Brave VPN review: score, privacy and prices

2.41

out of 10not in the main ranking (too little published data)
Built into a browser / OS median 2.5

  • Built into a browser / OS
  • Jurisdiction:USA, 5 Eyes
  • Owner:Brave Software, Inc.
  • Data completeness73%
  • Checked2026-10-15

In 10 seconds

Strongest against its segment

  • Security and protocols3.6 vs 1.8
  • Network and streaming3.5 vs 2.8
  • Privacy and jurisdiction2.3 vs 2.3

Weakest against its segment

  • Price and fair terms2.2 vs 3.4
  • Platforms and support3.2 vs 3.9
  • Censorship bypass0.0 vs 0.5
  • Jurisdiction in the 5 Eyes alliance
  • Trial needs a card
  • Stores session times
  • Auto-renewal on by default

Compare Brave VPN side by side with other VPNs

How the score adds up

Six sub-scores, each against the median of Built into a browser / OS services in the main ranking (None services). Open a line to see which published facts earned points and which were missing or not disclosed.

Brave VPNsegment median

  • Privacy and jurisdiction30% of the score · segment median 2.32.3
    What earned points
    • No-logs policy +2
    • Independent no-logs audit +3
    • No-logs confirmed in court +1
    • Warrant canary +1
    • Transparency report +1
    • Sign-up without email +1.5
    • Account number sign-up +0.5
    • Stores connection IP (penalty) −3
    • Public incident (penalty) −2
  • Security and protocols20% of the score · segment median 1.83.6
    What earned points
    • Kill switch +2
    • DNS leak protection +1.5
    • RAM-only servers +1
    • Post-quantum encryption +1
    • Perfect forward secrecy +0.5
    • Security audit +2
    • Open-source clients +1.5
    • 2FA +1
    • Multi-hop +1
    • Bug bounty +1
    • Only PPTP / L2TP (penalty) −2
  • Price and fair terms15% of the score · segment median 3.42.2
    What earned points
    • Free plan +1.5
    • Free trial +1
    • Trial without a card +1
    • Crypto payments +1
    • Cash payments +0.5
  • Censorship bypass15% of the score · segment median 0.50.0
    What earned points
    • Stealth / obfuscation +2
    • VLESS / Reality +1.5
    • Trojan +1
    • Hysteria2 +1
    • Shadowsocks +1
    • AmneziaWG +1
    • obfs4 +0.5
    • TUIC +0.5
    • NaiveProxy +0.5
    • Mirrors or Telegram channel +0.5
    • VoIP in the UAE (claimed) +0.5
    • Manual configs +0.5
  • Network and streaming10% of the score · segment median 2.83.5
    What earned points
    • 10 Gbps servers +1
    • Dedicated IP +0.5
    • Port forwarding +0.5
    • MENA locations +0.5
    • Torrenting allowed +1
  • Platforms and support10% of the score · segment median 3.93.2
    What earned points
    • Routers +1
    • Browser extensions +0.5
    • Split tunneling +1
    • Ad / tracker blocker +1
    • 24/7 live chat +2
    • live chat +0.5
    • Support on Telegram +0.5
    • Status page +0.5

Brave VPN pricing

The cheapest way in is €7.17 a month, paid upfront for the longest term. After that term, Brave VPN renews at its standard price, the same per month as the first term. Market median across the main ranking: €3.13 a month.

Price per month over 3 years, Firewall + VPN yearly plan

€7.17/mo for 12 months then €7.17/mo €5€10

first termrenewalmarket median €3.13/momonths →

Real cost over 1, 2 and 3 years

What you pay to keep Brave VPN running: the first term, then renewals at the published renewal price. Where no renewal price is published, plans shorter than a year are counted as repeat payments at the current price; longer plans show a dash after their term. Converted to euros at the rates used in our data (1 USD = €0.86). The lowest cost for each period is marked.

Plan and first termFirst paymentThen1 year2 years3 years
Firewall + VPN monthly, 1 mo €8.59 €8.59 / 1 mo€103.10€206.19€309.29
Firewall + VPN yearly, 12 mo €85.99 €85.99 / 12 mo€85.99€171.98€257.97

Compare Brave VPN’s full cost with other VPNs, for any number of devices

All plans as published

PlanTermPrice for termPer month€ / monthRenewal priceRenewal term
Firewall + VPN monthly1 mo$9.99$9.99€8.59$9.991 mo
Firewall + VPN yearly12 mo$99.99$8.33€7.16$99.9912 mo

Refunds, trial and payment

Refund window
Not stated
Free trial
7 days, all (desktop, Android, iOS)
Card needed for trial
Yes auto-charged after trial
Auto-renewal
Yes
How to cancel
account.brave.com or app store
Payment methods
card (Stripe) on desktop; Apple App Store; Google Play
Renewal note
Auto-charges after trial; renews at same price

Everything Brave VPN publishes

Every fact we collected about Brave VPN, as the provider and reviewers state it. Empty fields are left out; key fields we could not find say “Not stated”. “Partial”: only on some platforms, servers or plans.

