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These three all fall under "privacy browsing tools," but they solve different layers of the same overall goal — worth understanding what each actually does before assuming any one of them alone covers everything.
DuckDuckGo Privacy Pro: private search plus a bundled VPN
DuckDuckGo Privacy Pro builds on DuckDuckGo's long-standing private search engine (no search history tracking or ad profiling) by adding a bundled VPN and additional privacy tools under one subscription. If your starting point is already using DuckDuckGo for search, upgrading to Pro is a natural extension rather than adding an entirely new tool to your routine.
Brave Premium: a full browser with ad blocking and VPN built in
Brave Premium (VPN + Search) is a different kind of product entirely — Brave is a full Chromium-based browser with ad and tracker blocking built into its core, and Premium adds a bundled VPN and private search on top of that browser foundation. Unlike DuckDuckGo, which is primarily a search engine you can use in any browser, Brave requires switching your actual browser to get its full feature set.
Incogni: actively removing your data from broker sites
An Incogni Subscription solves a completely different problem from the two above — rather than protecting your browsing activity going forward, it actively requests removal of your existing personal information from data broker sites that have already collected and are selling it. This is the same category of service as DeleteMe, worth comparing directly against Incogni if data removal specifically, not browsing privacy, is your priority.
These three address different parts of your privacy footprint, not the same one
DuckDuckGo and Brave protect what happens as you browse going forward; Incogni cleans up data that's already been collected and sold in the past. Running one privacy-search-and-VPN tool alongside a data-removal service like Incogni covers meaningfully more ground than either alone, since they're not solving the same problem.
Search-privacy tools don't replace a full VPN for every use case
Both DuckDuckGo Privacy Pro and Brave Premium include VPN functionality, but it's worth checking server count, speed, and streaming-unblocking capability against a dedicated VPN provider like NordVPN if VPN performance specifically (not just privacy-adjacent bundling) is a priority — bundled VPNs sometimes trade some performance for the convenience of being packaged with another tool.
Ad blocking effectiveness varies by browser and by site
Brave's built-in ad blocking is generally more aggressive by default than adding an extension to a mainstream browser, though some sites specifically detect and work around ad blockers regardless of which tool you use — worth expecting occasional friction on ad-blocker-hostile sites regardless of which privacy browser you choose.
None of these fully anonymize you from every possible tracker
It's worth setting realistic expectations — these tools meaningfully reduce common tracking and ad profiling, but no combination of browser and search tools provides absolute anonymity against a sufficiently motivated and resourced tracker. Treat them as significant privacy improvements over default mainstream browsing, not as a guarantee of complete invisibility online.
Quick FAQ
What is the main difference between DuckDuckGo Privacy Pro and Brave Premium? DuckDuckGo Privacy Pro extends a private search experience with bundled privacy tools, while Brave Premium combines a full privacy-focused browser with ad blocking, VPN, and private search.
What does Incogni do that a private browser does not? Incogni focuses on requesting removal of personal information that data brokers have already collected rather than primarily protecting future browsing activity.
Do these services guarantee complete online anonymity? No. They reduce common tracking and profiling but cannot guarantee total anonymity against every tracking method.
The bottom line
Already comfortable with DuckDuckGo search: Privacy Pro is a natural upgrade. Want a full browser replacement with built-in blocking: Brave Premium. Want your existing exposed data actively removed: Incogni. All three, plus VPNs and password managers, are in Anonymous-Privacy-focused Services.