Updated on: April 26, 2024
Short on time? Here’s the best VPN for the Brave browser in 2024:
- 🥇ExpressVPN: It comes with a full-featured Brave extension that lets you control the VPN app from the Brave browser to secure your entire web traffic (not just the Brave traffic). What’s more, it has blazing-fast speeds on nearby and long-distance servers, advanced security features, and intuitive apps for all major platforms.
Brave is a free, open-source web browser that comes with a built-in VPN. The browser itself is good for privacy, and the VPN is also pretty decent since it secures your browsing traffic.
That said, Brave’s built-in VPN is not that amazing. Its list of server locations is pretty small, it’s missing advanced security features that other top VPNs have, it doesn’t always work with streaming sites, and it’s pretty expensive for what it offers.
That’s why I prefer using Brave together with a third-party VPN. Most top VPNs provide much better value since they have better security, speeds, and streaming support. My favorite to use is ExpressVPN, which comes with a Brave extension, is super fast, and works with 100+ streaming apps.
Quick summary of the best VPNs for the Brave browser:
- 1. 🥇ExpressVPN — Best overall VPN for the Brave browser in 2024 with a large server network + fast speeds.
- 2. 🥈Private Internet Access — Best VPN for blocking ads (with PIA MACE + easy-to-use Brave browser extension).
- 3. 🥉CyberGhost VPN — Good VPN for streaming on Brave + dedicated servers for streaming and automation rules.
- 4. NordVPN — Secure VPN with high-end security features for browsing the web with Brave.
- 5. Surfshark — Good pick for users new to VPNs (with intuitive Brave browser + affordable plans).
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best VPN for the Brave Browser
ExpressVPN is my top choice for browsing with Brave in 2024. Its extension for Brave lets you control the VPN app from your Brave browser — this means you can secure your entire device’s web traffic, not just the browser’s traffic. Plus, you get access to a huge VPN network of server locations in 105 countries, so it’s really easy to find and connect to a nearby server for fast speeds.
I found ExpressVPN’s Brave extension very easy to use. You can easily connect to a server with 1 click, and the interface is very simple to navigate. What’s more, the provider’s desktop and mobile apps are also beginner-friendly — I especially like the Shortcuts feature, which lets you set up 1-click shortcuts for apps and sites, so you can use it to get instant access to Brave after connecting to a VPN server.
And this VPN is very good for securing your Brave traffic thanks to its high-end security and privacy features:
- Full leak protection. The VPN provides protection against IPv6, DNS, and WebRTC leaks. I ran 10+ leak tests and never experienced any issues.
- Independently audited. All of ExpressVPN’s apps and systems are independently audited by third parties to confirm the VPN’s security. Its no-logs policy has also been audited.
- RAM-only servers. ExpressVPN’s servers are run on volatile memory only. This means that all data is wiped with each server reboot.
- Perfect forward secrecy. This changes your encryption key for each VPN session to minimize the amount of data potential hackers could access.
- HTML5 geolocation spoofing. The browser extension stops HTML5 geolocation from revealing your physical location to websites.
- Ad Blocker. Filters out most display ads and stops them from loading and appearing on your browser.
And ExpressVPN has excellent streaming and torrenting support — customer support confirmed it works with 100+ streaming platforms on Brave, including Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+. What’s more, I really like that ExpressVPN allows torrenting on all of its servers.
Plus, this VPN has the fastest speeds on the market, mostly thanks to its proprietary Lightway protocol. When I ran speed tests on Brave, websites loaded instantly, HD videos played right away, and I didn’t experience any buffering when watching 4K videos.
ExpressVPN has plans that start at $6.67 / month. The longest plan often comes with extra months for free, and each plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
ExpressVPN is my top choice for the Brave browser. It has an easy-to-use extension for Brave that gives you full access to the VPN’s security features, super fast speeds, and large server network. And you also get the best streaming and P2P support on the market. Also, the provider has a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test it risk-free.
Read the full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. Private Internet Access — Best for Blocking Ads on Brave
Private Internet Access (PIA) has the best VPN ad blocker on the market. It’s called MACE and protects you from ads, ad trackers, and malicious sites. I tested MACE multiple times over the course of a week, and it always worked very well — it got rid of all ads when I accessed media outlets on Brave, and it also prevented me from connecting to shady HTTP sites.
In addition to the ad blocker, you also get other great security features. PIA comes with full leak protection, RAM-only servers, and perfect forward secrecy.
On top of that, the VPN also provides very good privacy. It has a strict no-logs policy that has been independently audited and proven true in court documents, and all of its apps are open-source, meaning anyone can inspect the code for security issues.
