Review and test of the popular digital asset browser. We tell you what its features, advantages and disadvantages are, as well as what prospects it has
The Brave browser provides users with the opportunity to get BAT tokens and get acquainted with the work of various crypto services without investing their own funds. Browser users are the owners of their data and can monetize it, and advertisers share the profit with all participants in the process.
BAT stands for Basic Attention Token, which can be translated as Basic Attention Token. Unlike most services and social networks we are used to, where the user's attention to advertising is not rewarded in any way, Brave browser users receive BAT tokens for their interest in the browser's advertising offers. Ads are shown to the user in the form of pop-up recommendations in the upper right corner and in their form does not differ much from similar offers of classic browsers (for example, Microsoft Edge).
The difference starts from the moment you click on the link. After spending more than five seconds on the site using the advertising link, the user is awarded a reward, which consists of a portion of the funds (up to 70%) paid by the advertiser for the user's attention. Once a month, rewards are summed up and transferred to the user's browser-integrated wallet. The use of tokens makes it possible to take into account even the smallest payments in any jurisdiction, which is difficult to imagine when working with classic financial instruments available today.
The main feature of the browser, in addition to rewards for viewing ads, is privacy. Brave blocks all third-party ads, location trackers, and keeps track of user-saved time and traffic. During the year of our testing, 10.17 gigabytes of traffic and 6 hours of time were saved by blocking 429,949 trackers and ad impressions.
How much can you earn?
There are several options for customizing the display of promotional offers. The browser can display advertisements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10 times per hour, or you can turn off the displaying offers function completely. The user is left with a choice – whether to follow the link or hide it.
The amount of rewards varies and is directly related to the number of advertisers and browser users receiving rewards. In order to make the testing as realistic as possible, we did not follow all the links, but only those that seemed to us worthy of attention. Most of the advertisements offered were about cryptocurrencies and financial technologies, and the advertisements were often repeated.
During the year of testing, one click on the advertising link brought in about 1.5 to 3 rubles, and a month of using the browser on average added 100-200 rubles to the wallet. The amounts are not the most impressive, but they can very well be of good help for the citizens of countries experiencing economic turmoil and hyperinflation.
It is important to note that the dollar account balance may increase or decrease depending on the dynamics of the price of the BAT token itself, the price movement of which is similar to the movement of the rest of the crypto market and pleased those using the Brave browser with additional profit last year.
What can be done with the received tokens?
If the user does not want to store his rewards in BAT tokens, there is the possibility of converting them into other popular cryptocurrencies, more than 50 shares of the US stock market and even precious metals. Conversions take place without commissions, but at a slightly less profitable market rate (the difference is about 1-2%).
The Uphold platform is responsible for all exchange operations and storing rewards, the account of which is tied to the user's browser. To start using the Uphold services, you will need to go through the identity verification procedure (KYC). An important difference between buying US stock market shares on Uphold is the receipt of dividends.
In addition to exchanges within the Uphold platform, users can also withdraw their funds to third-party wallets or exchanges. In order not to lose part of the funds on the Ethereum network fees, you can use the conversion to XRP, the subsequent sending of which will cost a few cents.
The Brave browser itself, in an effort to save funds within its ecosystem, encourages users to spend rewards on donations for the authors of the sites or Youtube and Twitter channels that you most often visit through the browser. It is possible to make these donations automatic and regular. To receive donations from other users, sites or channels must be verified and registered with the Brave ecosystem as content creators.
New Brave feature and token price movements
The Brave browser is one of the rare examples of a cryptocurrency project that has a completely finished product, the use of which goes beyond just blockchain technology. It can be useful to a wide audience of users. Brave recently made it possible for users to make video calls and participate in video conferencing.
Technically, the price movement of the BAT token is correlated with the movement of the crypto sector as a whole. Like most other market assets, BAT is currently in a correction phase after a rapid growth. In May 2021, the price renewed its all-time high at $ 1.64 per token. Unlike the flagships of the BTC and ETH sector, which recently updated their all-time highs, the BAT token, like most other altcoins, has a much larger power reserve. After the correction, BAT is still trading at more than half its historical maximum on constantly decreasing volumes on the weekly timeframe.