Comparison

Puffin Browser Pro vs Brave Browser & Search Engine

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

Head to head
About

Puffin Browser Pro

This app provides a unique cloud-based browsing experience, acting as a remote desktop client for a powerful cloud server that renders web content. It offers features like browser isolation, data saving, and desktop mode, while protecting your internet access.

Highlights
  • Browser Isolation
  • Cloud Acceleration
  • Data Saving
  • Download to Cloud
  • Flash Game Support
  • Full Desktop Mode
  • Internet Access Protection
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Puffin Cloud Browser is the client app that accesses the cloud server which runs the web browser. The Puffin client app and the Puffin cloud server do not communicate in HTTP protocol and the data exchange is not in HTML format. The Puffin client app is like the remote desktop client and the Puffin cloud server is like the remote desktop server. Puffin Cloud Browser gives the audience the illusion of a web browser but it is not, in reality, a web browser. Puffin Cloud Browser can only "display" the web content rendered on the cloud servers but can't "render" the web content itself on the client devices. ==== Differentiating Features ==== * Browser Isolation * Cloud Acceleration * Data Saving * Download to Cloud * Flash Game * Full Desktop Mode * Internet Access Protection * Virtual Gamepad/Mouse/Trackpad ==== Important Limitations ==== * Only works on websites that are publicly accessible from the US -- Does not work for private IP, corporate Intranet, and geo-restricted websites * Only works in countries that are not excessive in censorship -- Does not work in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates * For some websites, Puffin server IP blocks need to be white-listed -- Puffin can bring an excessive load to some websites More info at Puffin FAQ https://help.puffin.com/faq

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

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.

Screenshots

Puffin Browser Pro3 screens
Brave Browser & Search Engine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Brave Browser & Search Engine at Free against Puffin Browser Pro's $4.99. Brave Browser & Search Engine also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.9) and review sentiment (73% vs 41%). Puffin Browser Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and iOS requirement (8.0 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Brave Browser & Search Engine is free to download; Puffin Browser Pro costs $4.99 up front. Brave Browser & Search Engine sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Puffin Browser Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Brave Browser & Search Engine holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brave Browser & Search Engine has 669K ratings behind it against 1.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Puffin Browser Pro's written reviews are positive against 73% of Brave Browser & Search Engine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Puffin Browser Pro ships an update monthly, Brave Browser & Search Engine every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 27, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Puffin Browser Pro versus Brave Browser & Search Engine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPuffin Browser ProBrave Browser & Search Engine
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating2.9 (1.4K ratings)4.8 (669K ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.8% of reviews73.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.4K669K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#181#19 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB356 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperCloudMosa, Inc.Brave Software

Customer experience

Puffin Browser Pro

All ratings1,432 ratings
Positive43.7%
Neutral8.7%
Negative47.6%
Written reviews1,434 reviews
Positive40.8%
Neutral8.6%
Negative50.6%

Brave Browser & Search Engine

All ratings666,467 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews7,973 reviews
Positive73.2%
Neutral7.4%
Negative19.4%

User reviews

Puffin Browser Pro

From 1.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast browser
  • 👍 Great for flash content
  • 🔒 Bypass content restrictions
  • 💡 Useful features like gamepad and mouse pointer

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🔋 Drains battery
  • 🔒 Security and privacy concerns
  • 👎 Unreliable and inconsistent performance

Brave Browser & Search Engine

From 669K 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

Bugs and requests

Puffin Browser Pro

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent crashes and connection issues
  • Compatibility problems with newer websites
  • Gamepad controls not working properly
  • Inability to permanently change search engine

Requested features

4 requests
  • Update for newer iOS versions
  • Improve gamepad support
  • Add dark mode option
  • Better ad blocking

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

In-app purchases

None

Puffin Browser Pro

No 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

Questions

Is Puffin Browser Pro free?
Puffin Browser Pro costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Brave Browser & Search Engine free?
Brave Browser & Search Engine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Puffin Browser Pro or Brave Browser & Search Engine?
Brave Browser & Search Engine is rated higher. Puffin Browser Pro averages 2.9 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while Brave Browser & Search Engine averages 4.8 from 669K ratings.
Do Puffin Browser Pro or Brave Browser & Search Engine have ads?
Neither Puffin Browser Pro nor Brave Browser & Search Engine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Puffin Browser Pro or Brave Browser & Search Engine?
Puffin Browser Pro ships an update monthly, and Brave Browser & Search Engine every 2 weeks. Most recently, Puffin Browser Pro was updated on October 27, 2026 and Brave Browser & Search Engine on October 27, 2026.
Which is more popular, Puffin Browser Pro or Brave Browser & Search Engine?
Puffin Browser Pro currently peaks at #181 in the App Store charts, and Brave Browser & Search Engine at #19. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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