Company
Legal entity
Brave Software, Inc.
Registered in
USA
Address
48 2nd St, Floor 3, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA
Related brands
  • Brave Browser
  • Guardian Firewall (VPN partner)
  • Brave Talk
Surveillance alliance (5/9/14 Eyes)
5
Website languages
Not stated
Currencies on the site
USD ($)

Plans, prices and add-ons
Plans
Brave Firewall + VPN
Billing terms
1 month; 1 year
Cheapest price a month
$8.33
Monthly plan
$9.99
1-year plan, total
$99.99
1-year plan, a month
$8.33
2-year plan, total
No
Lifetime plan
No
Renewal
Auto-charges after trial; renews at same price
Family plan
No
Dedicated IP add-on
No
Port forwarding add-on
No
Double VPN add-on
No
Antivirus
No
Password manager
No
eSIM
No
Identity protection
No
Cloud storage
No
Other add-ons
device-wide firewall (ad/tracker blocking) included

Discounts and programmes
Discount shown
No
Student discount
Not stated
Discount for crypto payment
No BAT payment planned
Bonus months
No

Limits and restrictions
Devices at once
10
Data limit
unlimited (no bandwidth limits claim)
Speed limit
No up to ~500 Mbps realistic

Free plan
Free plan
No
Free data
Not stated
Ads in the free plan
Not stated

Payment and subscription
Payment methods
  • card (Stripe) on desktop
  • Apple App Store
  • Google Play
Bank card
Yes
PayPal
Not stated
Apple Pay / Google Pay
Yes in-app stores
Cryptocurrency
No BAT planned
Cash
No
Gift cards
Not stated
Auto-renewal by default
Yes
How to cancel
account.brave.com or app store
Email needed to sign up
Partial (desktop account); not for app-store via Guardian
Phone needed to sign up
No
Account-number login
No
Identity check (KYC)
No
Money-back guarantee, days
Not stated

Free trial terms
Trial length
7 days
Where the trial is offered
all (desktop, Android, iOS)
Trial limits
cancel during trial at no charge
Card needed for the trial
Yes auto-charged after trial

Server locations
Countries
40+ regions
Servers
300+

8 countries listed (the provider’s list is incomplete). A link opens our ranking of VPNs with servers there.

Europe 3

Americas 2

Asia and Oceania 3

Server countries, as published
partial: AU; CA; FR; DE; JP; SG; UK; US (5 regions)
Middle East and North Africa
Not stated
Virtual locations
Not stated
Own servers
No Guardian infrastructure
Port speed
10 Gbps uplinks (most)
P2P servers
Not stated
Obfuscated servers
No

Network features
RAM-only servers
Not stated
IPv6
Not stated
Dedicated IP
No
Static IP
No
Residential IP
No
Double VPN / multi-hop
No
Tor over VPN
No
SOCKS5 proxy
No
Smart DNS
No

Protocols and encryption
  • WireGuardNot stated
  • OpenVPNNot stated
  • IKEv2Not stated
  • L2TP/IPsecNot stated
  • SSTPNot stated
  • SoftEther✕ No
  • Own protocolNot stated
  • VLESS / Reality✕ No
  • VMess✕ No
  • Trojan✕ No
  • Shadowsocks✕ No
  • Hysteria2✕ No
  • TUIC✕ No
  • NaiveProxy✕ No
  • obfs4✕ No
  • AmneziaWG✕ No
Other protocols
Smart proxy routing (iOS/desktop)
Perfect forward secrecy
Not stated
Post-quantum encryption
Not stated
Manual configuration files
No
Open-source apps
Not stated

Censorship and blocking
Obfuscation (stealth mode)
Partial smart proxy routing for VPN-blocking sites
Countries it claims to work in
Not stated
Mirror sites or Telegram channel
Not stated
Calls in the UAE
Not stated

Security
Kill switch
Yes always on Windows; toggle iOS
DNS leak protection
Not stated
Split tunnelling
Not stated
Ad and malware blocker
Yes device-wide firewall
Two-factor sign-in
Not stated
Security audits
Yes Guardian software audit Feb 2024; infrastructure audit Apr 2024
Bug bounty
Yes HackerOne

Privacy
No-logs policy
Yes no traffic, DNS, connection, IP or bandwidth logs
Independent no-logs audit
Not stated
Data retention
firewall alerts 3 days; support data 12 months after ticket
Shared with third parties
  • Guardian (VPN + support)
  • Stripe
  • app stores
Transparency report
Not stated
Warrant canary
Not stated
Anonymous sign-up
Partial app-store signup without email
GDPR / data protection officer
privacy@brave.com; EU rep c/o Castlebridge, Ireland
Privacy policy updated
2026-09-23

What the privacy policy says is collected

Yes: collected. No: not collected. Partial: kept briefly or only in part. Not stated: the policy does not say.

