Helium Browser

What makes me a bit uneasy about the project is that the website doesn't explain who is building it. For most open-source, I think that would be fine. But browsers auto-update, so their vendors essentially have the continued ability to run code on your machine. You want some confidence that they won't get owned and won't sell the access to bad actors down the line, so there is an element of personal trust.

All the website gives me is the name of a Wyoming LLC, Wyoming being one of the states you incorporate in if you don't want others to be able to find out who runs the company.

Granted, you can find out a bit more on Github, but in general, if you're building privacy- and security-critical tech... I think you ought to own it.

It's based on ungoogled-chromium and about 3 people are working on it.

https://github.com/imputnet/helium

Why did anyone think it was a good idea to put tabs in the title bar. How the hell am I supposed to easily drag a window if I have 100 tabs open? Who the hell thought this was a good idea? Why do I feel like the only sane human being left on Earth? Why is this project continuing to use this horrible UI convention?

How are they going to make money or enshittify this in the future or sell it off to an evil billion dollar corporation who will sell my data off to god knows who?

</rant> :/ ...the site design is nice at least.

Does it have manifest V2 like CNAM filtering? And if it's chromium based how is it going to support back port of features that are making it to chromium without investment in a robust dev team?

How will they make money? Or is this always meant to be OSS community supported?

The challenge is that people have to get paid and infrastructure to build things costs money. Looks like there are only two people full-time at the company right now, though even then eventually they’ll need some revenue stream.

I love this project, but to have confidence that it stays that way it would be nice to see how they’ll replace they’ll stay afloat.

My biggest problem with Thorium was lack of updates, so I hope Helium is able to remain consistent with updates. Congrats on the launch, cobalt crew!

Can someone explain to me how this differentiates itself from (ungoogled) Chromium with a few tweaks?

How does it compare to Firefox privacy wise being based on chromium?

And the biggest problem with extensions is their security model of permissions. How is this solving for that?

What's the catch? Looks too good to be true.

How are they going to make money or enshittify this in the future or sell it off to an evil billion dollar corporation who will sell my data off to god knows who?

</rant> :/ ...the site design is nice at least.

How will they make money? Or is this always meant to be OSS community supported?

I love this project, but to have confidence that it stays that way it would be nice to see how they’ll replace they’ll stay afloat.

My biggest problem with Thorium was lack of updates, so I hope Helium is able to remain consistent with updates. Congrats on the launch, cobalt crew!

And the biggest problem with extensions is their security model of permissions. How is this solving for that?

All the website gives me is the name of a Wyoming LLC, Wyoming being one of the states you incorporate in if you don't want others to be able to find out who runs the company.

Granted, you can find out a bit more on Github, but in general, if you're building privacy- and security-critical tech... I think you ought to own it.

It really isn't hard to find. I went to the browser's github page and then the repo author.

https://github.com/imputnet

I now found who exactly manages this (and it turns out colbalt, too! awesome downloader)

https://github.com/wukko https://github.com/dumbmoron

It's based on ungoogled-chromium and about 3 people are working on it.

https://github.com/imputnet/helium

And it's written in Python.

Does it have manifest V2 like CNAM filtering? And if it's chromium based how is it going to support back port of features that are making it to chromium without investment in a robust dev team?

It's based on ungoogled-chromium which applies https://github.com/ungoogled-software/ungoogled-chromium/blo... to retain manifest v2 features. They're likely dependent on ungoogled-chromium for maintaining this feature.

They say they'll support MV2 "as long as possible".

Can someone explain to me how this differentiates itself from (ungoogled) Chromium with a few tweaks?

How does it compare to Firefox privacy wise being based on chromium?

Same. I generally avoid Chrome-based browsers on all devices.

What's the catch? Looks too good to be true.

It looks like a pretty normal chromium variant to me? It's nice to see the work of ungoogled-chromium given a nicer skin.

It really isn't hard to find. I went to the browser's github page and then the repo author.

https://github.com/imputnet

I now found who exactly manages this (and it turns out colbalt, too! awesome downloader)

https://github.com/wukko https://github.com/dumbmoron

They say they'll support MV2 "as long as possible".

Same. I generally avoid Chrome-based browsers on all devices.

It looks like a pretty normal chromium variant to me? It's nice to see the work of ungoogled-chromium given a nicer skin.

And it's written in Python.

From a few months of use I think qutebrowser is good enough to prove that a python web browser is not inherently a bad idea.

Internet without interruptions

Best privacy and unbiased ad-blocking by default. Handy features like native !bangs and split view. No adware, no bloat, no noise. People-first and fully open source.

