Brave

Brave is a browser that tries to answer the advertisement versus user annoyance question, and it does a pretty good job. A job that it does better with every patch, honestly.

The idea is simple: built in ad blocking, but with options to help companies while getting consent from users. Advertisements are annoying to some, but many people are willing to compromise--especially if they get a choice in which ads they see.

A built-in ad blocker is important for more reasons than user convenience. The ad blocking scene can be compared to many other scenes in the digital world. There are multiple ideas on how ad blocking should happen, the code behind blocking, and most importantly, LOTS of drama.

Just like anti-virus teams selling out to big names, some ad blockers have allowed advertisers to get through their blocking while shrugging and allowing it to happen as a mistake. They're usually run as projects of passion, and since users aren't paying for ad blockers, the only thing lost is the passion and trust of the team.

That's not consistent enough for the users, so the Brave team is behind a project that brings web browser design and ad management together. That compromise will hopefully get better as time goes on.

The highlight of Brave is the rewards system. You can opt into Brave Rewards, a system that gives you credit when you view content that is a part of the program.

Essentially, there are whitelisted (allowed) ads on the net that follow compliance rules. Brave will give you credit if you allow these ads.

Are you interested in specifically helping companies and websites that you use, but don't want to be interrupted by ads? Money isn't an issue for many people, and Brave is expanding its wallet options to allow users to load up cash, then use Brave without ads while paying out a similar rate.

Ads bring in money through views and clicks. When you block an ad, a site isn't getting paid to expose ads to you. Brave can instead pay the site while keeping you clear of the ads.

It's an interesting project and working better with every patch. The only downside is that in some situations, ads can still get through.

This happens with many other ad blockers on the market. The way ads are made and delivered can change without warning--or at least change in ways that the average internet user won't know about until it happens.

The problem is that it's hard to tell if ads are coming through because of technology changes or if the ad blocker--including Brave--is failing you by accident or selling out. Time will tell!