Helium is a private, fast, and honest Chromium-based web browser — built for people, with love. It offers the best privacy by default, unbiased ad-blocking, and a clean experience free from bloat and noise. Proudly based on Ungoogled-Chromium, Helium removes Google’s clutter while keeping a fast, efficient development pipeline. With thoughtful touches like native !bangs and split view, Helium is a people-first, fully open-source browser that puts control back in your hands.
Privacy, security, and control come first. Ads, trackers, and third-party cookies are blocked automatically, HTTPS is enforced everywhere, and all Chromium extensions work seamlessly — while Google can’t track your activity. Helium’s 13,000+ offline-ready !bangs let you jump straight to sites or AI tools like ChatGPT instantly. Open-source, people-first, and unbiased, Helium delivers a browsing experience that’s fast, secure, and free from noise, ads, and compromises.
Helium Browser key features:
Performance
- Fast, efficient, and lightweight — built on Chromium’s optimized engine.
- Energy-saving and consistent — stays fast over time without slowing down.
- No bloat — stripped of unnecessary components for maximum speed.
- Minimalist interface — compact, clean, and distraction-free.
- Customizable toolbar — hide elements you don’t need.
- Smooth and stable — no flicker, lag, or animation glitches.
- Comfort-focused experience — intuitive and unobtrusive.
Privacy & Security
- Best privacy by default — blocks ads, trackers, phishing, and third-party cookies.
- Unbiased ad-blocking — powered by community filters and uBlock Origin.
- No telemetry or analytics — zero background web requests on first launch.
- Strict HTTPS enforcement — warns for insecure sites.
- Passkeys supported — modern authentication made simple.
- No built-in password manager or cloud sync — your data stays yours.
Extension Compatibility
- Full Chromium extension support — including MV2 extensions.
- Anonymized Chrome Web Store requests — Google can’t track extension installs.
- Extended MV2 support — maintained for as long as possible.
Smart Features
- Native !bangs — browse faster using 13,000+ offline-ready shortcuts.
- AI integration — use !chatgpt and others directly from the address bar.
- Offline functionality — bangs work without an Internet connection.
Philosophy
- People-first design — open source, transparent, and community-driven.
- No ads, no noise, no bias — privacy and honesty over profit.
Helium Browser 0.10.6.2 changelog:
Helium Windows
- 510829e update: helium 0.10.6.2 (#184)
- e9fe9d0 build.py: update to use new name_substitution API (#183)
- 813568b update: helium 0.10.6.1 (#182)
- f48db94 helium/branding: change uninstall Version to helium version (#181)
- 7ba2af3 patches, package: more chrom{e, ium} -> helium branding fixes (#180)
- aab06d8 build: replace mini_installer with nsis installer (#178)
Helium Chromium
- 84f7f68d utils/namesub: move add_grit_to_path inside do_substitution (#1120)
- b594c503 merge: update to chromium 146.0.7680.153 (#1114)
- 0db5e571 revision: bump to 6
- fbcd9193 patches: refresh for chromium 146.0.7680.153
- c94c8e00 merge: update ungoogled-chromium to 146.0.7680.153
- 119a30a7 helium/ui/toolbar-prefs: add media controls pref (#1063)
- 59a7c3f6 Update to Chromium 146.0.7680.153
- 03dbf0c3 helium/core/tab-hibernate: use EXTERNAL discard reason (#1111)
- 29622654 util/namesub: implement smarter name substitution via XML parsing (#913)
- 35865f6f utils/namesub: don"t translate link to Chromium
- bdd511cf util/namesub: deduplicate colliding translation ids after substitution
- c463d8cf util/namesub: retain comments, include xml declaration, don"t decode $
- 0f2b61fa util/namesub: unwrap file info from results for tarballing
- a8f3d7fb utils/namesub: set output encoding to unicode
- 4b6e671f util/namesub: rename ET import to xml
- 117687b2 util/namesub: implement .xtb id substitution
- 7ceed877 util/namesub: implement smarter name substitution via XML parsing
- f8db1905 util/namesub: fold is_sub*() logic into get_sub*_files()
- 35eccbba util/namesub: add grit to module loading path
- e40dd5ed util/namesub: introduce --dry-run
- 88539820 repo: add a contribution guide and reference it in readme (#1100)
- e9f72fe0 readme: refactor, update phrasing, and add new info (#1099)
- ca4022cd AGENTS: attempt to restrict ai slop spam (#1097)
Download: Helium 64-bit | Portable 64-bit |~100.0 MB (Open Source)
Download: Helium ARM64 | Portable ARM64
Links: Helium Home Page | macOS | Linux | Screenshot
