Brave VPN Review: Is It Any Good in 2026?

Brave VPN has been around for a while, so it’s interesting to see if it has undergone coveted improvements. During our Brave VPN review in 2026, we noticed it wasn’t as good as we expected. While privacy and security were spot on, we mourned the lack of faster speeds and better compatibility.

Simultaneously, Brave VPN worked as advertised, offering a firewall for added protection and servers in over forty locations. However, this is a premium service, which begs the question: Is it worth the money? Considering everything we learned about it, we’d say you should skip it for now.

Later on in the Brave VPN review, we’ll offer a few cheaper and better alternatives. For now, let’s focus on the task ahead and see what this famous VPN brought to the table in 2026.

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Brave VPN Pricing: Is It Affordable?

Before we start our Brave VPN test, we’ll glance at its pricing structure.

Brave VPN doesn’t have tiered plans. It also doesn’t offer much in terms of flexibility. When you first subscribe, you’ll start a 7-day trial, so the company won’t charge you immediately. However, you’ll first have to choose between the two subscription plans: monthly or annual. Here are their prices:

Brave VPN costs $9.99 monthly, but if you pay annually, the price drops to $99.99. If we round the number to $100 annually and divide it by 12, we’ll get approximately $8.34 monthly, which, as you’ll see, is a high price to pay for Brave VPN. Let’s draw parallels to other VPNs.

NordVPN’s introductory offer is under $85 for the first 27 months (two years with three free months). ExpressVPN costs under $98 for the first 28 months, yet it offers superior speeds, security, and everything else, as outlined in this ExpressVPN vs Brave VPN duel.

Brave VPN’s free trial is welcome, but you still need a credit card. Forget to cancel it and Brave VPN won’t hesitate to charge you. Plus, since there’s no defined refund policy, chances are it won’t issue a refund unless you have an insurmountable issue that even the support team can’t fix.

To conclude, Brave VPN is NOT affordable. At least not for everything it offers (or doesn’t!).

Compatibility and Ease of Use

This provider offers applications for all major platforms, and that’s always commendable. However, major platforms don’t mean all platforms. During our Brave VPN assessment, we tested it on macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. That’s where the story ends. The provider doesn’t work on Linux.

We also tried to install it on a Fire TV Stick, but even sideloading wouldn’t work. Why, you may ask?

Because Brave VPN is an in-browser VPN, which means you have to use a device that supports the Brave Browser. When you enable the VPN inside the browser, it doesn’t work like a proxy, which we’ve seen in Opera VPN. Instead, it protects all traffic, even outside the browser, which we confirmed in our tests.

Is It Easy to Use? Hands-on Tests

So, how do you even use Brave VPN?

Download the Brave Browser, click on the small Shield icon up top, and launch it. If you don’t have an account, you’ll initiate the trial, and off you go! The app looks like this, and we won’t lie: it’s extremely basic!

The app comprises two elements: a connection button and a server list. The Gear icon launches settings, where you’ll find virtually nothing, except smart proxy routing, customer support, and the option to manage your subscription. To make things worse, the trend continues on iOS and Android.

We tested the service mostly on Android and expected at least a dedicated app. Nope!

Brave VPN was again tucked into the browser and offered nothing significant. At least, our entire devices were protected, but that’s what you can do with a VPN for Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and other browsers.

Brave VPN is, overall, straightforward, and we can’t complain. However, it’s more a consequence of the lack of features, rather than a clever design choice. We forgot to mention, but the provider offers ten simultaneous connections, which could’ve been higher for the price.

Mediocrity at its finest.

Security Features: Is Brave VPN Safe to Use?

We mentioned mediocrity, and for this Brave VPN analysis, that word resonated in our heads nonstop. It’s like going mad! However, we weren’t the ones to blame: Brave VPN was.

Having a VPN in one’s product makes you expect all the essential features, such as powerful encryption, a kill switch, split tunneling, protocol selection, and God knows what. Well, Brave VPN offers only a fraction.

