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  • Brave sells Origin to strip added features—a $60 one-time fee (free on Linux).
  • Origin removes email aliases, Leo AI, VPN, Wallet, Speedreader, and more via a toggleable panel or standalone client.
  • You can buy Origin on Brave Premium or enable the panel at brave://settings/system.
all 49 comments
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[-] cabbage@piefed.social 65 points 1 day ago

Funny - are there any other known instances in the history of software where you have to pay extra to remove actual features?

Also, don't use Brave.

[-] Engywuck@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I'll keep using it. It's the best browser out there, FF is terrible and is managed by a shitty, corrupt company which deserves to disappear.

[-] tyler@programming.dev 34 points 1 day ago

This has to be a joke right…

Like I can’t imagine any way this could be serious, cause brave literally inserted referral codes to steal money from creators. They also inject ads. Like… you have to be making a joke. There’s no way you’re serious.

[-] Engywuck@lemmy.zip 1 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

The only joke here is the crap browser that FF is. Bye.

[-] Diurnambule@jlai.lu 8 points 20 hours ago

Okey bye IE bot. Hope to see ya in a few year when Edge finally reach you... So the IE dumb defender didn't disappear, they started using brave... This explain so much about how a company with this kind of action against the consumer can survive. They target the old IE fan boy with an humiliation kink.

[-] cookiecoookie@lemmy.world 5 points 20 hours ago

He was so upset he threw a fit and downvoted anyone who didn't parrot his ideals

[-] KyuubiNoKitsune 4 points 12 hours ago

Not sure if I should block these users to reduce the ragebait or leave them to enjoy the comedy.

[-] Diurnambule@jlai.lu 1 points 9 hours ago

For my defense he is asking for it...

[-] KyuubiNoKitsune 1 points 7 hours ago

Indeed he was.

[-] Diurnambule@jlai.lu 1 points 9 hours ago
[-] mysterious_cake@feddit.nl 3 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

Check out Helium. It’s what Brave was supposed to be. (And it uses Chromium.)

[-] Zerush@lemmy.ml 1 points 14 hours ago

It's a good one, but still in alpha and only Windows for the moment. Keeping an eye on it as alternative somewhat later.

[-] mysterious_cake@feddit.nl 1 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

I’ve been using it on Linux for months and didn’t notice anything weird going on. It’s not my main browser though, so your mileage may vary.

[-] Engywuck@lemmy.zip 3 points 20 hours ago

I'm fine with Brave, thanks.

[-] SocialistVibes01@lemmy.ml 6 points 16 hours ago

But we'll keep recommending something else.

[-] Engywuck@lemmy.zip 1 points 14 hours ago

It's not working very well, at least for FF, which keeps hemorrhaging users (deservedly).

[-] 68silver@beehaw.org 2 points 15 hours ago

I run Brave on all my systems.

[-] Hirom@beehaw.org 1 points 19 hours ago

Is Helium or something like it available on iOS?

[-] mysterious_cake@feddit.nl 1 points 13 hours ago

No.

I use Firefox Focus ob iOS and AdGuard DNS.

[-] Infernal_pizza@lemmy.dbzer0.com 28 points 1 day ago

Who is the target audience for this? Without those features isn't Brave just like any other Chromium browser?

[-] Fubarberry@sopuli.xyz 15 points 1 day ago

It being free on Linux is pretty interesting.

[-] vapor_body@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Lmao it's like the play store tax

Is Brave not FOSS? How come nobody has already made a debloated fork of the browser?

[-] marcie@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

i actually work in software security.

grapheneos has talked about integrating shields into vanadium (and by extension, trivalent) which i would love. shields imo is a very top notch implementation of an ad blocker and is better than ublock origin in every way due to how it blocks in ram with rust rather than in userspace like ublock. brave does pretty well at integrating many things into the browser so that the user isnt tempted to install extensions, which reduces attack surface. i consider email aliases, automatic darkmode (can be enabled via chrome flags) on sites, and a built in adblocker (not an extension, it must also work on videos) to be critical for user experience, and ideally via no extensions. currently only brave offers each of these stock, which is very unfortunate. plus it has better sandboxing, there are many exploits to harvest fingerprints on many corporate sites that circumvent sandboxing in firefox and read other tab data. basically, the only options are brave with minimal changes, mullvad browser with no changes, or tor browser with no changes, and you should not open more than one tab on any firefox browser. the last two are not great for usability every day due to no automatic darkmode, among other features.

i think the best way for brave to improve would be maybe to include something like sponsorblock in the browser as well and then work hard to cut off providing extensions altogether, as extensions are a main source of fingerprints becoming unique and data leaks. and of course remove all the crypto garbage.

