Brave is often seen at the top of lists highlighting browser security and privacy, thanks to Brave Shields, tracker protection, HTTPS everywhere integration, malicious script blocking, private browsing via Tor, and device-wide VPN/firewall. With Chrome killing ad blockers, the heightened security of Brave is even more important. Although I really love the idea of heightened security, I'm not in love with all of the bells and whistles that come with the browser.

There's the rewards program, the crypto wallet, and the VPN, all of which are there, just sitting idly, waiting for your curiosity to get piqued. Those features can take up space and resources and also clutter up the UI.

Also: I've used nearly every browser out there, and these are my top 4 (spoiler: Chrome is out)

"Many users have told us they want a browser without the extras. For these users, we've built Brave Origin," Brave said in a blog post in early June.

I tested Brave Origin for a few days, and my experience was quite positive, but there really weren't any "Holy, cow, I must make this my default!" Essentially, Brave Origin is Brave, only without the extra bits. It's still fast, secure, and user-friendly. There are no surprises with Brave Origin, which I believe is one of its biggest strengths.

Simply put, Brave Origin is the Brave browser stripped of the monetization features, which include the rewards program, the Crypto Wallet, Leo AI, the VPN promotions, News, Talk, Tor, Speedreader, and the crash logs. Brave Origin retains all the features that make it a highly secure browser, including Brave Shields.