During our Brave VPN review, we found these features:

• Kill switch. An iOS exclusive, which blocks the internet connection if the VPN connection breaks, preventing IP and other data leaks.
• Firewall. Brave’s addition to the VPN, which blocks ads, trackers, and malware, ensures optimal browsing without interruptions.
• Smart proxy routing. It helps access blocked apps and sites when the VPN connection is blocked (i.e., in censored regions).
• WireGuard protocol. It’s used by default, although Brave VPN also uses IKEv2 in specific scenarios and on specific systems (iOS).
• 256-bit encryption. A gold standard in the VPN industry that all the best VPNs use. Indeed, a powerful tool, but nothing you won’t find elsewhere.

We’ll again bring up its price and ask you: Is Brave VPN worth this much with a few, more or less standard features? We’d say no, when NordVPN, which costs less, offers Double VPN servers, obfuscation, malware protection, Onion over VPN servers, etc. There’s a silver lining.

During our review, Brave VPN’s security features worked well.

IP and DNS Leak Tests

By working well, we refer to keeping our data safe and sound.

To ensure this was the case, we tested Brave VPN for IP (IPv6) and DNS leaks. We tested Brave VPN in Belgrade, so naturally, we connected to a foreign server. Just for fun, we picked a server in New Zealand and went to ipleak.net and then browserleaks.com to see if our native IP or DNS address would appear.

First, we have ipleak.net tests:

Excellent results! The provider showed no signs of leaking. Here are the other results:

Browserleaks.com sings the same song of glory. No IP and DNS leaks to speak of! We didn’t hang up only on this New Zealand VPN server. Instead, we tested many more, including the USA, Singapore, and Germany, and were satisfied to find no data leaks. Good job on this one, Brave VPN!

Does Brave VPN Store Logs? Privacy Policy Review

Brave VPN is based in the USA, which may not sound exciting, considering the Five Eyes participation. Drawing from our experience, it doesn’t matter too much, as many US-based and Canada-based VPNs are excellent and among the safest overall options you can pick.

Brave VPN is likely one of them. Here’s what its privacy policy says:

It’s relatively short and succinct, with the most important part nearly at the top. Guardian, Brave VPN’s parent company, vows not to store:

• DNS traffic
• Network activity
• Individual bandwidth usage
• Originating IP address
• Account activity information
• Connection metadata

Generally speaking, Brave VPN stores nothing that could compromise your privacy. If we look at what it stores, we’ll see traces. For instance, your email address and payment reference for future subscriptions and renewals.

Other data is used chiefly for troubleshooting and in no way infringes on your privacy. We would maybe be doubtful if it weren’t for two security audits that Brave VPN so proudly presents. Both are from the company Assured, famous for various security assessments like penetration testing, compliance audits, and more.

Brave VPN has undergone its first software security audit in 2024, with the next phase ending soon after, as Assured examined the provider’s infrastructure security and found no concerns. Both audits are on Brave VPN’s site, so you can read them in detail if you’re interested.

The vital thing to learn from this review is that Brave VPN doesn’t store logs.

Speed Tests

But is it fast? We wondered that for a long time, especially after noticing that it offers “unlimited” speeds up to 500 Mbps. Think about it: how can something be unlimited if there’s a threshold? A bit of a foul wordplay there, but we’ll suspend our disbelief.

Let’s discuss our Brave VPN speed tests, shall we? But before we do, here’s a quick speed test of our non-VPN internet connection. We were in Belgrade, using a VPN on a Windows 11 desktop PC with a stable LAN connection and the newest OS and network adapter drivers.

We tested Brave VPN for three days, three times a day, using three server locations. We prioritized distant servers, so we decided on the UK, the USA, and Japan. Finally, we performed our speed tests using Speedtest.net and included the best results. Let us examine them together:

UK Server Test Results:

US Server Test Results:

Japan Server Test Results:

Brave VPN suffered from serious speed reductions, with the lowest one on the US server. Its latency went up drastically and peaked at 406 ms for upload latency on the Japanese server. Here are Brave VPN’s speed retention rates across three tested locations, compared to some of the most popular VPNs we tested:

	Brave VPN	NordVPN	ExpressVPN	PIA VPN
DL Speed Retention	60%	82%	76%	74%
UL Speed Retention	76%	93%	91%	76%

Brave VPN is slower than all three, being only close to Private Internet Access. If you want a faster VPN, you know which one to get: the three above should do the trick.

