{"id":37828,"date":"2022-10-10T16:07:57","date_gmt":"2022-10-10T13:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=37828"},"modified":"2025-08-29T22:08:59","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T19:08:59","slug":"brave-browser-and-the-bat-cryptocurrency-a-detailed-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/brave-browser-and-the-bat-cryptocurrency-a-detailed-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Brave browser and the BAT cryptocurrency: a detailed review"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-text-wrappers-cards single_card\">\n<h2 class=\"card_label\">Key points<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Brave is a browser with built\u2011in privacy protections that hides website advertising by default.<\/li>\n<li>Brave runs a distinctive advertising model: users may opt in to the Brave Ads network and receive rewards in the Basic Attention Token (BAT).<\/li>\n<li>The browser includes Brave Wallet, which supports storing and transferring assets on EVM\u2011compatible networks and Solana.<\/li>\n<li>From 2016 to 2021 Brave\u2019s user base roughly doubled each year. As of October 2022, around 20m people use the browser daily.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-text-wrappers-cards single_card\">\n<h2 class=\"card_label\">Origins and launch<\/h2>\n<p>Brave was founded by Brian Bondy and Brendan Eich. Eich began his career at Netscape Communications, where he created JavaScript, later one of the world\u2019s most popular programming languages. In 1998 he co\u2011founded the Mozilla Foundation, the maker of a popular web browser. He initially served as chief technology officer and in 2014 became the company\u2019s head, but left soon after his appointment. Bondy previously worked at Khan Academy, Mozilla and Evernote.<\/p>\n<p>In 2015 Bondy and Eich set up Brave Software, and in 2016 released the first version of the Brave browser. Its defining features were the absence of website ads and flexible privacy controls. <\/p>\n<p>The bet paid off: by the end of 2021 the browser had more than 50m users. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/brave.com\/transparency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">official platform statistics<\/a>, in early October daily active users exceeded 19.6m.<\/p>\n<p>In 2017 Brave Software ran a lightning\u2011fast ICO, selling Basic Attention Token (BAT) worth $35m in just 30 seconds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-text-wrappers-cards single_card\">\n<h2 class=\"card_label\">What makes Brave different<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brave.com\/ru\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Brave Browser<\/a> is a free, open\u2011source browser built on Chromium. It looks and feels familiar to Google Chrome, but by default it does not show website ads and does not collect personal data. Brave also blocks location tracking and malware, disables video autoplay, rejects third\u2011party cookies and avoids creating a user fingerprint.<\/p>\n<p>The first version merely blocked ads on sites, but Brave Software later launched its own ad network, <a href=\"https:\/\/brave.com\/brave-ads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Brave Ads<\/a>, which follows a pay\u2011to\u2011surf (PTS) model.<\/p>\n<p>It activates if the user enables the relevant option in settings. The application then collects behavioural data and shows relevant ads. Ad frequency can be adjusted. In return, the user earns BAT rewards. Verified advertisers also receive a small portion of the payouts in BAT. <\/p>\n<p>The system determines which ads to show and under what conditions. Brave Software stresses that wherever the ads appear, the key condition is that they are not intrusive.<\/p>\n<p>According to the developers, by blocking ads and trackers Brave <a href=\"https:\/\/brave.com\/compare\/chrome\/performance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">runs up to three times faster<\/a> and uses about a third less memory than Google Chrome.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-text-wrappers-cards single_card\">\n<h2 class=\"card_label\">Brave Wallet<\/h2>\n<p>The core Web3 element in Brave is the built\u2011in Brave Wallet, which requires no extra installation. Users may still opt for familiar extensions if they wish.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"980\" height=\"479\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/brave-fl-1.png\" alt=\"Brave browser and the BAT cryptocurrency: a review\" class=\"wp-image-187235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/brave-fl-1.png 980w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/brave-fl-1-300x147.png 300w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/brave-fl-1-768x375.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><figcaption>Brave Wallet interface. Source: ForkLog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Brave Wallet connects to other wallets and decentralised applications directly within the web page, like well\u2011known solutions such as <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-metamask\">MetaMask<\/a>. It supports transactions with any digital assets issued on <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-the-ethereum-virtual-machine-evm\">EVM-compatible<\/a> blockchains (Ethereum, Polygon, BNB Chain, Fantom, Optimism and others). The app also lets users swap fiat for crypto via Wyre or Ramp Network, store and transfer non\u2011fungible tokens (NFTs) and view price charts via CoinGecko.<\/p>\n<p>Brave Wallet includes built\u2011in <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-a-decentralised-exchange-dex\">DEX<\/a> functions: users can perform swaps, with the wallet routing via the 0x and Jupiter aggregators. Brave\u2019s fee, depending on the pair, is about 0.8\u20130.9%. <\/p>\n<p>In May 2022 Brave Wallet <a href=\"https:\/\/brave.com\/1.39-release\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">added<\/a> support for the <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-solana-sol\">Solana (SOL)<\/a> blockchain and its native cryptocurrency. This enabled users to create accounts, make cross\u2011chain swaps and transfer SLP tokens. <\/p>\n<p>In the next browser version, <a href=\"https:\/\/brave.com\/1.40-release\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">support was added<\/a> to store and transfer <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/filecoin-fil-how-the-decentralised-storage-blockchain-works\">Filecoin (FIL)<\/a> via Brave Wallet. The wallet also supports the Celo Network (CELO) mainnet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-text-wrappers-cards single_card\">\n<h2 class=\"card_label\">Key features of Brave<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ad blocking and Brave Ads<\/h3>\n<p>One of Brave\u2019s chief advantages is the native ability to block website ads. If desired, users can enable the Brave Ads network to display targeted ads in exchange for BAT rewards.