Brave Browser & Search Engine vs WAS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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Brave is a fast, private web browser that blocks ads and trackers on every site, automatically. No settings to change, no extensions to install. Over 125 million people browse with Brave. It's free, open source, and independent — we don't sell your browsing data. Everything below is built into the browser. One app, not a stack of them. BLOCK ADS ON EVERY SITE Brave Shields stops banner ads, pop-ups, autoplay interruptions, and the ads that play before and during videos. Same on news sites, shopping sites, forums and video pages — no per-site setup, no ad blocker extension. It dismisses cookie consent banners too, and it's on from your first tab. PRIVATE BROWSING THAT BLOCKS TRACKERS Private mode in most browsers only hides your history from your own phone. Brave blocks the cross-site trackers and fingerprinting scripts that follow you from a shopping page to your social feed, strips tracking codes from links you copy, and turns on Global Privacy Control by default. SHRED: DELETE ONE SITE'S DATA, NOT ALL OF IT Clearing browser data usually logs you out of everything. Shred deletes the cookies and storage for one site and leaves your other sessions intact. Set Auto Shred to run whenever you close a tab. BRAVE SEARCH: A PRIVATE SEARCH ENGINE, BUILT IN Brave Search is the default search engine in the browser, running on its own independent index — not resold results from Google or Bing. It doesn't profile you or log your searches. Ask Brave puts search results and AI answers in one place. Switch search engines any time. BRAVE LEO: A FREE AI ASSISTANT Summarize a long article, translate a page, or draft a reply without leaving the tab. Choose from several AI models. Leo doesn't record your conversations, share them, or use them to train models. BRAVE NEWS: A FEED WITH NO PROFILE BEHIND IT Personalize a news feed from hundreds of sources or any RSS feed with Brave News. FASTER PAGES, LESS MOBILE DATA Ads and trackers are most of what a modern page downloads. Blocking them means fewer requests, less data and less battery drain. We rebuilt Brave's ad blocking engine to use 75% less memory, so it stays responsive with many tabs open. MAKE BRAVE YOUR DEFAULT BROWSER Open Settings, scroll to Brave, choose Default Browser App. Every link you tap — from Mail, Messages or any app — opens with ad and tracker blocking already on. WHAT'S FREE AND WHAT ISN'T Free: the browser, ad and tracker blocking, Shred, Brave Search, Brave Leo, Brave News, Sync and night mode. Subscriptions: - Brave Firewall + VPN encrypts your whole device, not just browser traffic, with a kill switch and smart proxy. - Brave Leo Premium unlocks more capable AI models. - Brave Origin: The streamlined, minimalist browser that gives you Brave's industry-leading privacy and ad-blocking, with none of the extras. One-time purchase: Brave Origin, an ultra-minimalist build of Brave — no AI, no crypto, nothing but the web. One purchase covers all your devices. Also inside: encrypted Sync, a self-custody Brave Wallet (off by default), night mode, voice search, password autofill, custom app icons, and bookmark import from Safari or Chrome. OPEN SOURCE Brave is open source, so anyone can audit what the browser does. Read what we collect at https://brave.com/privacy/ Our mission is to protect your privacy online by building a fast, private browser — while growing a fairer revenue model for creators. Enjoying the app? Please leave us a 5 star review! Brave.com · Support: https://brave.com/support Terms of Use: https://brave.com/terms-of-use/ Privacy Policy: https://brave.com/privacy/ SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Price may vary by location. Subscriptions are charged to your Apple Account. Firewall + VPN and Leo Premium are offered monthly and annually, and renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in Account Settings. Free trials may be used once; any unused portion is forfeited on purchase.
WAS
Easily switch between mobile and desktop website views with a single click. Test your own websites or browse any site as it would appear on different devices using custom user-agent strings. This browser simplifies cross-device testing without needing emulators.
- Switch between mobile and desktop views
- Change user-agent strings
- Built-in WebView browser
- Add custom user agents
- Quick compatibility testing settings
- Content verification tools
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The WAS browser allows you to switch between mobile and desktop views of a website with one click. Now you can browse any site or test your own by changing the user-agent string—which determines how the website is displayed. With the built-in WebView browser, you can see how your site will look on various smartphones, screens, and devices without needing to buy them or install additional emulators. WAS offers a wide range of built-in user agents, but if they aren't enough, you can easily add or create your own. Additionally, the application includes many built-in settings for quick compatibility testing and content verification. Download the app now and say goodbye to the hassle of testing websites on different devices!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Brave Browser & Search Engine at Free against WAS's $2.49. Brave Browser & Search Engine also leads on ratings volume (655K vs 92) and review sentiment (73% vs 58%). WAS's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On update cadence, ads and device support 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
Brave Browser & Search Engine is free to download; WAS costs $2.49 up front. Brave Browser & Search Engine sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. WAS asks for nothing beyond the download.
Brave Browser & Search Engine holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brave Browser & Search Engine has 655K ratings behind it against 92, 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 58% of WAS's.
Brave Browser & Search Engine ships an update every 3 weeks, WAS fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Brave Browser & Search Engine | WAS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.49 |
| Rating | 4.8 (655K ratings) — better | 4.6 (92 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 73.3% of reviews — better | 58.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 655K — better | 92 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #20 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 361 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Brave Software | Andreii Simaranov |
Customer experience
Brave Browser & Search Engine
WAS
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
WAS
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Brave Browser & Search Engine
- 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
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- Brave Leo AI (annual)7 Days trial$149.991 Year
- Brave Origin$59.99
WAS
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Brave Browser & Search Engine free?
Is WAS free?
Which has better reviews, Brave Browser & Search Engine or WAS?
Do Brave Browser & Search Engine or WAS have ads?
Which is updated more often, Brave Browser & Search Engine or WAS?
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