Can I Use Brave VPN for Streaming?

Brave VPN doesn’t openly advertise streaming, so we decided to take matters into our own hands and test it for you. We first tested BBC iPlayer, so after connecting to the UK server, we went straight for it:

The platform blocked our access immediately, so we thought, “Okay, let’s try another browser!” We opened Edge and got the same result. After that, we launched our browsers in Incognito mode, but BBC iPlayer still wouldn’t budge. Finally, we switched to another server only to see the same.

Next was Netflix, and Brave VPN was off to a promising start, as Netflix worked properly. However, after searching for a title exclusive to the US catalog that we tried to unblock, it didn’t appear. This means the VPN did not work with Netflix. Unfortunately, other streaming platforms were a no-go.

We tested at least five more without success.

Brave VPN works with foreign TV channels, but they’re typically easy to unblock and don’t have anti-VPN measures. However, even after accessing them, we noticed more than occasional stuttering when watching in Full HD due to Brave VPN’s unreliable connection speeds.

So, can you use it for streaming? Only on rare occasions! You’re better off with an appropriate streaming VPN like NordVPN or ExpressVPN.

Torrenting

Yes, it does, and since it protects all traffic, not just in the browser, you can use it to safely download torrents and hide your IP address. Here’s proof:

Brave VPN’s weaker performance may influence download speeds, so we advise using a nearby server. For this Brave VPN review, we used a server in Croatia, and as you see above, our performance drop was less pronounced. The provider allows torrenting on all servers, so pick any and enjoy.

Server Locations

Speaking of servers, we should address its server fleet, its quantity, and quality.

Brave VPN currently has over 300 servers in 40+ regions, but the total number of countries is above 20. Unimpressive numbers, particularly since NordVPN and ExpressVPN, cheaper alternatives, offer multiple times more. However, considering the number, Brave VPN’s server distribution is stellar.

Most servers are in Europe and North America, with a few exceptions like Brazil, Australia, Mexico, Singapore, and Japan. The VPN uses only physical servers, so it can’t provide virtual IP addresses in India, Turkey, Russia, and censored regions in general.

Interestingly, the VPN claims to have an uplink speed of 10 Gbps on most servers, but realistically provides speeds of up to 500 Mbps. Also, the service doesn’t rely on RAM-based servers like most flagship VPNs, which is a missed opportunity. We hope to see that improved soon.

Customer Support

Brave VPN’s customer support is basic but functional if you don’t mind longer waiting times.

You can reach support within the app. Click the VPN icon, go to Settings, and press Contact Technical Support. A support ticket will open, where you’ll provide your email, choose a subject, and provide more insight into the problem. Once the ticket is sent, Brave will contact you back in a few hours.

The VPN doesn’t have live chat support, and while ticketing support is slower, the support team is eager enough to fix the present issue or answer a question. Brave’s Help Center is top-notch, with comprehensive articles on different issues. FAQs are there, and Brave’s community is highly active.

This means you won’t have to rely chiefly on Brave VPN to solve the issue. You can always get in touch with knowledgeable community members and discuss the browser, the VPN, or any other feature.

Brave VPN Review: Final Thoughts

To cap off our Brave VPN review, we’ll reiterate everything we went through so far.

Based on our hands-on testing, this VPN still feels half-baked. It works well and does what it’s supposed to, but that’s not a merit at this price point. Imagine spending a hundred grand on a car, only for it to drive you from point A to point B. You don’t want that; you spent your whole life’s savings!

Well, Brave VPN feels exactly like this.

At about $100 annually, it provides a basic, in-browser app, insufficient performance, subpar streaming abilities, a small server network, and almost no advanced security features. This VPN should be at least 50% less expensive, and even at this price point, we wouldn’t say it’s the best cheap VPN.

We ultimately don’t recommend Brave VPN. Not at this price. Instead, we advise saving over 73% on NordVPN or shooting for ExpressVPN at 73% off, spending under $4.00 monthly, and enjoying world-class features, security, speeds, privacy, and more. A shame, since we’re huge fans of Brave Browser!