Brave browser is a privacy-focused browser based on Google's open-source Chromium code. If you use Brave browser, then you almost certainly care about your online privacy, and probably already know why using a VPN add-on is the perfect (and necessary) complement to it.
Brave is built with privacy firmly in mind. It features a built-in ad-blocker, tracking protection, a script blocker, and HTTPS-Everywhere style functionality (where it forces a secure HTTPS connection whenever such is possible).
The browser also allows you to block all cookies or just cross-site ones, and features one-click anti-fingerprinting and WebRTC leak protection. The latter is particularly relevant here, as the main reason WebRTC leak protection exists is to prevent your real IP address from becoming exposed when using a VPN. We will, therefore, discuss it in more depth later in this article.
All of which is great, but none of it hides your unique internet (IP) address from websites you visit, or hides which websites you visit from your internet provider (ISP). That's what a VPN is for.
The best VPNs for Brave browser at a glance
Here's our quick rundown of the best VPNs for Brawe browser. If you're looking for more in-depth summaries, check out the sections below.
- ExpressVPN - The best VPN for Brave browser. It offers the best VPN protocols, advanced security features, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- NordVPN - A great all-around VPN for Brave browser. It's consistently fast and secure and it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Surfshark - The best value-for-money Brave VPN. Unlimited simultaneous connections, cutting-edge features, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Private Internet Access - The most secure VPN for Brave browser – strong encryption, verified zero-logs claims, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- CyberGhost VPN - A beginner-friendly Brave browser VPN. It comes with sleek and intuitive apps, and a generous 45 day money-back guarantee.
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| TEST WINNER ExpressVPN | NordVPN | Surfshark | Private Internet Access | CyberGhost VPN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Website | ExpressVPN | NordVPN | Surfshark | Private Internet Access | CyberGhost VPN |
| Ranking for Brave Browser | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Performance | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Reliability | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Free trial | |||||
| Total servers | 3000 | 6200 | 3200 | 3386 | 11625 |
| Payment | PayPal Visa/MasterCard Amex Cryptocurrency | PayPal Visa/MasterCard Amex Cryptocurrency | PayPal Visa/MasterCard Amex Cryptocurrency | PayPal Visa/MasterCard Amex Cryptocurrency | PayPal Visa/MasterCard Amex Cryptocurrency |
| Unblocks: | Netflix iPlayer Disney+ Amazon Prime Hulu | Netflix iPlayer Disney+ Amazon Prime Hulu | Netflix iPlayer Disney+ Amazon Prime Hulu | Netflix iPlayer Disney+ Amazon Prime Hulu | Netflix iPlayer Disney+ Amazon Prime Hulu |
| Supported platforms | Windows macOS iOS Android | Windows macOS iOS Android | Windows macOS iOS Android | Windows macOS iOS Android | Windows macOS iOS Android |
The best VPNs for Brave browser, in-depth analysis
Below we have listed the best VPNs for Brave browser. These services provide browser add ons and even better they have highly secure VPN software that routes all of the data from your computer through an encrypted tunnel. If you need more information about any of the services listed below, check out our detailed VPN reviews.
1. ExpressVPN Editor's Choice | April 2024
ExpressVPN is the best Brave browser VPN. You get superb protocols, including OpenVPN and WireGuard, top-notch privacy features like stealth servers, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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Pricing
- 12 months + 3 months FREE + Backblaze backup: $6.67/mth 49% OFF
- 6 months: $9.99/mth
- 1 month: $12.95/mth
- 12 months + 3 months FREE + Backblaze backup: $6.67/mth
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Pros
- Servers in over 94 countries to choose from
- Consistently among the fastest services we test
- Over ten years in business - a trustworthy service provider
- Customizable encryption options for even better speed and security
- RAM only servers never write to hard drive
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Cons
- No port-forwarding, not ideal for ardent torrenters
- Only five simultaneous connections
- A pricey provider, but offers premium features in exchange
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Available on
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
-
Unblocks
- Netflix
- iPlayer
- Amazon Prime
- Hulu
-
Website
ExpressVPN Demo
ExpressVPN pioneered many features that are now considered “standard” among tier 1 VPN services. These include professional 24/7 Live Chat support and a rock-solid no-quibble 30-day money-back guarantee.
It's even beginning to look like ExpressVPN's recent move to RAM-only VPN servers, which boot from read-only media, is likely to become a trendsetter! This ensures no personal data or malicious code can persist on the servers after a reboot, and that all servers are always fully patched with the latest security updates.
ExpressVPN, which is based in the British Virgin Islands, keeps no logs that can compromise your privacy, runs servers in 105 countries worldwide, allows up to five simultaneous connections, is consistently one of the fastest VPN services on our books, and is great at unblocking streaming services such as US Netflix and BBC iPlayer.
Unlike most Chrome “VPN extensions,” which are just really stand-alone proxies, ExpressVPN’s Chrome extension is a convenient front-end for its full VPN software suite.
