Brave browser reaches 100 million monthly users

The privacy-focused browser reached 101 million monthly active users worldwide on September 30, 2025, marking a significant threshold for the platform that positions itself as an alternative to mainstream browsers controlled by major technology companies. The announcement came on October 1, 2025, from Brave Software, which also reported its search engine now handles more than 1.6 billion queries each month.

The browser's daily active users reached 42 million as of September 30, producing a DAU-to-MAU ratio of 0.42. This metric indicates sustained engagement levels among users who have adopted the platform. The growth trajectory has maintained an average of 2.5 million net new users each month over the past two years, building from a significantly smaller base in previous reporting periods.

"100 million users represent more than a growth milestone—they constitute a movement for a better Web that puts users first," Brendan Eich, CEO and co-founder of Brave, stated in the announcement. "Across the globe, users are choosing privacy and control over their online experience, instead of Big Tech's tracking and abuse."

The browser's expansion accelerated in specific regulatory environments. Daily installations for Brave on iOS in the European Union increased 50% following the implementation of the Digital Markets Act and the release of iOS 17.4 in 2024. The browser choice panel mandated by European regulators contributed to this surge in alternative browser adoption, demonstrating how regulatory interventions can reshape market dynamics.

Brave Search operates with its own independent index of the web, distinguishing it from most alternative search engines that rely on results from Microsoft's Bing or Google. The platform serves as one of only three truly independent search engines in the western world, and the only one outside major technology companies. This independence enables Brave to avoid algorithmic bias or result manipulation that can occur when search providers answer to advertising-driven business models.

The search platform now delivers more than 50 million user queries daily, with over 15 million of those queries receiving AI-generated search answers. The company recently introduced Ask Brave, a new AI chat experience native to Brave Search that consolidates search and AI chat functionality. This feature arrived on September 29, 2025, just one day before the user milestone announcement.

Approximately 8% of daily Brave Search queries originate from browsers other than Brave, primarily Chrome. This cross-browser usage indicates growing adoption of the search platform independent of the browser itself. The search service has grown from handling 10 billion annual queries when Search Ads launched in May 2024 to nearly 20 billion queries per year as of September 2025.

The browser's technical architecture centers on Brave Shields, which block advertisements and third-party trackers by default on every webpage. These protections operate without requiring extensions or additional software installations. The system also implements storage partitioning, Global Privacy Control enablement, bounce tracking prevention, and other privacy-preserving mechanisms built directly into the browser.

Brave Leo, the integrated AI assistant, operates without retaining or sharing chat histories, and does not use conversations for model training. Users can select from leading AI models including Claude, DeepSeek, Llama and Qwen, or connect their own local or remote models. The assistant accesses information across multiple browser tabs, PDFs, images, videos and documents, plus real-time information for research and analysis tasks.

The company is developing an agentic experience for Leo that will enable the AI assistant to take actions on behalf of users, including drafting messages, handling payments, and managing bookings. This agentic version will operate in a specialized browser profile isolated from other tabs that may contain sensitive information, ensuring the agent cannot access data outside its designated environment.

Brave's advertising ecosystem works with major brands including Amazon, Ford, Intuit, eBay, and Wayfair. The ad units appear directly in the browser interface or search engine results page, providing placement that avoids unwanted brand collisions while respecting user privacy. The company maintains that its advertising approach differs fundamentally from tracking-based systems used by platforms that collect extensive user data.

The Brave Search API provides real-time web data to power search applications and reduce hallucinations in AI systems. The API serves as the single source of real-time data for some major AI large language models. Pricing starts at no cost for up to 2,000 queries per month, with paid options beginning at $5 CPM. This independent index positions Brave as both infrastructure provider and competitor in the search market.

Premium offerings include enhanced versions of several free features. Brave VPN serves nearly 100,000 subscribers, protecting up to 10 devices per subscription across desktop, iOS, and Android platforms. Brave Leo premium provides higher rate limits and access to additional models. Brave Search premium delivers an ad-free experience. Brave Talk, the videoconferencing tool, offers a premium version with enhanced moderator controls and call recording capabilities.

The browser's Web3 tools include Brave Wallet, a multi-chain wallet for managing tokens, NFTs, and currencies without third-party extension risks. Brave Rewards allows users to opt into privacy-preserving advertisements and earn Basic Attention Token, which can be used to support registered content creators. With over 99% of its 1.5 billion supply in circulation, BAT ranks as the 14th most distributed token by on-chain holders on Ethereum.

