Hark vs Brave Leo: which one should you use?
Leo is the AI assistant inside the Brave browser, built around privacy. Hark is an agent for Chrome, built around getting tasks done. Both respect your data; they differ in what they do with a page.
Choose Brave Leo if you use Brave and mainly want private summaries and answers, even with local models. Choose Hark if you use Chrome and want the assistant to act — fill the form, book the table, draft the reply — not only talk.
At a glance
Hark and Brave Leo, side by side.
| Hark | Brave Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Chrome extension — an AI agent in the side panel | AI assistant built into the Brave browser |
| Where it runs | Google Chrome on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS | Brave on desktop and mobile |
| Acts on websites | Yes — clicks, types and fills forms in your current tab | Not designed for multi-step tasks on websites (agentic browsing is in testing) |
| Approval before final steps | Always, before send, submit, book, pay or delete | Not applicable |
| Email help | Summaries, reply drafts and deadlines in Gmail & Outlook on the web | Can summarize a page you open |
| Tracker for orders & deadlines | Built-in Tracker for orders, bookings, bills and deadlines | No |
| Account needed | No account — install and use | No account needed |
| Free plan | 1 AI request per day, all modes | Free, with limits |
| Paid plans | $5.99/week (2-day trial), $14.99/month or $39.99/year | Leo Premium about $14.99/month |
| AI models | OpenAI models, in Fast and Smart modes | Several hosted models, or your own local models |
Choose Hark if…
- You want an agent that clicks and types for you
- You use Chrome, not Brave
- You want reply drafts inserted into Gmail or Outlook
- You want a tracker for orders and deadlines
Choose Brave Leo if…
- Brave is already your browser
- Maximum privacy matters more than agent features
- You want to run local models through your own setup
Chat vs act
Leo is excellent at what it sets out to do: summarize, explain and answer about the page, with strong privacy guarantees and no account. It is not built to carry out multi-step tasks on sites; Brave has been testing agentic browsing separately. Hark’s whole reason to exist is the acting part, with approvals before final steps.
Privacy, compared honestly
Brave sets a high bar: no account, chats not retained, and the option of local models. Hark also needs no account and does not store your conversations on its servers, but it does send the content you choose to a cloud AI provider to answer you. If on-device processing is a requirement, Leo is the better fit.
FAQ
Hark vs Brave Leo: common questions
Is Brave Leo free?
Leo is free to use in Brave with limits; Leo Premium adds more models and higher limits for about $14.99 a month at the time of writing.
Can Leo fill in forms for me?
Leo is not designed for multi-step actions on websites. Brave has tested agentic browsing features separately; check Brave’s site for the current status.
Does Hark work in Brave?
Hark is built for Google Chrome. Brave can install Chrome extensions, but we do not officially support it.
More comparisons
Hand your next task to Hark.
Add it to Chrome, open the side panel and say what you need. It takes about ten seconds.
Free plan included · No account needed · Works in Chrome on Windows, Mac, Linux and ChromeOS