NordVPN is a wold-famous Brave VPN. It offers thousands of fast servers and superb features, but comes with affordable price tag and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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Pricing
- 24 months + 3 months FREE: $3.69/mth 70% OFF
- 12 months: $4.99/mth 59% OFF
- 1 month: $11.99/mth
- 24 months + 3 months FREE: $3.69/mth
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Pros
- Advanced VPN protocols and privacy features
- Includes an ad and malware blocker
- Reliable and quick servers
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Cons
- Only six simultaneous connections
- More expensive than PIA and Surfshark
- Mac client isn't as fully-featured
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Available on
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
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Unblocks
- Netflix
- iPlayer
- Amazon Prime
- Hulu
-
Website
Nord Demo
NordVPN is a no-logs VPN provider based in Panama that is strong on privacy. It is a reliable service with apps for all popular platforms that will easily let you bypass local censorship, access internationally geo-restricted content, or unblock content restricted by an admin in work, at school, or on public WiFi.
NordVPN offers a wealth of market-leading security features that make it a good option for just about anybody. It also has rare privacy features such as double-hop connections, VPN over Tor, DNS-based malware protection, Smart DNS, and more, all at a very reasonable price point.
Surshark is an excellent value-for-money VPN. For a little over $2 per month, you get unlimited simultaneous connections, ad and malware protection, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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Pricing
- 24 months + 2 months FREE: $2.3/mth 83% OFF
- 12 months: $3.99/mth 70% OFF
- 1 month: $12.95/mth
- 24 months + 2 months FREE: $2.3/mth
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Pros
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Feature-rich but cheap
- Unblocks Netflix US, HBO Max, and Disney+ with ease
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Cons
- One-month price is quite expensive
- Fewer servers than ExpressVPN and PIA
- No port-forwarding, not ideal for torrenting
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Available on
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
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Unblocks
- Netflix
- iPlayer
- Amazon Prime
- Hulu
-
Website
Surfshark Demo
Surfshark is a fairly new VPN provider. Surfshark burst onto the VPN scene with a shockingly good product and made waves with its very reasonable price tag. Like ExpressVPN, it is based in the British Virgin Islands, which allows it to keep no logs that threaten your privacy.
Features include a smart DNS service, split tunneling, static IP addresses, DNS ad-blocking, and a double VPN connection called MultiHop. Surfshark unlocks a wide selection of streaming services, including US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and more. There is also a Chrome extension, although its core benefits are already present in Brave.
Surfshark offers 24/7 Live Chat support and will hand your money back for up to 30 days after purchase.
Private Internet Access is a secure Brave browser VPN. Its zero-logs claims were proven in court; military-grade encryption, privacy features to match, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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Pricing
- 24 months + 2 months FREE: $2.19/mth 82% OFF
- 6 months: $7.5/mth 38% OFF
- 1 month: $11.95/mth
- 24 months + 2 months FREE: $2.19/mth
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Pros
- OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols - very strong and secure
- A privacy policy that was proven in court
- A budget-friendly service packed with features
- Unblocks in-demand streaming services
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Cons
- No obfuscation (stealth servers)
- US-based company
- Not quite as fast as ExpressVPN or NordVPN
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Available on
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
-
Unblocks
- Netflix
- iPlayer
- Amazon Prime
- Hulu
-
Website
PIA Demo
PrivateInternetAccess is based in the USA, which isn't great as this is the home of the National Security Agency (NSA). However, PIA is deeply respected in the industry for its string no-logs stance. It is the only VPN service to have its no logs claims put to the test in front of a court of law!
PIA’s software (which includes a fully-featured GUI Linux client - an appealing to privacy-focused Brave users out there) offers port forwarding, split-tunneling, DNS-based ad and malware blocking, and even a Shadowsocks proxy for evading censorship. A Chrome app is also available.
PIA runs over 3,386 servers out of 84 countries and now offers a full 30-day money-back guarantee.
Cyber Ghost is a no-fuss VPN that has excellent easy-to-use apps for all your devices, and it's, therefore, ideal for the absolute beginners. Try it risk-free with a 45 day money-back guarantee.
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Pricing
- 24 months + 3 months FREE: $2.11/mth 83% OFF
- 6 months: $6.99/mth 42% OFF
- 1 month: $11.99/mth
- 24 months + 3 months FREE: $2.11/mth
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Pros
- Based in Romania so no government spying!
- 45-day money-back guarantee
- Thousands of servers worldwide
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Cons
- WebRTC IPv6 leak in macOS
- No independent audit
- Lacks stealth servers
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Available on
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
-
Unblocks
- Netflix
- iPlayer
- Amazon Prime
- Hulu
-
Website
CyberGhost Demo
CyberGhost is a no-logs Romanian service gives you a lot of VPN for your money. It operates 11,625 servers in over 100 countries worldwide (on which torrenting is allowed on all of them), offers first-rate technical security, and has apps for all major platforms (including a CLI Linux app, and a Chrome extension).
