Pros
- Completely free with no premium tier needed
- Built directly into Brave browser — no extension to install
- Blocks fingerprinting and cross-site tracking by default
- Includes built-in Tor integration for private browsing
Cons
- Requires switching to Brave browser entirely
- Some websites may break due to aggressive blocking
- Cannot be used with Chrome, Firefox, or other browsers
Brave Shields is the built-in ad and tracker blocking feature of the Brave browser. Unlike traditional ad blockers that run as browser extensions, Brave Shields is integrated directly into the browser engine, providing faster and more efficient blocking of advertisements, trackers, fingerprinting scripts, and other unwanted content without any additional installation required.
Key Features
- Built-In Ad Blocking: Brave Shields blocks ads at the browser level before they even begin to load, eliminating banner ads, pop-ups, video pre-roll ads, and interstitials across all websites without requiring any extensions or configuration.
- Fingerprint Protection: The browser randomizes your browser fingerprint to prevent websites from tracking you based on your device characteristics, screen resolution, installed fonts, and other hardware identifiers.
- Script Control: Users can granularly control which scripts are allowed to run on each website, providing fine-tuned control over JavaScript execution, third-party resources, and embedded content.
- HTTPS Everywhere: Brave automatically upgrades connections to HTTPS wherever possible, ensuring your browsing data is encrypted and protected from man-in-the-middle attacks.
- Brave Rewards: Users who opt in can view privacy-respecting ads and earn Basic Attention Tokens (BAT) as cryptocurrency, creating a voluntary ad model that respects user choice.
- Cross-Platform Availability: Brave browser with Shields is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, providing consistent ad-free browsing across all platforms and devices.
