🎧 Prefer to listen?

Here’s something nobody in the no-code space talks about: your browser sees everything. Every API key you paste, every dashboard you log into, every extension you install runs through one layer most people never think about.

I’ve been building AI workflows and testing automation tools for over a year now, and the one thing I never questioned was my browser. I just used whatever came with my computer. Then I started paying attention, and what I found changed how I think about my entire stack.

Quick summary if you’re skimming: Brave shipped three privacy failures between 2020 and 2021, including auto-inserting its own referral links into typed URLs like binance.com and a DNS leak in its Tor private window. I switched to LibreWolf (Firefox with telemetry stripped and uBlock Origin pre-installed) and haven’t looked back.

Is Brave still a private browser?

Less than it used to be, and less than the marketing suggests. Brave still blocks ads and trackers by default, so it’s not the worst option. But its track record includes three incidents that undercut the “we respect your privacy” pitch: silent referral-link insertion in 2020, a DNS leak in the Private Window with Tor in 2021, and a built-in ad system that pays users in BAT tokens, which gives the company a financial incentive to show you ads. A browser that exists to protect you from ads built an ad system. I’m not saying Brave is evil, but the gap between the marketing and the behavior is wide enough to drive a truck through.

What actually happened with Brave?

In 2020, users discovered that Brave was silently auto-completing URLs to crypto exchanges like Binance with referral links. Type “binance.com” into the address bar and Brave quietly redirected you to a version that earned them a commission. They didn’t ask. They didn’t tell you. You had to notice it yourself.

That wasn’t a bug; it was a design choice by a browser that marketed itself on respecting your privacy. The irony isn’t subtle.

Then in 2021, Brave’s Private Window with Tor (the feature marketed as their premium privacy offering) had a DNS leak. Your browsing activity could leak out even in the mode built specifically to prevent that. They fixed it, but the fact that it shipped at all is telling.

And then there’s the ad system. The whole business model revolves around BAT tokens, a cryptocurrency that pays you to see ads. In practice, that means Brave profits from showing you advertising.

Why does your browser matter if you work with AI tools?

Because everything you feed your AI tools passes through the browser first. When you’re building with no-code tools, you’re handling sensitive stuff: API keys, authentication tokens, workflow configurations, client data flowing through automations. All of it crosses your browser.

If your browser silently adds referral links to URLs, what else is it doing that you can’t see? If its “private” mode leaks DNS, how private is the regular mode?

I wrote about the AI privacy problem before: the data you feed into language models, the questions you ask, the files you upload. But before any of that reaches your AI, it goes through your browser. Your browser is the layer underneath everything.

Think about the tools you actually use every day. You open Cursor to code. You open ChatGPT to write. You open Zapier to build automations. You open Notion to plan. All of it lives in browser tabs, which means your browser knows which tools you use, when you use them, and how long you spend in each one. That’s a goldmine of behavioral data sitting in one place.

And you probably chose your browser the way most people choose their email provider: you picked whatever was there.

What’s the best privacy-focused browser alternative to Brave?

Firefox with uBlock Origin is the practical choice for most people. Firefox is open source, it has no crypto token pushing ads at you, and uBlock Origin blocks ads and trackers more effectively than Brave’s built-in blocker. You get better privacy than Brave without the corporate drama, and if you’re on Chrome right now, switching takes ten minutes.

If you want to go further, two options stand out:

  • LibreWolf is Firefox with the training wheels removed. It strips out Mozilla’s telemetry, comes with uBlock Origin pre-installed, and has sane privacy defaults out of the box. No configuration needed. If you don’t want to trust Mozilla’s decisions either, this is the one.
  • Mullvad Browser is built by the VPN company of the same name. It’s designed so websites can’t fingerprint you, meaning they can’t build a profile of your habits based on your browser’s unique characteristics. It doesn’t store history by default, which takes some getting used to, but if you’re serious about privacy it’s hard to beat.

I use LibreWolf as my daily driver now. I keep Brave installed as a backup for sites that break under strict privacy settings, but that’s happened maybe twice in three months.

What’s the bigger lesson here?

Privacy isn’t a product; it’s a practice. You can’t install a browser and declare yourself private. But you can make deliberate choices about the tools that handle your most sensitive data.

The no-code and AI space is obsessed with the tools you can see: the automations, the prompts, the workflows. The infrastructure underneath matters just as much. Your browser. Your password manager. Your VPN. These aren’t sexy topics, but they’re the foundation everything else sits on.

Brave taught me that marketing isn’t the same as behavior. A company can slap “privacy” on everything and still quietly insert referral links into your address bar. The label isn’t the thing. You have to look under the hood.

If you’re building with AI tools, and if you’re reading this you probably are, pick your tools deliberately. Pick your browser the same way you pick any other tool in your stack: based on what it actually does, not what it says it does.

Start with Firefox + uBlock Origin. It’s free, it works, and nobody’s quietly monetizing your address bar. From there, try LibreWolf if you want to go deeper.

Your browser doesn’t need to be exciting. It needs to be honest.

Want to see what other tools I actually trust? Check out the AI Tool Advisor for the full list.

FAQs

Is Brave still private in 2025? Brave still blocks ads and trackers by default, but its privacy record has cracks. In 2020 it auto-inserted referral links into typed URLs like binance.com, and in 2021 its Private Window with Tor leaked DNS queries. Its BAT token ad model also gives the company a financial incentive to show you ads. Firefox with uBlock Origin or LibreWolf are stronger choices.

What was the Brave referral link controversy? In 2020, users found that Brave silently auto-completed URLs for crypto exchanges like Binance using Brave’s own referral links. Typing “binance.com” redirected you to a version that earned Brave a commission, without asking or disclosing it. Users had to notice and call it out themselves before Brave addressed it.

What browser should I use instead of Brave? Firefox with uBlock Origin is the practical starting point: open source, no crypto ad tokens, and better ad blocking than Brave’s built-in blocker. LibreWolf adds stripped telemetry and pre-configured privacy defaults. Mullvad Browser is best if anti-fingerprinting matters most, though it doesn’t store history by default.

Why does browser choice matter for AI and no-code work? Your browser handles your API keys, authentication tokens, and client data before any of it reaches tools like ChatGPT, Cursor, or Zapier. It also logs which tools you use and when. A browser with a history of silent link injection and DNS leaks in private mode is a weak foundation for that kind of sensitive workflow.