Comparison

Brave Browser & Search Engine vs Gear

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Brave Browser & Search Engine

A fast, private web browser with built-in ad blocking and a VPN. It offers an AI assistant, a crypto wallet, and a privacy-focused search engine. Enjoy offline media playback and enhanced security features.

Highlights
  • Built-in Adblock and Pop-up Blocker
  • Firewall + VPN
  • AI Assistant (Brave Leo)
  • Secure Crypto Wallet (Brave Wallet)
  • Privacy-Focused Search Engine (Brave Search)
  • Offline Media Playback (Brave Playlist)
  • Voice Search
Features
Read full description

Browse 3X faster on Brave Browser, now with AI. You’ll get a fast, safe, private web browser with Adblock and VPN. Loved by over 100+ million users, Brave has an AI assistant Brave Leo, Firewall + VPN, Brave Wallet, Brave Search, and night mode. NEW Features: • Brave Leo: AI assistant • VPN + Firewall • Password AutoFill • Brave Wallet. A secure multi-chain crypto wallet built into the browser. • Brave Search. Search without being tracked. • Brave Playlist. Add media and play anytime. • Night Mode. Easily read in low light. • Voice Search. Initiate searches with your voice. • Brave News Widget. Stay updated on the latest news. Additional Features: • Built-in 3rd party Adblock • Pop-up blocker • Saves battery and data • Tracking protection • HTTPS everywhere (for security) • Script blocking • Browsing history • Private and recent tabs • Blocks cookie consent notifications by default. • Use voice search in the browser. • Import/export bookmarks to another browser. NEW: AI ASSISTANT Meet Brave Leo, the smart, free AI assistant in your browser. Ask answers, get answers, translate languages, and more. Leo doesn't record or share your chats, or use them for model training. NEW: BRAVE WALLET Buy, store, send, receive, and swap crypto with Brave’s secure Web3 wallet, built right into the browser. Support for Ethereum, Solana, BNB Chain, and more. NEW: BRAVE SEARCH Brave Search is the only global-scale search engine built with privacy at its core. Brave Search doesn't profile you, and it's independent of Big Tech. BRAVE PLAYLIST Make a playlist of the content you love. Add almost any media and play anytime, anywhere. Compatible with Apple CarPlay. FAST & SECURE Get protected from ads infected with malware. Brave simply provides the fastest, most secure private browsing experience available. BATTERY & DATA OPTIMIZATION Brave is proven to have a 2x to 4x speed increase on iOS, reducing both battery and data consumption. PRIVACY PROTECTION Be protected with leading privacy and security features such as HTTPS Everywhere (encrypted data traffic), script blocking, cookie blocking, and private incognito tabs. All other browsers fall short of the level of privacy and security protection that Brave provides. DEFAULT BROWSER Set Brave as your default browser! Select Settings - scroll down to select Brave - select Brave as the Default Browser App. FIREWALL + VPN Subscriptions Price may vary by location. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Firewall + VPN subscriptions are offered for either 1 month or 1-year period. Brave Leo AI has a premium version offered at 1 month. All subscription plans will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will not be able to cancel the subscription once activated. You can manage your subscription in Account Settings after purchase. Free trials may only be used once. Any unused portion of a free trial will be forfeited if you purchase a subscription. ABOUT BRAVE Our mission is to protect your privacy online by making a safe, fast, and private browser while growing ad revenue for content creators. Brave aims to transform the online ad ecosystem with micropayments and a new revenue-sharing solution to give users and publishers a better deal. To learn more about Brave, visit https://www.brave.com. Questions/support? Email us at https://brave.com/msupport. We love hearing from you. Terms of Use: https://brave.com/terms-of-use/ Privacy Policy: https://brave.com/privacy/

About

Gear

A modern, privacy-focused web browser designed for enthusiasts. It offers powerful extension support, on-device AI features, and advanced tools for enhanced productivity and a personalized browsing experience.

Highlights
  • Powerful extension engine
  • Unlimited AI features
  • Adaptive dark mode
  • Intelligent translator
  • Built-in content filter
  • Professional developer tools
  • Immersive reader mode
Features
Read full description

