Brave Browser Fires Google As Its Default Search Engine, Puts Its Own

Brave, the popular privacy-focused browser that blocks all unwanted ads and trackers by default, is switching its default search engine. As per the company’s announcement, the browser will now use its search engine – Brave Search. Likewise, the said change will apply to all new users who install the browser.

Brave Search will replace Google as the browser’s default search engine. Users in different countries will now see it as their default search engine instead of their previous one. Brave is an open-source browser based on Chromium that is entirely privacy-centric.

It’s time to meet Brave’s newest offering

The browser’s parent company launched the new search engine in public beta earlier this year. The change will be significant, as most users will now shift to the new search engine without caring about the change. Over the past few years, Brave has grown remarkably as a browser due to its privacy-focused branding.

“Brave Search has grown significantly since its release last June, with nearly 80 million queries per month,” said CEO Brendan Eich. “Our users are pleased with the comprehensive privacy solution that Brave Search provides against Big Tech. As we know from experience in many browsers, the default setting is crucial for adoption, and Brave Search has reached the quality and critical mass needed to become our default option, and to offer our users a seamless privacy-by-default online experience.”

Brave browser is widely known for its feature of blocking advertisements. Although, there’s a catch. The announcement blog on the company’s website mentions that the new search engine will soon feature ads.

“Brave Search is currently not displaying ads, but the free version of Brave Search will soon be ad-supported. It will also offer an ad-free Premium version shortly.”

To clarify, the browser’s default search engine will show ads and have an ad-free version in the near future. Yes, a browser that blocks ads will have its own search engine with ads.