If you've been in the crypto and Web3 realm for any amount of time, you've probably used - or at least heard of - the Brave Browser. Brave is probably most well-known browser alternative to mainstream browsers like Chrome or Firefox, with some of the key differences being improved privacy and ad-blocking features. Brave also offers monetization efforts to reward users in the form of $BAT tokens each month. In fact, many crypto sites I utilize specifically recommend or even reward users extra benefits for using Brave - sites like Publish0x, Global Hive, and Zen Faucet all come to mind.

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Brave has long been a staple of my web activities (especially when I'm reading/writing about crypto and Web3 topics) and more than likely will be for awhile longer - but, I have recently stumbled upon another browsing alternative that is coming out of the starting gate strong with comparable features and a slew of reputable partnerships being announced on an almost-daily basis.

So let me introduce you to the Carbon browser, and how it's shaping up in comparison to traditional browsers and other alternatives like Brave.

Operating System Availability for Carbon

If you're considering trying out Carbon, it's worth it to note that currently the browser is only available on Android devices at the moment. According to Carbon's roadmap, the iOS app and PC & Mac options should become available during the latter half of 2023. (The iOS app is already in beta testing, and may be available within the next few months.)  

Ad-Blocking, Privacy, and Speed on Carbon

Some of the major hallmarks of alternative browsers like Brave and Carbon are improvements in ad-blocking, privacy, and speed. According to Carbon's comparison chart on their website, the Carbon browser nudges out Brave and other popular browsers on all three aspects at this time. Depending on any individual's personal needs regarding speed, VPN access and firewall capabilities, Carbon may be an option for a more cohesive all-in-one package rather than having to utilize individual products as privacy tools.  

Browser Wallet and Crypto dApps in Carbon

While Brave already has a built-in wallet into their browser with dApp connectivity, currently the only crypto management option built in to the Carbon browser is their staking platform. A wallet, swapping platform, and bridging platform are all planned for Carbon but not implemented at this time.   Additionally, while Brave requires users to connect to a CEX requiring KYC like Gemini and Uphold to withdraw $BAT rewards each month (rather than the Brave built-in wallet), it appears that Carbon will allow users to collect and interact with their $CSIX rewards directly from their built-in wallet and their staking, swapping, and bridging options.  

Browsing Rewards on Carbon

Carbon's native token, $CSIX, is listed on several exchanges at the time of writing. Users currently can get a handful of tokens (I received 10 when I downloaded the browser a month or two ago) for signing up with Carbon, but browser rewards aren't slated to start dropping until Q4 2023.   Notably, Carbon also offers users the option to switch their default search engine to several other options, including Presearch. Presearch also offers browsing rewards in the form of $PRE tokens, so it will be interesting to see if users will be able to double-dip and earn both $PRE and $CSIX tokens once they start $CSIX distribution later this year. (Brave also has various search engine options to choose from, but Presearch is not currently one of them. While I've seen references to adding it manually to the browser on communities like Reddit, I haven't had any luck changing my Brave search engine settings on my phone or laptop at the present time.)   Carbon's website claims that their $CSIX rewards will be more lucrative than Brave's $BAT rewards, but that's highly dependent on a few factors. First, on a 1-to-1 comparison, at the time of posting this article (July 28th, 2023) one $CSIX token is worth roughly $0.03 USD, while one $BAT is just under $0.20 USD. As cryptocurrency prices can fluctuate wildly, it remains to be seen if this price difference holds. If so, Carbon would need to give out a little less than seven times the tokens that Brave currently distributes in order to be competitive.   Also, at this time, it doesn't appear that Carbon has integrated any creator rewards as Brave has done. Currently, creators utilizing Brave can register their websites - and even their Twitter accounts - to enable tipping from other Brave users.  

Summary

Currently, I'm excited to see how Carbon's roll out goes over the next few months. Carbon's already partnered with many well-known companies and projects in the industry, including Biswap, OpenSea, Optimism, PancakeSwap, SpaceID, and Tezos. Providing that they can accomplish their current plans to expand to the other main operating systems and integrate their in-browser wallet and dApp connections, the Carbon browser could become the new standard in Web3 browsing - or at least, a very strong competitor against Brave.

(This post was originally published on Article.)

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Valdyr is a "crypto-curious" blogger living in Texas with her husband and their ancient dachshund, Henry. When she's not working as an audio/visual technician or stagehand, you'll frequently find her traveling, hiking or enjoying a good craft beer. For more reading, check out www.laurahofford.com/blog/