Currently available in

BETA

Screenshot of the Helium browser. The current tab is search for query 'Are lizards and dinosaurs related?'

Best privacy by default, not as a hidden option

Helium blocks ads, trackers, fingerprinting, third-party cookies, cryptominers, and phishing websites by default thanks to preinstalled uBlock Origin. No extra steps are needed, and there are no biased exceptions — unlike other browsers.

The browser itself doesn't have any ads, trackers, or analytics. Helium also doesn't make any web requests without your explicit consent, it makes zero web requests on first launch.

Not enough? Increase privacy even further with ungoogled-chromium flags or uBlock Origin filters. You're finally at the steering wheel of your privacy on the Internet — not in a toy car, but in a real race car.

We will always stand by our promise of the best privacy and will never prioritize profit over people, unlike big corporations.

Respectful by design

Helium doesn't annoy you with anything and never will. It doesn't do anything without your consent: no unprovoked tabs about updates or sponsors, no persistent popups telling you about features you don't care about, no weird restarts.

Nothing interrupts you, jumps in your face, or breaks your flow. Everything just makes sense. You're in full control.

Fast, efficient, and light

Helium is based on Chromium, the fastest and most optimized browser yet. Helium builds on this base to improve performance and save even more energy. You will notice a difference after using Helium for a day. It doesn't slow down over time.

All bloat is removed: Helium is one of the lightest modern browsers available.

Screenshot of the Helium browser with split view enabled. Left tab shows a photo of a Gecko, and right one shows a photo of a Monitor Lizard. There are tab groups and more tabs seen on top.

Powerful when you need it

Open pages side-by-side with split view to get even more things done at once. Quickly copy page links with ⌘+Shift+C and share your discoveries with ease. Install any web apps and use them as standalone desktop apps without duplicating Chromium.

Designed to get out of your way

Helium's interface is compact and minimalistic, but it doesn't compromise on beauty or functionality. More web content fits on the screen at once, and the browser interface doesn't get in your way. You can hide everything extra from the toolbar if it annoys you.

Helium is built with attention to detail. Nothing jiggles or flickers abnormally. Your actions aren't throttled or stopped by lag. Everything's fast, smooth, and simple. Comfort and simplicity are among our top priorities.

Works with all Chromium extensions, privately

All Chromium extensions are supported and work right away, by default, including all MV2 extensions. We'll keep support for MV2 extensions for as long as possible.

Helium anonymizes all internal requests to the Chrome Web Store via Helium services. Thanks to this, Google can't track your extension downloads or target ads using this data. No other browser does this.

Free and fully open-source

All parts of the Helium browser are open source, including online services. You can self-host Helium services and use your own instance in your browser.

Everything is available on

GitHub

. No exceptions.

Always safe and sound

We release new Chromium updates (such as security patches) as soon as possible. Your browser will always be safe and up to date.

Helium updates itself automatically on macOS, with auto-updating options available on Linux and Windows.

All builds are available on

GitHub

, and you can even make one yourself. The choice is yours!

Best security practices for everyone, by default

Helium enforces HTTPS on all websites and warns you when a website doesn't support it. Passkeys just work.

There's no built-in password manager. Passwords should be separate from a web browser to be truly secure and immutable.

There's also no cloud-based history/data sync. You should be the only one with access to your browsing data, not some conglomerate.

Browse the Internet faster with !bangs

Skip the search engine and go directly to the website you want. Choose from over 13,000 bangs that make the Internet a breeze to browse, such as !w for Wikipedia, !gh for GitHub, and !wa for Wolfram Alpha.

Want to chat with AI? Just add !chatgpt or any other AI provider name at the start of your query. Helium will start a new chat for you without sending your prompt anywhere else.

Helium bangs are the fastest and most private implementation of bangs yet. They work offline, directly in your browser.

Not sure which bang to use? Check out the full list of bangs!

The web browser made for people, with love

We're making a web browser that we enjoy using ourselves. Helium's main goal is to provide an honest, comfortable, privacy-respecting, and non-invasive browsing experience.

Perfect for developers

Helium is based on Chromium and doesn't break any web APIs or standards, despite the focus on privacy. DevTools have been cleaned up and no longer nag you with anything. There's nothing that gets in your way of creating the Internet of the future.

Perfect for everyone on the go

Helium's efficiency makes it handy for everyone with their laptop on the go. Split view and quick link copying make it easier than ever to get things done faster. Helium loads pages faster and saves data by blocking ads and other crap.

Ready to try Helium?

It's never too late to get your internet life back on the right track. Helium can transfer your most important stuff from other browsers in one click. We hope you'll love it!