Online privacy has gone from a niche worry to an everyday concern, and your browser sits right at the center of it. Brave Browser is one of the few mainstream options that treats privacy as the default rather than an add-on, and the latest release, Brave 1.97.57, keeps that promise while quietly polishing the details.
In this updated guide we look at what changed in the newest version, how Brave's built-in Shields really work, which settings are worth a look, and how to move over from Chrome without losing your bookmarks or passwords.
Chrome, Edge and Firefox are still the big names, but Brave takes a different path. It focuses on what many people actually want: fewer ads, better speed, stronger privacy and more control over their own data.
It blocks ads and trackers automatically, speeds up page loading and protects your privacy without extra extensions or complicated settings.
🆕 What's New in Brave 1.97.57
Brave 1.97.57 arrived on 14 October 2026 and is mainly a maintenance release. It doesn't add flashy features, but it moves the browser to a newer Chromium base and fixes some annoying problems, which is exactly what you want from a browser you use all day.
- Upgraded to Chromium 155.0.8059.80, with the latest security patches and better compatibility with modern websites.
- Fixed an issue where Tor windows could fail to connect to the Tor network in certain cases.
- Removed the sync toggle for payment methods and other info from Brave Wallet.
The Chromium upgrade is the one to care about. Brave is built on Chromium, so security fixes in the engine reach Brave users quickly, and updating promptly closes known holes before attackers can use them. If you use Tor windows, the connection fix is also welcome, since a private window that can't connect defeats its own purpose.
If you skipped a few updates, two earlier releases are worth knowing about. Version 1.96.59 made the Memory section in the System settings show your "Always keep these sites active" choices, and version 1.96.60 fixed a privacy leak involving the favicons of sites added to the sidebar in Tor windows.
Open the menu, choose About Brave and let it check for updates. Brave downloads the new version and asks you to relaunch.
🚀 What Is Brave Browser?
👉 Brave Browser is a free, open-source web browser built on Chromium, the same technology behind Google Chrome. That means excellent website compatibility, support for Chrome extensions and a familiar interface, with much stronger privacy protection on top.
Many mainstream browsers lean on user tracking and advertising data. Brave does the opposite: from the moment you install it, it blocks third-party trackers, intrusive ads, fingerprinting attempts and harmful scripts. The result is a cleaner browsing experience with faster page loads and lower memory use.
One of its more unusual features is Brave Rewards. It is optional, but if you choose to see privacy-friendly ads, you can earn BAT (Basic Attention Token), a cryptocurrency designed to reward users and support content creators without exposing your browsing activity.
✨ Key Features at a Glance
Here is what you get with Brave without installing anything extra:
Brave also runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, so your privacy settings can follow you across devices.
🦁 How Brave Shields Work
Shields is the heart of Brave. It is the lion icon on the right side of the address bar, and it works quietly on every page you open. Before a page finishes loading, Shields checks each request against blocklists and stops those that belong to ad networks, cross-site trackers and known malicious domains. Because those requests never happen, the page has less to download and less to run.
The Shields panel opens when you click the lion icon next to the address bar. The numbers shown here are only an example.
Click the icon and a small panel opens for the current site. It shows how many trackers and ads were blocked and lets you change the rules for that site only. If a page looks broken, for example a video won't play or a login form misbehaves, try lowering Shields for that site. Everything else stays protected.
Two details are worth remembering. Shields settings are saved per site, so relaxing protection on one site doesn't weaken it anywhere else. And the Report a broken site button helps Brave improve its filters, so it is usually a better first move than switching Shields off for good.
🔐 Privacy Settings Worth Knowing
Open the menu, go to Settings and choose Shields. That page sets the defaults for every site. Here is what the main options do, in plain language:
Menu, then Settings, then Shields. Labels can differ slightly between Brave versions.
For most people the defaults are the right choice. Moving to Aggressive only makes sense if you value extra blocking more than the occasional broken website.
🕵️ Private Window with Tor
When you want more privacy than usual, Brave includes a Private Window with Tor. Open the menu and choose New Private Window with Tor. Brave then sends your traffic through the Tor network, which hides your IP address from the sites you visit and makes it harder for your internet provider to see which sites those are.
A Tor window looks different from a normal one, so you can always tell which one you are in.
It helps to know the limits. Tor windows are slower than normal browsing because your traffic takes a longer route, and Brave's own documentation points people who need the strongest anonymity to the dedicated Tor Browser (see our guide to Tor Browser: The Easiest Way to Browse Anonymously). Also, don't sign in to personal accounts in a Tor window. Logging in tells the site exactly who you are, however your traffic travels.
Used sensibly, a Tor window is handy for sensitive searches, for checking how a site looks from outside your usual profile, or for using a public network with a little more peace of mind.
