Been using Brave on Android and Edge on PC. I have been extremely annoyed that YouTube now forces you to watch UP TO THREE ads at once (remember when YouTube said the reason YouTube gave you 2 ads was because of the adpocalypse? Hilarious), so I'm ditching Edge.

As for Brave on Android, I really like the adblocking features. However, performance in YouTube Desktop Mode (the only way you can get both picture-in-picture mode and video looping) is horrible. Not the video playback, but the site browsing. If there is a better option, I'd like to change to it.

Here are my preferences:

  • At least has a reliable adblocker (doesn't need to be pre-installed)

  • Privacy is very welcome. So no Chrome or Edge or anything like that.

  • I like performance, especially on Android.

  • I care about not having to switch browsers for a long time.

  • Interconnectivity between PC and Android is welcome, but not necessary.

  • I am okay with de-googling, IF AND ONLY IF I don't get an inferior "product".

  • I don't mind Brave's crypto thing, since you can turn it off. What I do mind is Brave being a Chromium browser. Google hates adblockers, and we can safely assume that includes Brave's adblocker. So, who knows what Google will try to eliminate the adblocker.

  • I don't mind "It's a fork, so it gets updates late". As long as it's not, like, many months late, 99% of the time, the update is not a big deal and people are just exaggerating.

Currently thinking about switching to Waterfox. What do you think about it? Or do you recommend any other browser?

Thanks in advance.

  • -- At least has a reliable adblocker (doesn't need to be pre-installed)
    -- What I do mind is Brave being a Chromium browser. Google hates adblockers, and we can safely assume that includes Brave's adblocker. So, who knows what Google will try to eliminate the adblocker.

    Brave Shield's adblock is on par with some of the gold standards of browser adblockers like uBO or AdGuard and even borrows some of their filter lists. Brave and their adblocker operates independently of Google (outside of the Chromium base) and built onto the browser itself so Google can't dictate what they can't do with their adblocker. Whenever YT or some other site attempts to circumvent an adblock method, the adblocker and filter list maintainers are often on top of the site so it should be functional in at least a couple hours.

    -- Privacy is very welcome. So no Chrome or Edge or anything like that.

    -- I don't mind "It's a fork, so it gets updates late". As long as it's not, like, many months late, 99% of the time, the update is not a big deal and people are just exaggerating.

    Brave is pretty timely with updates on par with major browsers like Chrome or Firefox and isn't just "some random fork" of Chromium since they are their own independent company maintaining the browser. It's vetted by multiple privacy organizations for following good privacy and security practices. The main criticism they get is their sketchy history around their handling of cryptocurrency and the half-baked Tor integration in their browser.

    Firefox (or any actively maintained Firefox-based browser) would also be a good alternative especially on desktop and if you install uBlock Origin extension to block ads. Although if you expect the most performance you still might want to stick with a Chromium browser since while their engine is independent, it's slower and less optimized than Chromium in most cases unfortunately.

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  • Take a look at cromite

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  • I've switched recently to android and Firefox is damn slow and with time it gets worse. Using Edge canary with add ons and Brave for YouTube, at least I can watch there without interruption

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  • For YouTube on android I suggest using ReVanced

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    I actually find SmartTube to be so much easier to use.

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    Cromite also has a beta version for extensions. Been running it with uBlock Origin Lite.

    It's slow and very like super unique (identifiable) but it's really nice to use.

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    Extensions are available in the main release now and the full ublock origin works flawlessly. Best Android browser at the moment imo

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    Librefox would be a more secure option also.

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  • you can install ublock origin on Edge from microsoft extension store and it works great. so no youtube ads.

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  • go back to Edge on PC and Brave for Android. use AdGuard extension on your PC and use ReVanced on Android. (this is my setup)

    you like performance eh, then nothing beats native on both platforms Edge for Windows, and ReVanced for Android.

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  • You’re not going to get anything beyond Brave. Spend some money and get Adguard Pro and or a DNS service. Or pay for YT premium. This privacy thing is insane on this sub. I have Chrome showing that my fingerprint is randomised and all trackers and ads are blocked. Chrome FFS. Just some work outside of the browser will secure the browser. It’s easy, but costs a few dollars for the right services.

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