  • Emaildesktop/Guardian Pro; not on VPN servers◐ Partial
  • Connection IP✓ No
  • Session timeslast disconnect time per ephemeral credential, stays on node✕ Yes
  • Bandwidth✓ No

Apps and devices
  • Windows✓ Yes
  • macOS✓ Yes
  • Linuxcoming soon✕ No
  • iOS✓ Yes
  • Android✓ Yes
  • Android TV✕ No
  • Fire TV✕ No
  • Apple TV✕ No
  • ChromebookNot stated
  • Smart TV✕ No
  • Routers✕ No
  • NAS✕ No
  • Raspberry Pi✕ No
  • Game consoles✕ No
Browser extensions
built into Brave browser (full device VPN)

Speed, streaming and gaming
Claimed speed
10 Gbps uplinks; up to 500 Mbps realistic
10 Gbps servers
Yes
Netflix
No
BBC iPlayer
No
Disney+
No
Prime Video
No
DAZN
No
beIN Sports
No
Shahid
No
OSN+
No
Gaming features
No
Torrenting
Not stated

Support
Live chat
Not stated
Live chat 24/7
Not stated
Email / tickets
Yes user-support@brave.com; Guardian support
Phone
No
Telegram
Not stated
WhatsApp
Not stated
Help articles
Yes support.brave.app
Server status page
Not stated

For teams and business
SSO / SAML
Not stated
Admin panel
Not stated
Zero-trust access (ZTNA)
Not stated

What users say

Reviews never change our score. Ratings are smoothed: a source’s average across all VPNs counts as 50 extra reviews, so a few five-star reviews cannot outrank thousands.

  • Trustpilot

    2.88 of 5, smoothed

    From 200 collected reviews (raw average 2.68; all VPNs 3.66). Last 90 days: 2.68 from 25.

    The company replied to 0 of 114 negative reviews (1–2 stars).

  • App Store

    4.02 of 5, smoothed

    From 1000 collected reviews (raw average 4.05; all VPNs 3.54). Last 90 days: 4.05 from 630.

Ratings shown on the platforms themselves: Trustpilot TrustScore 2.6 (465 reviews); App Store (US) 4.78 (664043 ratings).

Reviews per month, last 12 months

  1. Oct ’2524 reviews, average 4.08
  2. Nov ’2537 reviews, average 3.59
  3. Dec ’2531 reviews, average 3.65
  4. Jan ’2651 reviews, average 4.08
  5. Feb ’2647 reviews, average 3.98
  6. Mar ’2648 reviews, average 3.81
  7. Apr ’2663 reviews, average 3.84
  8. May ’2665 reviews, average 3.8
  9. Jun ’2651 reviews, average 3.67
  10. Jul ’2642 reviews, average 3.5
  11. Aug ’2674 reviews, average 3.73
  12. Sep ’26386 reviews, average 4.05
  13. Oct ’26176 reviews, average 3.99
Bar height: number of reviews collected that month. Full-colour bars: months with an average of 4 stars or more; pale bars: below 4.

40 Reddit and forum threads mention Brave VPN (titles and search snippets only).

Latest reviews and related rankings

Latest reviews

Short excerpts with a link to the original. We do not reproduce reviews in full.

  • App Store · 4★ · 13 Oct 2026 · GB

    Brave

  • App Store · 5★ · 13 Oct 2026 · US

    HELP

  • App Store · 5★ · 13 Oct 2026 · US

    It’s great!

  • Trustpilot · 3★ · 10 Oct 2026 · GB

    What's gone wrong?

    Original review

  • Trustpilot · 1★ · 08 Oct 2026 · DE

    !ACHTUNG

    Original review

  • Trustpilot · 5★ · 01 Oct 2026 · NL

    nice

    Original review

Rankings by user reviews

Reviews of similar VPNs

Questions about Brave VPN

Answers built from what Brave VPN publishes. Open a question to read the details.

Brave VPN alternatives: similar VPNs ranked by our score

6 alternatives to Brave VPN (2.41) from the same segment, by features, price and owner. Highest: Aloha Browser VPN (4.24).

Alternatives to Brave VPN

6 alternatives: similar features
#ServiceScoreFrom
1Aloha Browser VPN
Built into a browser / OS · Cyprus Independent no-logs audit: ✓ Yes Free plan
4.24—
2Opera VPN
Built into a browser / OS · Norway Independent no-logs audit: ✓ Yes Free plan
3.85€3.44per month
3DuckDuckGo VPN (Privacy Pro)
Built into a browser / OS · USA Independent no-logs audit: ✓ Yes
2.93€7.16per month
4Avast Secure Browser
Built into a browser / OS · Czechia
2.43€2.00per month
5UPX Private Proxy Browser
Built into a browser / OS · USA Free plan
1.73€5.74per month
61browser
Built into a browser / OS · USA Free plan
1.64€4.30per month

Brave VPN compared side by side

In our rankings

Brave VPN appears on 1 topic pages. Its place on each:

Similar VPNs

Cheaper with the same features

Higher score for the same money

Also similar to Brave VPN

Brave VPN compared

Owner and jurisdiction

Tools for Brave VPN

Sources and changes

Collected 2026-10-15. No changes recorded since the first import.

Website
https://brave.com/firewall-vpn
Pages checked
https://brave.com/firewall-vpn; https://brave.com/privacy/browser/; https://guardianapp.com/policy/service-policies/

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