Brewser DocsFAQ
Ban risk, supported models, cost, and the piracy question
Is Brewser free?
Yes. Brewser is free to use, and publishing is free too. There's no paid tier.
Is this piracy? Is it legal?
No, and it's designed not to be. Brewser ships no Nintendo code, firmware, ROMs, games, or encryption keys, and it can't run them — it runs your own web apps (HTML/JS/CSS/WebGL/WASM). It's an independent homebrew project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo. You're responsible for how you use it and for complying with the terms of any service your apps connect to. See Legal & Attributions.
Do I need custom firmware? Does it work on a stock Switch?
You need custom firmware — Brewser runs as homebrew under Atmosphère. It does not work on a stock, un-modified Switch. If you're starting from zero, the NH Switch Guide is the place to begin. See Installing.
Which consoles are supported?
Any Nintendo Switch that can run Atmosphère — the original (Erista), the revised model (Mariko), the Switch Lite, and the OLED model. The runtime targets the Tegra X1 these all share.
Can I get banned for using this online?
Running any homebrew online on a custom-firmware console carries a real, non-zero risk to your Nintendo account and console — this is true of the whole CFW ecosystem, not something specific to Brewser. Brewser needs a network connection to load the catalogue, download apps, and use accounts, saves and leaderboards.
If you want to minimise that risk, the community-standard advice applies:
- Use an emuMMC / emuNAND setup rather than your sysNAND, so your "clean" system stays separate.
- Consider blocking Nintendo's servers (e.g. 90DNS) on the setup you use for homebrew.
- Understand that no approach is a guarantee. You accept the risk.
Prefer to avoid the question entirely? Most Brewser apps are fully self-contained and make no network calls at all — you can browse the catalogue over Wi-Fi, download what you want, and then run those apps offline. Only the catalogue, sign-in, and cloud features need connectivity.
Do I have to sign in?
No. Sign-in (with Google) is only needed for cloud saves and leaderboards, achievements, and publishing. Everything else — browsing and running apps — works signed out. See Privacy & Your Data for what's stored.
Where do I report bugs or get help?
See Getting Help. A minimal repro plus "here's what Chrome does" is the most useful kind of report.