Unlike ExpressVPN, PIA doesn’t have a dedicated Brave extension — even so, you can use its Chrome extension instead. Also, PIA has very user-friendly apps for all major platforms. And I like that it allows unlimited connections, so you can use it to securely surf the web with Brave on as many devices as you want.
The VPN is also very good for torrenting. It allows P2P traffic on servers in 91 countries, has port forwarding (connect to more peers for faster downloads), and provides SOCKS5 proxy support, which changes your IP but doesn’t encrypt your traffic to provide very fast speeds. And PIA is also good for streaming on Brave since it works with 30+ top sites, including Netflix and Amazon Prime.
PIA also has very fast speeds — in my tests, I watched HD videos without any lag on Brave, loaded 4K videos in 2 seconds, and accessed web pages instantly. However, it wasn’t as fast as ExpressVPN.
Private Internet Access is really affordable, with prices starting at $2.03 / month. Also, all of its plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Private Internet Access has the best VPN ad blocker on the market, which is very good at getting rid of ads and protecting you from shady sites on Brave. The VPN also provides very good security and privacy, excellent P2P support, great streaming support, and fast speeds. And it backs all plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Private Internet Access review
🥉3. CyberGhost VPN — Very Good Brave VPN for Streaming
CyberGhost VPN has 100+ dedicated streaming servers that are optimized for 50+ streaming apps. The VPN works with popular streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime. Customer support also confirmed it works with smaller services, like ORF, Rai Play, ruutu, MolotovTV, and Play SRF.
I also love how the VPN allows you to customize your VPN connections. It lets you do this via its Smart Rules feature — for example, you can set up the VPN client so that it automatically connects you to the fastest server and opens the Brave browser on launch. Or you can set it up to automatically connect to a specific server after you open the Brave app.
In my tests, CyberGhost had really fast speeds. I had a smooth streaming and browsing experience on Brave — HD videos loaded instantly, 4K videos took 3 seconds to load, and it took 1–2 seconds for websites to load. That said, CyberGhost is still slower than ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access.
CyberGhost also has advanced security features — RAM-only servers, perfect forward secrecy, and full leak protection. I also like that its no-logs policy is independently audited and verified with third-party assessments. And its Content Blocker tool can protect you from any shady sites you might come across while surfing the web with Brave.
CyberGhost VPN has cheap plans ($2.19 / month). The long-term plans have a 45-day money-back guarantee, and the shortest plan has a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
CyberGhost VPN is great for streaming on Brave since it has streaming servers that work with 50+ streaming sites. On top of that, it also provides user-friendly apps with convenient automation features, very good speeds for streaming and browsing on Brave, and strong security features. The provider backs all long-term plans with a generous 45-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full CyberGhost VPN review
4. NordVPN — High-End Security for Surfing the Web With Brave
NordVPN is great for keeping your data safe while you surf the web with Brave. I especially like NordVPN’s Threat Protection, which blocks ads, ad trackers, and keeps you safe from malicious sites and malware-infected files. What’s more, I also like how you don’t even need to be connected to the VPN for Threat Protection to be active.
NordVPN also offers other advanced security features, such as a verified no-logs policy, perfect forward secrecy, full leak protection, and RAM-only servers. I also like the provider’s app-based kill switch, which shuts down selected apps if the VPN disconnects. I tested it with Brave 10+ times, and it always successfully shut down the browser.
During my tests, NordVPN had fast speeds — websites loaded instantly, and HD and 4K videos took 2–3 seconds to load with a bit of buffering in the beginning. But once the videos loaded, they played without lag. Even so, NordVPN is still slower than ExpressVPN.
NordVPN has good streaming and torrenting support, as it works with Netflix, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer. It’s also great for torrenting since it allows torrenting on 4,500 servers in 45+ countries, and it supports SOCKS5 proxy connections for faster P2P speeds.
I find NordVPN’s apps quite user-friendly. They’re easy to install, and I also like that you can set NordVPN to auto-connect to a server whenever you use an unsecured network or public Wi-Fi for safer browsing with Brave.
NordVPN has plans that start at $3.09 / month. All its plans are backed with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
NordVPN is a great pick for securely browsing the web with Brave. It has very good security features, including malware protection, full leak protection, and RAM-only servers. It also works well with streaming sites, is pretty fast, and has very good P2P support. All purchases have a 30-day money-back guarantee.
