Brave Browser Details Robust Revenue Model Amidst Surpassing 100 Million Monthly Active Users

Brendan Eich, CEO and co-founder of Brave, recently outlined the company's multifaceted revenue strategy, emphasizing its reliance on search ads, API services, privacy-preserving browser advertisements, premium offerings, and crypto-related initiatives. The announcement comes as Brave Browser achieved a significant milestone, exceeding 100 million monthly active users (MAU) as of September 30, 2025. This growth is largely attributed to organic, word-of-mouth adoption, according to Eich.

"People ask how we make money. We rely on search ads and API, opt-in/privacy-preserving browser ads, premium products (VPN, etc.), and crypto deals," Eich stated in a recent social media post, adding, "Our growth is almost all organic, word of mouth. Thanks to all our users!"

Brave's revenue streams are diverse, moving beyond traditional advertising. The company generates income from Brave Ads, an opt-in system where users can earn Basic Attention Tokens (BAT) for viewing privacy-respecting advertisements. Advertisers purchase ad space using BAT, with Brave taking a 30% cut from user ads and 15% from publisher-integrated ads.

Search partnerships also contribute significantly, with Brave Search now handling over 1.6 billion queries monthly and delivering more than 15 million AI-generated answers daily. The Brave Search API provides real-time web data to power search applications and AI systems, offering paid options for higher query volumes.

Premium product subscriptions form another key component of Brave's financial model. These include Brave VPN, a paid service encrypting device-wide online activity for nearly 100,000 subscribers, and Brave Talk Premium, offering enhanced video conferencing features. Brave also offers premium tiers for Brave Leo, its integrated AI assistant, and an ad-free experience for Brave Search.

The "crypto deals" mentioned by Eich primarily involve the Brave Wallet and the Basic Attention Token (BAT) ecosystem. Brave Wallet, integrated directly into the browser, allows users to manage various crypto assets and interact with Web3 decentralized applications without needing third-party extensions. The BAT, central to Brave Rewards, facilitates transactions between users, advertisers, and content creators, incentivizing engagement within its privacy-focused ecosystem.

The browser's rapid expansion, reaching 101 million MAU and 42 million daily active users, underscores a growing demand for privacy-focused online experiences. This significant user base, coupled with its innovative revenue model and continuous development of features like Ask Brave, positions Brave as a notable player in the competitive browser and digital advertising landscape.