Besides a no-strings 1-day free trial, CyberGhost offers a very generous 45-day money-back guarantee. Customer support is via 24/7 Live Chat.
Advanced features present in most of CyberGhost’s apps (the list can vary a little by app) include DNS-based ad and tracker blocking, HTTPS Everywhere-style functionality, split tunneling, and automatic WiFi protection when connecting to unknown networks.
How does a VPN work with Brave browser?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) connects your device to a VPN server run by a commercial VPN service. This connection is encrypted, and VPN services typically run VPN servers located in many locations around the world. This means that when you open Brave browser, your web habits are kept private and secure with strong encryption protocols.
This setup sounds deceptively simple. In reality, it makes VPNs the Swiss Army knives of internet tools. Check out our what is a VPN and how does it work guide for more information about how VPN services work.
Advantages of using a VPN for Brave Browser?
Since you use Brave Browser, we're going to assume that online privacy is a high priority for you. A VPN complements Brave's privacy features in the following ways:
- It hides your real IP address from websites you visit in the Brave browser. All they see is the IP address of the VPN server. Logging visitor's IP address is the most basic and most revealing form of tracking that websites perform. Brave's built-in anti-tracking features complement this by helping to prevent subtler forms of tracking, such as preventing browser fingerprinting and leaving third party cookies in your browser's cookie cache.
- It prevents your ISP from knowing which websites you visit, since all it can see is that you have connected to an IP address belonging to a VPN server.
- It encrypts your traffic, so your ISP also can't see any data that passes between your device and the VPN server.
- Defeating censorship. Many people that live under authoritarian regimes rely on VPNs to access the open internet without getting into trouble, but VPNs will also unblock sites censored on copyright grounds, defeat "child locks” put into place by college dorms and landlords, and open up social media sites blocked by your boss.
- It prevents untargeted mass surveillance, which is important given that most government mass surveillance programs simply harvest the logs kept by ISPs.
- It protects your public WiFi sessions. The widespread use of HTTPS to project websites means that criminal WiFi hackers haven't gone away entirely, but are much less of a threat than they once were when using public WiFi hotspots. But what about the people running the WiFi hotspot? Many "free” WiFi hotspots are commercial enterprises that harvest your browsing habits and sell them to advertising and analytics companies. As with your ISP, a VPN keeps your browsing sessions private.
- Watching Netflix. Netflix customers in the United States enjoy a much larger catalog of titles than customers elsewhere. With a VPN you can access this catalog using any regional Netflix account. You can also access other regional Netflix content (provider dependant) plus that of a bunch of other popular streaming services (such the BBC's excellent iPlayer).
- You can torrent safely. Since the VPN server hides your IP address from other peers and hides what you download from your ISP, it is completely safe to torrent. VPNs are also very handy for unblocking censored torrent sites.
If you use Brave without a VPN, then websites can see who you are, and your ISP can see every website you visit on the internet. All of which makes the privacy benefits of using Brave in the first place rather redundant.
Set up Brave browser's built-in WebRTC leak protection
WebRTC is a feature of HTML5 that provides high-quality voice and video communication inside all modern browser windows. This, of course, includes Brave.
Unfortunately, it can cause problems for VPN users. In order to achieve seamless browser-to-browser communication through obstacles (such as firewalls), WebRTC broadcasts your real IP address to STUN servers.
These keep a list of both your public IP addresses and their real IP addresses, which it hands over to anyone on a simple STUN request.
The usual solution is to install a browser extension that disables WebRTC, but Brave comes with built-in WebRTC leak protection.
Method 1
This is the preferred method at the time of writing, as an update to Shields is in the pipeline to fix an issue with Method 2 (described below).
In Brave, go to Settings > Shields > Fingerprinting Protection and select Block all Fingerprints from the drop-down menu.
Method 2
This method should work. At the time of writing, there seems to be a problem with it, but the issue is known, and Brave is working on a fix.
Go to Settings > Additional Settings > Privacy and Security > WebRTC IP Handling Policy and select Disable non-proxied UDP.
Brave browser VPN extensions
Many VPN services offer Chrome extensions, and, since Brave is based on Chromium, it is easy to add Chrome extensions to Brave directly from the Chrome Web Store. So you can use most Chrome VPN extensions in your Brave browser.
The only thing to note is that while you may find using a Chrome VPN extension in Brave convenient, many of the additional features offered by these extensions, such as WebRTC leak protection and DNS-based ad-blocking, are already built-in to Brave.
Stay secure on Puffin browser
If you use Puffin browser and want to stay secure and private while browsing the web, then you need a VPN. Check out our best VPNs for Puffin browser page for a list of services that will keep you secure and enable you to unblock websites currently restricted in your location.