🏎️ Speed and Performance
In everyday use Brave is generally among the faster Chromium-based browsers, and the reason is simple: it blocks ads, trackers and extra scripts before they load. Less content means less to download and render, which can shorten page load times and cut data use. Your results will vary with the sites you visit and your hardware.
Blocking tracking and advertising scripts before they load reduces CPU use, memory use, bandwidth and rendering time, and it can even help battery life during long browsing sessions.
On older PCs and laptops, memory matters as much as raw speed. In the System settings you will find a Memory section with Memory Saver, which frees up memory from tabs you haven't used for a while. If there is a site you never want put to sleep, such as webmail or a chat app, add it to the Always keep these sites active list.
Memory Saver and the always-active list live under Settings, System.
🤖 Getting More from Leo AI
Leo is Brave's built-in AI assistant. It lives in the side panel, so you can ask about the page you are reading without copying anything into another website. It can summarize web pages and PDFs, answer questions about them and help with writing or simple coding tasks.
- The phone has a brighter screen and a larger battery.
- Camera gains are modest, mostly in low light.
- The price is slightly higher than last year.
Leo sits in the side panel, so you can ask about the page you are reading without leaving it.
Brave says it doesn't keep your Leo conversations or use them to train models, which is a real difference from many AI tools. The free version is fine for quick jobs, and a paid plan adds more models and higher limits, so check what suits you. As with any AI assistant, Leo can make mistakes, so double-check anything important.
📥 Switching from Chrome
Moving to Brave takes only a few minutes. Because both browsers share the same Chromium foundation, your data comes across cleanly.
- 1Close Chrome, so Brave can read its data without interruptions.
- 2In Brave, open the menu, go to Settings, choose Get started and click Import bookmarks and settings.
- 3Pick Google Chrome, tick what you want to bring over and click Import.
Import is found under Settings, Get started. Tick only what you want to bring across.
Bookmarks, history and saved passwords arrive as they were, and extensions can be imported too. Edge, Firefox and other browsers appear in the same list, so the steps are the same wherever you are coming from.
⚖️ Pros vs Cons
✅ Advantages
- Outstanding privacy protection: trackers, intrusive ads, third-party cookies, fingerprinting attempts and many malicious scripts are blocked without extra extensions.
- Fast browsing: pages usually open faster and feel more responsive than in many traditional browsers.
- Efficient resource use: lower CPU, memory and bandwidth use can improve battery life and smoothness on both new and older devices.
- Full Chromium compatibility: it works with most Chrome extensions and modern web apps.
- Rich built-in ecosystem: Brave Search, Leo AI, Brave Wallet, Sync, Playlist and optional VPN services reduce the need for third-party tools.
❌ Disadvantages
- Occasional site problems: aggressive protections can sometimes break a website or embedded content until you adjust Shields.
- Smaller ecosystem than Chrome: fewer tutorials, enterprise tools and third-party integrations.
- Rewards aren't for everyone: if you have no interest in BAT, the optional Rewards features may go unused.
- Premium VPN costs money: Brave VPN and Firewall are paid services, not part of the free browser.
- Leo is still maturing: it keeps improving, but it may not match leading standalone AI tools on complex tasks.
🎯 Who Is Brave For?
Brave is a great fit if you care about privacy, speed and a cleaner web without ads and trackers everywhere. It is especially good for people who want strong protection without spending time configuring several extensions.
It also suits slower internet connections, limited mobile data plans and older hardware. Blocking ads and trackers before they load saves bandwidth, improves responsiveness and can help laptop and phone batteries last a little longer. Power users get plenty to explore too, from Brave Search and Leo to the wallet, Sync and the optional VPN.
A private browser is only one part of the picture. For more ideas, read Stop Using These 5 Apps If You Care About Your Privacy.
Brave 1.97.57 shows that privacy, speed and usability can live in the same browser. The update itself is modest, with a newer Chromium base and a Tor connection fix, but it sits on top of a browser that protects you by default.
Whether you are leaving Chrome, want faster pages or simply want more control over your data, Brave remains one of the best Chromium-based browsers available today.
Official Website Download Brave
💡 Quick Tips
- Leave Shields on Standard, and lower it for a single site only when that site breaks.
- Use Report a broken site instead of turning Shields off for good. It helps fix the problem for everyone.
- On an older PC, switch on Memory Saver and keep your important tabs in the always-active list.
- Use a Tor window for sensitive searches, but never to sign in to personal accounts.
- Keep Brave updated through About Brave, because Chromium security fixes arrive with new versions.
- Skip Brave Rewards if you aren't interested. Nothing else in the browser depends on it.
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