Proton compares privacy-focused browsers, finding Brave leads but faces challenges in independence from Google.
Proton evaluates privacy-focused web browsers
Proton, a company known for privacy tools, has published a detailed comparison of five web browsers—Brave, Vivaldi, Firefox, Zen, and LibreWolf—based on their privacy features and user experience.Privacy criteria include independence from Google
The evaluation focuses on three main factors: independence from Google, protection against browser fingerprinting, and ease of use. Browsers using Google's Chromium engine, like Brave and Vivaldi, scored lower in independence from Google, receiving a 4/10.Fingerprinting protection and usability scores
Despite lower independence scores, Brave and Vivaldi excelled in fingerprinting protection, scoring 10/10, and were close to perfect in usability with a 9/10. Firefox, which uses its own Gecko engine, scored higher in independence with a 7/10 but lower in the other categories.Firefox derivatives perform well
LibreWolf and Zen, both based on Firefox, scored 9/10 in independence and combined their scores for a total of 22/30. Brave had the highest total score at 23/30, followed by LibreWolf and Zen, with Firefox trailing at 21/30.Proton CEO comments on Chromium’s limitations
Proton's CEO, Andy Yen, noted that criticism of Chromium often stems from its ties to Google, suggesting that the engine itself is strong if Google is removed. He also mentioned the possibility of a community creating a separate version of Chromium if needed.Proton may be developing its own browser
While Yen did not confirm if Proton is building its own browser, a job posting for a software engineer on "our browser product team" suggests internal development is happening. A Chromium-based browser would need to improve usability to match Brave or Firefox to be competitive.
