The best web browsers for cryptoheads

The most popular web browsers among digital asset owners include Brave, Opera Crypto Browser, and CryptoTab. Brave is the #1 crypto browser, which is focused on anonymity and security. Opera Crypto positions itself as a web browser for Web3, and the main feature of CryptoTab is built-in PoW mining. Let's take a closer look at these three solutions.

It is a free, open-source web browser with up to 160 languages, created in 2016 on Chromium. Its interface doesn’t differ much from other analogs, but the main advantages are hidden inside.

 

When designing Brave, the developers focused on security, anonymity, and openness to the world of digital assets. By default, the web browser blocks any kind of advertising, malicious scripts, cookies, geolocation, and reliably protects the user's personal data. If some security settings do not allow the site to load correctly, they can always be weakened.

The developers claim that by blocking ads and trackers on websites, the Brave web browser works three times faster and consumes 30% less memory compared to Google Chrome. It is difficult to measure, but the speed of opening pages and web surfing is noticeable.

To make the web browser interesting for crypto holders, the developers have integrated the non-custodial Brave Wallet. The wallet supports a large number of blockchains and resembles an improved version of MetaMask. It can be used both as a widget, which has a compact size and is located on top of tabs, and as a separate tab for full balance details and access to all functions.

The crypto wallet, like all similar solutions, is capable of extensive integration with other wallets, and also quickly connects to decentralized applications (dApps) directly from web pages. It supports more than a dozen different blockchains (including Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, Solana, Polygon), and allows you to store all these networks’ assets.

 

You can transfer tokens, and buy new coins for fiat using Visa/Mastercard or through Ramp Network or Wyre payment services. In addition, users can store NFTs and follow market trends by viewing graphs of asset value changes. Brave Wallet supports multi-accounts, unlimited wallets of any asset, and imports from hardware wallets.

 

Given the support for many blockchains, the developers did not forget about exchange tools. It enables crypto holders to perform swap operations through aggregators 0x and Jupiter, as well as x-chain bridges such as Rainbow Bridge for exchanging Ethereum, NEAR, and Aurora assets.

Focusing on blocking ads, developers came up with a great idea in 2019: why not implement your own advertising service and share profits with users who agree to view ads? This is how the private advertising service Brave Ads, which runs on the Pay-to-surf (PTS) model, and the Brave Rewards program appeared. To activate the latter, you need to make changes to the settings. Advertisements appear when a new tab is opened, or Brave sends them in the form of push notifications. The format is completely unobtrusive, but if you suddenly get bored, you can turn it off at any time.

 

Brave does not share users' personal data or ad viewing history, but it does share revenue for views. Users are rewarded with BAT tokens, which can be withdrawn monthly or, if desired, donated to publishers and content creators (there is also a one-time tip option).

     

Brave Wallet also packs a firewall and VPN, opening tabs and searching in incognito mode (TOR functionality), as well as a built-in service for video calls and conferences with an emphasis on privacy.

This is the long-known free Opera web browser, with integrated crypto Opera Wallet and Web3 functionality.

Opera Crypto Browser provides interaction with Web3 projects and various wallets. The web browser facilitates the use of decentralized applications (dApps), as well as the introduction of blockchain games and metaverses. Users may learn about new dApps projects every day from a specialized application store. Among other tools — access to decentralized exchanges (DEX) and NFTs based on Web3.

Opera Wallet allows you to store crypto assets and NFTs and join dApps without installing additional plugins. The crypto wallet supports ETH, ERC-20, and ERC-721 tokens, as well as various blockchains, including Bitcoin, compatible with EVM networks and Layer2 solutions. Opera Wallet allows you to buy a cryptocurrency for fiat, as well as carry out swap operations.

Crypto Corner, an in-browser news aggregator, provides updates on the latest blockchain and crypto news, upcoming token distributions, asset values, events, and conferences. It also offers educational content, including podcasts and videos.

The desktop version of Opera Crypto Browser grants direct access to many messengers (Telegram, Discord, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc.). The browser has a built-in VPN, ad and tracker blockers that allow increasing privacy and security when browsing the web.

It is an ordinary free web browser with the only difference: it offers rewards for PoW mining in pools and has a referral program with incentives for attracting new users. The reward is paid in BTC to the built-in wallet and can be withdrawn after reaching a certain limit. The size of the reward depends on the hashrate, CPU power, and the number of invited referrals.

Recently, there have been a lot of reviews about CryptoTab's poor mining fees and the inability to withdraw BTC from the wallet. It is also worth remembering that CPU PoW mining takes a toll on your CPU and isn’t profitable even in pools in 2022. Therefore, everyone decides for themselves whether to take such risks or not. In any case, CryptoTab positions itself as a web browser for crypto, so we included it in our review.