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"494\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/brave-fl-2-1024x494.png\" alt=\"Brave browser and the BAT cryptocurrency: a review\" class=\"wp-image-187236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/brave-fl-2-1024x494.png 1024w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/brave-fl-2-300x145.png 300w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/brave-fl-2-768x370.png 768w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/brave-fl-2.png 1446w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Ad display settings in Brave Ads. Source: ForkLog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>During onboarding, users can set the number of ads they are willing to see. After clicking a link and staying for at least five seconds, the ad network starts crediting BAT for the view. Brave Ads even enables micropayments, which are rarely possible with conventional financial tools today.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Donations to creators<\/h3>\n<p>Brave lets users reward creators on Twitch, Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, Vimeo or GitHub, or tip them on a one\u2011off basis. The minimum per transfer is 1 BAT. To activate this feature, creators must register <a href=\"https:\/\/creators.brave.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in the partner network<\/a>. There is also an auto\u2011contribute option that pays the sites where you spend the most time, which can be disabled.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/brave-fl-3.png\" alt=\"Brave browser and the BAT cryptocurrency: a review\" class=\"wp-image-187237\" width=\"564\" height=\"516\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/brave-fl-3.png 752w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/brave-fl-3-300x274.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 564px) 100vw, 564px\" \/><figcaption>Donation settings in the Brave browser. Source: ForkLog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/brave.com\/transparency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Brave statistics<\/a>, in early October 2022 its network of verified creators included more than 147,000 websites, about 220,000 Twitter users and roughly 819,000 YouTube channels.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Access to blocked web resources and pages<\/h3>\n<p>In 2021 Brave Browser <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/brave-adds-ipfs-support\">integrated<\/a> support for the IPFS protocol. It provides access to blocked pages, speeds up loading and cuts hosting costs. For example, some Wikipedia sections do not work in Thailand, and around 100,000 websites are blocked in Turkey. All of these pages can be viewed in Brave if you run a full IPFS node or use ipfs:\/\/ addressing via a gateway.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A proprietary search engine<\/h3>\n<p>To bolster its privacy credentials, in 2021 the team launched its own search engine, Brave Search. It is built on Tailcat, an open\u2011source system that does not collect IP addresses or personal information. Users can still choose their search engine, but Brave\u2019s own is the default.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In its first year, by the end of June 2022, users <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bleepingcomputer.com\/news\/software\/privacy-focused-brave-search-grew-by-5-000-percent-in-a-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">entered over 2.5bn queries<\/a>. The team announced the successful end of the beta and full integration into the browser. Brave also offers end\u2011to\u2011end encrypted video calls.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-text-wrappers-cards single_card\">\n<h2 class=\"card_label\">BAT\u2019s functions<\/h2>\n<p>BAT is Brave\u2019s main cryptocurrency\u2014an ERC\u201120 token on Ethereum. As of 10 October the token <a href=\"https:\/\/coinmarketcap.com\/ru\/currencies\/basic-attention-token\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">trades<\/a> at $0.3; at its November 2021 peak it reached $1.7. The cryptoasset has been listed on all major exchanges, including Kraken, Gemini, Binance, Coinbase, <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/bitfinex-history-features-and-leadership\">Bitfinex <\/a>and others.<\/p>\n<p>Brave users can earn BAT for viewing ads. Payouts are sent to Brave Wallet. Verified Brave Wallet users also receive BAT \u201ccashback\u201d on swaps executed via the wallet, equal to 20% of fees paid.<\/p>\n<p>Creators on YouTube, Twitter and other platforms can receive donations from fans in BAT. Funds can be withdrawn no more than once a month, with a minimum amount of 15 BAT.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-text-wrappers-cards single_card\">\n<h2 class=\"card_label\">Brave forks<\/h2>\n<p>On June 6th 2020 a fork of Brave called Braver appeared. Its developers were angered by a scandal over referral links to certain crypto exchanges and wallets embedded in the browser\u2019s source code. The alternative version removed the hidden links, video calls and widgets.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly afterwards, lawyers for the original browser forced Braver to change its name. The fork\u2019s creators promised to try again, this time on Chromium, like Brave.<\/p>\n<p>Three days after the high\u2011profile fork, Brave\u2019s founder Brendan Eich issued a formal apology and promised to remove the referral links in the new version. Users, however, accused the team of lying: they found the links had been moved lower in the URL bar\u2014essentially a half\u2011measure.<\/p>\n<p>This was not the first fork of the blockchain\u2011browser. Before Braver there was the social\u2011media platform Gab, where BAT was replaced with bitcoin on the <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/lightning-network-faster-cheaper-bitcoin-transactions\">Lightning Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-text-wrappers-cards single_card\">\n<h2 class=\"card_label\">Further reading<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-web3\">What is Web3?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/ipfs-versus-http-the-future-of-a-decentralised-internet\">IPFS instead of HTTP\u2014the future of the decentralised internet?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-the-tornado-cash-mixer-and-why-was-it-sanctioned\">What is the Tornado Cash mixer and why was it blocked?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-the-metaverse\">What is the metaverse?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-a-governance-token\">What is a governance token?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How does Brave tackle intrusive web advertising? Why is it suited to decentralised applications? What can the Basic Attention Token (BAT) do? We answer these and other questions about the project in this Cryptorium review.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"1","news_style_id":"1","cryptorium_level":"2","_short_excerpt_text":"","creation_source":"","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2113],"tags":[2117,2120,511],"class_list":["post-37828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptorium","tag-101-altcoins","tag-101-anonymity","tag-brave"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"174","promo_type":"1","layout_type":"1","short_excerpt":"","is_update":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37828"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37830,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37828\/revisions\/37830"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}