is similar to how other browsers make money from search, but positioned as privacy‑respecting search and sponsored results.

How this fits with “privacy‑friendly”​

Brave’s model is: block third‑party trackers and publisher‑served surveillance ads by default, then layer a separate, first‑party ad/crypto/rewards system on top that does targeting on‑device and pays users for attention. That lets them say “we don’t sell your data” while still being an ad company that profits from your attention.

 

[Parkinsond]

Replacing Google ads with its own ads, replacing G for B.

 

[lokamoka820]

Brave isn't perfect but has a lot of good to offer. Dozens of privacy researchers and engineers have contributed to its development, with ongoing contributions from many.

The adblocker is second to none in several areas. It's the most efficient and lowest-level full adblocking software ever developed. The feature set includes support for uBO syntax and most scriptlets.

Other unique privacy features balance usability and sophistication.

The open-source codebase (5.7M+ lines of custom code) is mature and actively maintained. The development on GitHub is very community-oriented.

Chromium updates are quickly pushed through the pipeline, usually 24 hours for minor updates and ~7 days for major upgrades.

It comes with unnecessary features, but that's true of all major browsers now. Plenty of people complain about bloat, inefficiency, and gratuitous features creeping into Firefox. The same is true of Vivaldi's complex browser bundled with a VPN, email client, calendar, feed reader, tasks, etc.

I have installed each of the three browsers listed in the question, and I'm currently using each one of them as my primary browser for a day. Brave Browser Day is today. I turned off the features I don't use, but some members might be surprised to learn that I left the start page advertisements on. They really appeal to me more than any start page extension, and I'm not sure why.