After reading Brave compared to Edge, there seem to be some inaccuracies. Also, while Edge may not have some features of Brave, that’s why there are extensions: add features not native to the web browser. I even had to add extensions to Brave:
- Tabs to Front v2
- Save Page WE and Print Page WE
- Enhancer for Youtube
- Bitwarden
- Minimal Bookmarks Tree
In Brave’s comparison of itself against Edge:
- Block third-party ads: Add uBlock Origin Lite (uBOL) to Edge. Lite version needed since Chromium moving to MV3.
- Block cross-site trackers: Add uBOL to Edge.
- Block third-party cookies: Edge already has that feature.
- Protect against fingerprinting: https://amiunique.org/fingerprint doesn’t show a clear winner.
- Blocks cookie consent banners: Add uBOL to Edge. Brave and uBOL share similar block lists.
- Global Privacy Control (GPC) enabled: Missing in Edge. Need an extension to add (e.g, Privacy Badger). I consider this Do-Not-Track version 2 with the threat of law backing GPC as an automated opt-out, but just as ineffective. Good guys obey it, but then this isn’t about what good guys do.
- Network state partitioning: I’ll give Brave the advantage on this although the description is hard to understand (https://brave.com/privacy-updates/14-partitioning-network-state/).
- Filter query parameters: Is this when using Brave Search? If so, other search engines do the same, like Startpage that anonymously queries Google Search, and strips the tracking tags from search results.
- Blocks bounce tracking: See https://brave.com/glossary/bounce-tracking/. Use a search engine that doesn’t point search results back to the search service that then redirects (bounces) you to the target site, like Startpage.
- Built-in VPN: Only if you pay for it to add to Brave. Edge includes their Secure Network (VPN) at 5GB/month for free. You pay if you need more, but you get some for free to start with.
- Built-in ad blocker: Gets rid of MV3 restrictions, but uBOL works very well in Edge under the confines of MV3.
- Tor browsing: Brave has a partial Tor client with easy config. I’ve not needed that level of anonymity (while assuming the Tor node hosters aren’t running both the entry and exit nodes to track you, and the FBI runs many Tor nodes).
- Secure built-in wallet: Never used one, probably never will. Edge has a wallet, too.
- Crypto rewards program: No interest by me until Brave lets me pay for their VPN service with crypto I amass. Converting from crypto to real money requires using a crypto conversion provider, and they want lots of personal data, so your anonymity is gone. I disabled all the crypto/BAT stuff in Brave, but others might want this. Edge has a wallet, but it’s not geared to crypto. Same term, but purposed differently in Brave versus Edge.