Nook vs Safari, Brave and DuckDuckGo on the Mac

Checked against each browser’s own site, help pages and source code on 22 October 2026. Numbers in brackets link to the source.

All four browsers block cross-site trackers in some form. Brave and DuckDuckGo also block ads out of the box; Safari needs an extension for that. Nook is the smallest of the four: no account, no extensions, and nothing kept after you quit.

Swipe the table sideways to see all four browsers.

Nook Safari Brave DuckDuckGo
What it is A small, free Mac browser with ad blocking, a reading mode and a focus mode Apple's browser, included with macOS [1] [9] A free browser that blocks ads and trackers by default [10] A free browser from the DuckDuckGo search company, with tracker and ad blocking [24]
Engine Chromium (built with Electron) WebKit [8] Chromium [11] WebKit, the engine built into macOS [25]
Ad and tracker blocking On from the first page. Ad and tracker requests are stopped before they download, using EasyList, EasyPrivacy, Peter Lowe’s list and uBlock Origin’s lists Stops cross-site tracking. No built-in ad blocker; ads need a content blocker extension [1] [3] [4] On by default (Shields), using EasyList, EasyPrivacy, uBlock Origin and Brave’s own lists [10] On by default. Blocks third-party trackers and most ads, and closes cookie pop-ups [26] [27]
Reading mode Yes (⌘⇧R) Yes, Reader [2] Yes, Speedreader [12] No [28]
Cookies and site data when you quit Always deleted, with no setting to change Kept. There is no clear-on-quit option; private windows keep nothing, and history can be removed after a set time [5] [6] Kept unless you turn on “Delete data on exit”. On a Mac it runs only when you fully quit Brave [13] Kept unless you turn on automatic clearing, which is off by default. The Fire Button clears data by hand [29] [30]
Account and sync None Optional iCloud sync [1] Optional sync with a code, no account [14] Optional Sync & Backup with a recovery code [31]
Usage data sent to the maker None, and no crash reports Mac analytics only if you agree to share them [7] Anonymous product analytics (P3A) and a daily usage ping, on unless you turn them off [15] [16] [17] [18] Usage and diagnostics data “not linked to you”, per its App Store privacy label [33]
Extensions None Yes, from the Mac App Store [3] Yes, from the Chrome Web Store [19] No third-party extensions. The direct download has a built-in Bitwarden link [25] [32]
Built-in AI None Summaries with Apple Intelligence, on Macs that support it [2] Leo assistant, free with a paid tier [20] Duck.ai chat, optional [24]
Price Free Included with macOS [9] Free; Brave Origin is an optional paid edition [11] [22] Free; an optional paid subscription [33]
Runs on macOS 13 or later, Apple silicon and Intel Apple devices only [1] Mac, Windows, Linux, Android and iPhone [23] Mac (macOS 12.3 or later), Windows, iPhone and Android [24] [32]
Open source No The WebKit engine is [8] Yes, MPL 2.0 [11] Yes, Apache 2.0 [34]

Where the others do better

Safari comes with every Mac and plays Netflix and other DRM-protected video, up to 4K HDR. It syncs through iCloud and takes extensions from the Mac App Store [1] [3]. Nook can’t play DRM video at all.

Brave runs on Windows, Linux, Android and iPhone as well as the Mac, takes extensions from the Chrome Web Store, and syncs without an account. It plays DRM video once you allow Widevine [23] [19] [14] [21].

DuckDuckGo is open source, runs on Windows, iPhone and Android too, closes cookie pop-ups for you, and syncs bookmarks and passwords across your devices [34] [24] [31] [33].

Where Nook is different

Nook deletes cookies, cache and site data every time it quits, with no setting to find. It sends nothing about how you use it, and it has no AI features and no extensions to manage. Reading mode and focus mode are each one shortcut away; focus mode hides the tabs and toolbar so the page gets the whole window. In exchange, Nook is Mac-only, has no sync, and can’t play Netflix. If you need any of those, one of the browsers above will suit you better.

Download Nook free See all features

Sources

  1. Safari website
  2. Safari User Guide: Reader
  3. Safari User Guide: get extensions
  4. Apple Support: hide distracting items in Safari
  5. Safari User Guide: browse privately
  6. Safari User Guide: General settings
  7. Apple: device analytics and privacy
  8. WebKit
  9. Safari User Guide for Mac
  10. Brave Shields
  11. Brave: compare browsers
  12. Brave Help: Speedreader
  13. Brave Help: clear cookies and site data
  14. Brave Help: Sync
  15. Brave Browser privacy policy
  16. Brave source: product analytics (P3A) default
  17. Brave source: daily usage ping default
  18. Brave Help: turn features off
  19. Brave Help: extensions
  20. Brave Leo
  21. Brave Help: DRM-protected video
  22. Brave Origin
  23. Brave download
  24. DuckDuckGo Help: the DuckDuckGo browser
  25. DuckDuckGo blog: introducing DuckDuckGo for Mac
  26. DuckDuckGo Help: tracking protections
  27. DuckDuckGo Help: ad blocking
  28. DuckDuckGo for Mac source: reader mode not available
  29. DuckDuckGo for Mac source: automatic data clearing default
  30. DuckDuckGo Help: Fire Button
  31. DuckDuckGo Help: Sync & Backup
  32. DuckDuckGo Help: get the browser on Mac
  33. DuckDuckGo on the Mac App Store (features and privacy label)
  34. DuckDuckGo Help: open source

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