Brave to launch minimalist “Origin” browser with core privacy features

Brave has introduced “Brave Origin” in its Nightly builds, a minimalist version of the browser focused on core privacy protections, with additional features available through a paid upgrade.

The new offering signals a shift toward a more modular Brave experience, where users can choose between a minimal setup and a more feature-rich configuration.

The announcement was made through Brave Nightly channels, where the company shared early access instructions and implementation details ahead of a broader rollout. Origin is currently available for testing in Nightly builds, with a stable release planned for version 1.91.x across desktop platforms, Android, and iOS.

At its core, Origin represents a rethinking of how Brave packages its browser. Instead of bundling all features into a single experience, Brave separates the essentials, primarily ad and tracker blocking, from additional functionality. The standalone version of Origin focuses solely on these core protections, offering a cleaner, more minimal browsing environment. In contrast, users who opt for the upgraded version within the main Brave browser can enable or disable extra features through a dedicated settings panel, effectively customizing how much of Brave’s broader functionality they want to use.

By default, Origin removes or disables a wide range of built-in Brave features, reinforcing its minimalist design. These include components such as Leo AI, Brave News, Playlist (on iOS), Brave Rewards and Brave Ads, Speedreader, and privacy-related telemetry systems, such as daily usage pings and crash reporting (P3A). Additional features such as Brave Talk, Tor integration, VPN services, the built-in crypto wallet (along with Web3 domain support), Wayback Machine integration, and the Web Discovery Project are also excluded from the core Origin experience.

Brave noted that purchases are handled using a system based on Privacy Pass, a protocol designed to preserve anonymity. Rather than tying licenses to user accounts or devices, Origin uses a token-based system with a limited number of activations, initially set at 10. Users who exhaust their activations, for example, due to device changes or reinstalls, can contact support to request additional allowances.

During the Nightly testing phase, Brave is encouraging users to report bugs and usability issues through its GitHub repository and community forums. The company noted that any instances of promotional or self-serving content within the browser experience will be treated as high-priority issues and addressed promptly, underscoring its emphasis on maintaining a clean, user-controlled interface.

Users interested in testing Brave Origin should keep in mind that Nightly builds are experimental and may be unstable. It is advisable to test the feature in non-critical environments and review how it interacts with extensions and frequently visited sites.