5. Surfshark — Easy-to-Use Brave VPN With Super Affordable Plans
Surfshark is great for Brave users who are new to VPNs. It has a Chrome extension you can use on Brave, and it also comes with intuitive apps for all other platforms. Plus, its apps are really easy to navigate and provide helpful explanations for all features. I also like how the VPN allows unlimited connections, making it a good pick if your whole family needs a Brave VPN.
Plus, Surfshark is one of the most affordable VPNs on the market. So it might be the perfect choice if you’re looking for a good Brave VPN and are also on a tight budget.
The provider had good speeds during my tests. I could watch HD and 4K videos buffer-free on Brave, and websites took 3–4 seconds to load. That said, Surfshark is noticeably slower than ExpressVPN.
Surfshark secures your Brave traffic via strong security features, including RAM-only servers, DNS leak protection, perfect forward secrecy, and a verified no-logs policy. And Surfshark’s ad blocker, CleanWeb, blocks ads and prevents you from accessing malicious sites when using Brave.
Surfshark also works with top streaming sites like Max if you live in the US and BBC iPlayer if you live in the UK, but it doesn’t work with Disney+. In addition, it allows P2P traffic on all of its servers and works with popular P2P clients like BitTorrent, uTorrent, and qBittorrent.
Surfshark’s prices start as low as $2.29 / month. And each plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Surfshark is very intuitive and makes it easy to surf the web on Brave with a VPN. It also allows unlimited connections and comes with super cheap plans. Plus, it provides fast speeds, strong privacy and security, and good streaming and P2P support. It also backs all plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Surfshark review
Comparison of the Best VPNs for the Brave Browser in 2024
How to Choose the Best VPN for the Brave Browser in 2024
- Look for a VPN that has an extension for Brave. You should either get a VPN with a dedicated Brave extension or a Chrome extension that you can add to your Brave browser. ExpressVPN, my top pick, is the only VPN on this list with a dedicated Brave extension.
- Go for strong security features. All of the VPNs on this list have essential security features like 256-bit AES encryption, a no-logs policy, and a kill switch that disconnects you from the internet if your VPN connection drops.
- Pick a VPN with fast speeds. All VPNs reduce your internet speeds to some extent since they encrypt your traffic. All the VPNs I recommend are fast, but ExpressVPN has the fastest speeds for browsing with Brave.
- Consider ease of use. Each VPN on this list has apps for all major platforms with user-friendly interfaces and quick-connect features that make it super simple to connect to a server and securely surf the web with Brave.
- Choose a VPN that provides good value. I only recommend VPNs that have affordable plans, allow multiple simultaneous connections, and come with generous money-back guarantees.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- Mullvad VPN. Mullvad VPN provides very strong security and privacy features, and it’s also pretty fast. That said, it doesn’t have a Brave or Chrome extension, and it also doesn’t provide consistent streaming support.
- TunnelBear. TunnelBear VPN is very intuitive and fun to use, provides good security, and is good for streaming. That said, it only has servers in 47 countries and is slower than all the VPNs on my list.
- IPVanish. IPVanish is pretty secure and allows unlimited connections. However, it doesn’t have a Brave or Chrome extension, and it doesn’t work with most top streaming sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which VPN works best with the Brave browser?
ExpressVPN is my top pick for browsing with Brave — it has a full-featured Brave extension, advanced security features, user-friendly apps, and it’s also able to maintain blazing-fast fast speeds on all of its servers thanks to its Lightway protocol.
Do I need a VPN if I use the Brave browser?
If you want extra protection, I recommend using a premium VPN with Brave. A VPN encrypts your traffic, making it 100% unreadable. What’s more, it also changes your IP address, so that nobody can use it to track your location.
I recommend getting ExpressVPN since it has a full-featured browser extension for Brave, lightning-fast speeds, industry-leading security and privacy features, excellent streaming and P2P support, and very user-friendly apps.
Can I use a free VPN with the Brave browser?
Maybe, but I don’t recommend it. Most free VPNs don’t have a browser extension for Brave or Chrome, and they also come with data limitations, so you’ll only be able to browse the web for a few hours per month.
Instead, I recommend getting a premium VPN like ExpressVPN, which has a browser extension for Brave, provides unlimited data, comes with user-friendly apps, has high-end security and privacy features, and provides super fast speeds.
Does Brave have a built-in VPN?
Yes, but I don’t really recommend it. It only provides access to a limited number of server locations, it lacks many advanced security features that other top VPNs have, it’s not that great for streaming, and it’s also a bit overpriced.
You’re better off using a third-party VPN together with Brave. My top recommendation is ExpressVPN because it has a dedicated Brave extension, high-end security and privacy features, excellent streaming support (it works with 100+ streaming sites), and the fastest speeds on the market.