"A new browser with a nice design and advanced features that will appeal to enthusiasts." - LifeHacker Gear is a modern browser built with powerful web extensions, on-device intelligence, minimal design, and strong privacy protection to provide an exclusive browsing experience and empower productivity. # Powerful Extension Engine The first web browser to support both Web Extension and UserScript, designed for high performance and seamlessly integrated with the browser, providing unlimited possibilities. # Unlimited AI Features Powered by an on-device large language model, the AI features enhance the browsing experience with groundbreaking privacy protection. # Adaptive Dark Mode An advanced intelligent algorithm delivers a refined dark mode with improved visual comfort and better power efficiency. # Intelligent Translator Translate web pages with an intelligent engine optimized for accuracy and natural fluency. # Built-in Content Filter 250,000+ deeply optimized rules to block ads and trackers for faster loading speed and privacy protection. # Professional Developer Tools Inspect elements, view resources, analyze performance, and debug with a complete set of on-device developer tools. # Immersive Reader Mode Listen, translate, or summarize content with a clean, immersive reading experience. # Flexible Gear Player A modern media player with Picture-in-Picture, subtitles, and AirPlay support. # Designed for the latest iOS Features Supports the latest iOS features, including default browser, Widgets, Handoff, Spotlight search, and more. -------- If you have any recommendations for Gear, please contact us at contact@gear4.app. # Official website https://gear4.app # Social Media X.com: @GearBrowser Facebook: facebook.com/GearBrowser Reddit: reddit.com/r/GearBrowser/ # Privacy Policy https://gear4.app/privacy # Terms of Service https://gear4.app/tos

Screenshots

Brave Browser & Search Engine4 screens
Gear4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Brave Browser & Search Engine at 4.8 against Gear's 4.0. Brave Browser & Search Engine also leads on ratings volume (649K vs 245) and review sentiment (73% vs 55%). Gear's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Brave Browser & Search Engine sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Gear sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Brave Browser & Search Engine holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brave Browser & Search Engine has 649K ratings behind it against 245, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Brave Browser & Search Engine's written reviews are positive against 55% of Gear's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brave Browser & Search Engine ships an update every 3 weeks, Gear every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Brave Browser & Search Engine versus Gear: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrave Browser & Search EngineGear
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (649K ratings) — better4.0 (245 ratings)
Positive reviews73.3% of reviews — better55.3% of reviews
Number of ratings649K — better245
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#20 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size362 MB54 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperBrave SoftwareBinary Gear LLC

Customer experience

Brave Browser & Search Engine

All ratings648,642 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews7,473 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral7.5%
Negative19.2%

Gear

All ratings245 ratings
Positive72.7%
Neutral8.2%
Negative19.2%
Written reviews141 reviews
Positive55.3%
Neutral17.0%
Negative27.7%

User reviews

Brave Browser & Search Engine

From 649K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient browsing
  • 🔒 Strong privacy and security features
  • 👍 Customizable settings and options
  • 💰 Earning potential with Brave Rewards

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🔋 Battery drain issues
  • 🤔 Confusing or unintuitive UI changes
  • 🚫 Lack of full sync capabilities across devices

Gear

From 245 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful features
  • 🔒 Secure browsing
  • 👍 Minimalist design
  • 👍 Customizable dark mode
  • 🚀 Efficient performance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with extensions
  • 🔒 Paid subscription for core features
  • 🐛 Crashes and stability problems
  • 🐛 Slow page loading
  • 🐛 Confusing user interface

Bugs and requests

Brave Browser & Search Engine

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Disappearing tabs and lost browsing data
  • Compatibility issues with certain websites
  • Problems with the Brave Playlist feature

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to clear browsing history and data in bulk
  • More customization options for the home screen and UI
  • Improved integration with other apps and services
  • Expanded Brave Rewards program and payouts

Gear

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Extensions not working
  • Inability to open certain websites
  • Inconsistent dark mode behavior
  • Difficulty managing bookmarks and history

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for more extensions and userscripts
  • Improve tab management and browsing experience
  • Provide more customization options
  • Optimize performance and stability
  • Offer a one-time purchase option instead of subscription

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Brave Browser & Search Engine

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Firewall + VPN7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Brave Leo AI (monthly)7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Annual Firewall + VPN7 Days trial$99.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Brave Leo AI (annual)7 Days trial$149.991 Year
One-time1
  • Brave Origin$59.99
3 purchases

Gear

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Pro Subscription1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • Semi-annually Pro Subscription7 Days trial$14.996 Months
  • Yearly Subscription1 Year trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Brave Browser & Search Engine free?
Brave Browser & Search Engine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Gear free?
Gear is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Brave Browser & Search Engine or Gear?
Brave Browser & Search Engine is rated higher. Brave Browser & Search Engine averages 4.8 out of 5 from 649K ratings, while Gear averages 4.0 from 245 ratings.
Do Brave Browser & Search Engine or Gear have ads?
Neither Brave Browser & Search Engine nor Gear shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Brave Browser & Search Engine or Gear?
Brave Browser & Search Engine ships an update every 3 weeks, and Gear every 4 days. Most recently, Brave Browser & Search Engine was updated on September 24, 2026 and Gear on September 21, 2026.

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