The company maintains privacy protections through its data collection methodology. Brave tallies monthly active users and daily usage through aggregate counts that do not identify individual users or specific devices. The system uses a once-per-day ping from browser clients to servers, including only the installation date to calculate retention and prevent double counting. All data collection and analysis occurs at an aggregate level, with safeguards implemented to prevent personal data gathering. The mechanisms are documented in the company's open-source codebase for public review.

Search query counts follow a similar approach. Brave can determine how many queries occurred, but cannot identify who made them, the query text, or the results delivered. For feature usage tracking, the company employs Privacy Preserving Product Analytics, an open-source mechanism available for public review.

The milestone matters for the marketing community as it represents a growing segment of users actively choosing privacy-focused browsing that limits traditional tracking and measurement approaches. The browser blocks third-party trackers by default, affecting advertising measurement and audience building capabilities for campaigns that rely on cross-site tracking data. This shift requires marketing professionals to develop alternative engagement strategies that do not depend on invasive data collection methods.

The expansion of Brave's user base coincides with broader industry tensions around privacy and advertising economics. Mozilla expanded into digital advertising in October 2024 with a privacy-focused approach, while platforms like YouTube have intensified ad blocker detection throughout late 2024. These competing pressures demonstrate the ongoing conflict between user privacy preferences and advertising-supported business models.

Brave's advertising platform launched as a self-serve Ads Manager in January 2024, enabling advertisers to buy, manage, and report on privacy-preserving campaigns. The platform blocks advertisements from third-party servers while selling its own ad inventory, a business model that drew comparisons to earlier approaches from ad blocking companies. The key distinction lies in Brave's privacy protections and revenue sharing with users who opt into the Brave Rewards program.

The browser's growth trajectory positions it differently in market share tracking. According to Cloudflare data from early 2025, Brave held approximately 1% of global browser market share, while Chrome maintained dominance at over 63%. The latest user count of 101 million monthly active users represents a doubling from the 65 million monthly active users reported when Search Ads exited beta in May 2024, and more than triple the 32 million monthly active users reported when Brave Search launched with an independent index in July 2021.

The search platform's growth shows similar acceleration. When Search Ads launched in May 2024, Brave Search handled 10 billion annual queries. By September 2025, that figure nearly doubled to 20 billion annual queries, demonstrating sustained growth in both browser adoption and search engine usage.

Timeline

• July 9, 2021: Brave launches independent search index as privacy-focused browser competition expands
• January 10, 2023: Brave browser launches an ad network while blocking publisher's ads
• January 31, 2024: Brave launches self-serve Ads Manager
• May 30, 2024: Brave Search Ads exit beta after 18-month testing phase with leading brands
• December 21, 2024: Brave browser grapples with YouTube's latest ad blocker detection expansion
• August 5, 2025: Brave launches AI Grounding tool that checks facts automatically
• September 29, 2025: Brave launches Ask Brave, combining search and AI chat in single interface
• September 30, 2025: Brave browser surpasses 100 million monthly active users
• October 1, 2025: Brave announces 100 million user milestone

Summary

Who: Brave Software, Inc., the company behind the privacy-focused Brave browser and Brave Search engine. Brendan Eich serves as CEO and co-founder. Josep M. Pujol serves as Chief of Search.

What: Brave browser reached 101 million monthly active users worldwide, with 42 million daily active users, achieving a DAU-to-MAU ratio of 0.42. Brave Search processes more than 1.6 billion queries monthly (nearly 20 billion annually) and delivers over 15 million AI-generated answers daily. The platform operates with an independent search index, distinguishing it as one of only three truly independent search engines in the western world.

When: Brave reached the 100 million user milestone on September 30, 2025, and announced it on October 1, 2025. The browser has averaged 2.5 million net new users per month over the past two years. Brave Search has grown from 10 billion annual queries in May 2024 to nearly 20 billion annual queries by September 2025.

Where: The browser operates worldwide across desktop and mobile platforms, with particularly strong growth in the European Union following the Digital Markets Act implementation and iOS 17.4 release in 2024. Search Ads are available on a managed service basis in the US, Canada, UK, France, and Germany. Approximately 8% of Brave Search queries originate from browsers other than Brave, primarily Chrome.

Why: The milestone matters for the marketing community because it represents a growing segment of users actively choosing privacy-focused browsing that limits traditional tracking and measurement approaches. Brave blocks third-party trackers by default, affecting advertising measurement and audience building capabilities for campaigns relying on cross-site tracking data. The growth demonstrates sustained user demand for alternatives to tracking-based advertising models and indicates that regulatory interventions like browser choice panels can significantly impact market dynamics.