[-] 0_o7@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 22 hours ago

There was a fork, it was called braver. I think it got sued and then shut down? Not too sure.

https://redirect.invidious.io/watch?v=EQm0k1QobZU

[-] Midnight1938@reddthat.com 7 points 1 day ago

Isn’t that just helium browser

[-] Some_Emo_Chick@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago

In the sense that they are both Chromium? In that case it's just Vivaldi as well.

[-] adarza@piefed.ca 4 points 1 day ago

a couple minutes to click through vivaldi's settings will turn off all the annoying stuff (similar to firefox, but firefox is quicker to 'set up'). i've never seen it re-enable things like microsoft loves to do.

vivaldi is what i use for a chromium-based browser when i need to check web client 'compatibility'; and i like that you can customize the toolbar (like you can in firefox).. i move the back-forward stuff to the right side of the address box, and add the separate search box (so suggestions can be enabled in it but off for searches in address bar).

[-] Midnight1938@reddthat.com 2 points 1 day ago

Afaik Helium is unbraved Brave

[-] iza@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 day ago

Not really, it has some patches from ungoogled-chromium, brave, and others. But it doesn't use Brave's ad blocker, bundles uBlock Origin instead.

[-] Engywuck@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 day ago

Most of those features are opt-in anyway, so there's really little to "remove". That's just a way for them to fund the development without resorting to deals with Google and the likes or selling users's data.

[-] marxismtomorrow@lemmy.today 28 points 1 day ago

Why the fuck would they need to fund development when they're funded by the antichrist himself?

[-] Engywuck@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)
[-] marxismtomorrow@lemmy.today 30 points 1 day ago

I never thought I'd meet a homophobe defender brave enough to venture outside their own little pocket fascist instance of lemmy.

Here are some facts:

  1. That link does not 'debunk' the fact that Brave was funded, in part, by Peter Thiel. It just downplays it.

  2. Brave's funding was a crypto scam, and selling the idea of 'selling out to advertisers' to investors.

  3. They are so incredibly 'committed to privacy' that they keep selling user data and illegally redirecting users.

No, to answer your whataboutism, I'm not fine with the Mozilla board having Google members among others on it. I really hate that they are spending most of their money on not web browser development, and have spent most of their money in the last two years that was ear marked for browser development on AI features the majority of users turn off. But that's still better than supporting Brenden Eich.

[-] TheTetrapod@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago

You lose all credibility outside of your weird little circles when you use the word "FUD".

[-] Engywuck@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I couldn't care less if truth doesn't fit your narrative.

[-] TheTetrapod@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

I made no vale judgement on the information you provided, just informing you of the optics.

[-] AlHouthi4President@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago

What browser should I use then thats not brave or Firefox?

[-] ragas@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 day ago

Why not Firefox?

[-] belated_frog_pants@beehaw.org 15 points 1 day ago

Waterfox, librewolf

[-] adarza@piefed.ca 22 points 1 day ago

you should use firefox and turn off the 'ai' crap (one toggle) if you don't want it. a few more clicks turns off the 'sponsored' stuff and 'telemetry'. if that's too much for you, then librewolf. zen, perhaps, if you want something a lil' different.

[-] lonksawakening@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 day ago

I use Librewolf so I don't have to worry about Mozilla adding things and enabling them by default

[-] Calfpupa@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 day ago

Konform, Zen, Floorp are solid ones to check out

[-] Aralakh@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago

+1 to Zen and Floorp. Haven't come across Konform before, thanks!

[-] Engywuck@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 day ago
[-] Zerush@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I use Vivaldi, european and against the AI (and also crypto) hype

[-] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

Safari/Epiphany.

this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2026
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