Can we keep the Brave name and logos?

No. Those are Brave's trademarks, so a derived browser needs its own name and branding. Check Brave's current license and trademark terms before you plan.

Will Chrome extensions work in a Brave-based browser?

Brave runs Chrome Web Store extensions, and a browser built on it generally keeps that support. We test extension behavior as part of the project.

Why is a Brave base harder to maintain than Chromium?

You follow two upstreams, and a change in either can break your patches. That is manageable with a small patch series and a written upgrade runbook, but it is real ongoing work.

Should we start from Brave or from Chromium?

If you want Brave's content blocking and can carry the extra upstream, Brave can save effort. If you want fewer dependencies and full control of the feature set, plain Chromium is usually simpler to maintain.

Engineering service

Brave Browser Development

We modify and maintain Brave-based browser products at the code level: brave-core, Shields, Wallet, IPFS and the Chromium layer underneath. This goes well beyond rebranding, and we track both the Brave and Chromium upstreams so your product keeps shipping.

See what we engineer

15+ years of experience
300+ projects delivered
Clients worldwide
NDA available

Overview

What this is, and when it is the right call

Brave is an open-source browser built on Chromium through its brave-core layer. That layer adds Shields content blocking, a built-in wallet and a rewards system. It is published under MPL 2.0, but check the current license terms before you plan around it.

Building on Brave gives you those features as a starting point, and it also means tracking two upstreams: Brave and Chromium. Brave's name and logos are trademarks, so a derived browser needs its own branding. We help you decide whether that trade is worth it for your product.

Who this is for

Teams that want to build a browser starting from Brave's privacy features instead of from plain Chromium.
Companies that already maintain a Brave-based fork and need help keeping it current.
Product teams choosing between a Brave base and a plain Chromium base.
Extension developers who need their extension to work well in Brave.

How it works

Architecture at a glance

Anatomy of a Brave-based browser

Your browser
Your name, branding, defaults and product features.
Your patch series
Small, documented changes on top of Brave, rebased as Brave and Chromium move.
Brave layer
Shields, Rewards, Wallet and Brave UI, kept as close to upstream as possible.
Chromium
Blink, V8, Content, networking and the sandbox.
05
Build and release
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
Build system, CI, installers, code signing and updates.

Your productWhat your users see
Our engineeringModifications and protections
UpstreamKept as close to unmodified as possible
Platforms and releaseBuild, sign and deliver

Two upstreams sit under your patches. Every release of your browser depends on both staying in step.

What we offer

What we engineer: Brave Browser Development

brave-core Patch Layer Work

We work inside brave-core, the layer Brave adds on top of Chromium, to add or adjust features without touching Chromium itself.

Shields Filter List Tuning

We adjust Shields' ad and tracker blocking rules and filter list sources to set your fork's default blocking behavior.

IPFS Gateway Configuration

We configure Brave's built-in IPFS support, including which gateway or local node your browser resolves ipfs:// links against.

Wallet and Web3 Provider Setup

We configure or replace Brave Wallet's default network list and dApp provider injection for a forked browser's Web3 behavior.

Brave Sync Chain Configuration

We set up or point Brave Sync at your own sync server so bookmarks, history and settings move between a user's devices under your infrastructure.

Rewards and BAT Removal or Replacement

We remove Brave Rewards where it cannot be reused, or scope what stays, since Rewards depends on Brave's own backend services.

Deliverables

What you get

01
Base decision
A written comparison of Brave and plain Chromium against your requirements, with a recommendation.
02
Rebranded build
Your own name, icons and defaults, with Brave trademarks removed from the product.
03
Feature audit
A review of which Brave features to keep, change or remove, including Rewards and Wallet.
04
Patch series
Your changes as a reviewable series on a named Brave version.
05
Build and release pipeline
CI, installers, signing and updates for the platforms you choose.
06
Two-upstream upgrade runbook
Steps for absorbing new Brave and Chromium releases without breaking your patches.

Compare

Brave base or plain Chromium base?

Neither is better in general. The right base depends on which features you want to inherit and how much upstream tracking you can carry.

Brave base or plain Chromium base?
Question	Brave as the base	Plain Chromium as the base
Privacy defaults	Shields content blocking and other privacy features come included	You add or build any privacy features yourself
Upstreams to track	Two: Brave and Chromium	One: Chromium
Feature control	You inherit Brave's feature set and must remove or adapt what you do not want	You start clean and add only what you choose
Branding and licensing	Brave's name and logos cannot be reused; check current license terms for the code	Chromium's open-source terms apply; you still need your own branding
Rewards and Wallet	Rewards depends on Brave's own services, so a derived browser usually cannot reuse it as it is	Not present; you build or integrate your own if needed
Time to first build	Shorter for privacy features, longer for untangling Brave-specific parts	Shorter to a clean baseline, longer to reach the same privacy features

Why it matters

What this gives you

Shields Included From the Start

Content and tracker blocking ships as part of the base instead of something you build from a plain Chromium checkout.

A Smaller Patch Set to Write

Because brave-core already adds privacy and Web3 plumbing, your own patches can focus on branding and product features rather than building that plumbing yourself.

Built-in IPFS Support

Brave ships IPFS resolution already wired in, which a plain Chromium checkout does not have.

Engineers Who Track Both Upstreams

Keeping a Brave-based fork current means rebasing against Brave's releases and Chromium's; our team maintains that two-upstream workflow rather than treating it as a one-time patch.

Our approach

How a Brave-based project runs

Base decision
We compare Brave and plain Chromium against your product and pick one with you.
You get: A written recommendation
Feature audit
We go through Brave's features and decide what to keep, change or remove, including services your browser cannot depend on.
You get: A keep, change or remove list
Rebrand and patch
We replace branding and implement your features as small patches on top of Brave.
You get: A branded build with a patch series
Test
We test your features, the retained Brave features and core browsing on each platform.
You get: Test results and known limits
Release and maintain
We ship signed builds and document how to follow both Brave and Chromium releases.
You get: Release pipeline and upgrade runbook

When this is not the right fit

A few cases where this approach may not be the best choice for you.

You only need your feature inside the Brave users already have. Build an extension, since Brave runs Chrome ones.
You cannot commit to tracking two upstreams. A plain Chromium base has one fewer dependency to keep in step.

Tech stack

Technologies we use

The engines, APIs and tools behind our brave browser development work.

brave-core

Chromium

ShieldsBrave WalletIPFSBrave Sync

Rust

C++MPL 2.0

FAQ

Questions engineers ask before starting

Usually not as it is. Rewards depends on Brave's own services, so a derived browser would need its own equivalent or would ship without it.

Proof

Related production work

Asil Browser icon, a blue rounded square containing a white letter A inside a ring

Verified

Community & Content Filtering

Asil Browser

The predecessor to Kahf: an early browser built from scratch under the Asil name, before it became Kahf.

Browser
Brave
From scratch

View case study

Our services

Related services

Explore more services that work alongside this one.

Talk to a Browser Engineer

Talk to Engineers Who Work in brave-core

Tell us what your Brave-based product needs. We will assess it against both upstreams and tell you what it takes to build and maintain.

Tell Us What You're Building