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 0.12.1.1 changelog:
Helium Windows
- c88e66a update: helium 0.12.1.1 (#251)
- 1f898c3 patches: re-add --disable-{encryption,machine-id} (#250)
- 4ea42cd build: restore RC workarounds, remove dead arguments (#248)
- d12cb34 build: remove dead arguments and imports
- 282e77a patches: restore RC workarounds to fix building
- 6180551 update: helium 0.12.0.2 (#243)
- f547d88 update: helium 0.12.0.1 (#242)
- 54f3501 update: helium 0.12.0.1
- 378461a patches: remove noop patches
- 66466ad patches: remove patches for disabling profile data protections
- 0f104cf build.py: use -products * with vswhere to support VS Build Tools (#215)
Helium-Chromium
- 4f69833a revision: bump to 1 (#1600)
- 1f2844fd helium/ui: generate standard qr codes in toolbar action (#1599)
- 927c3f0f helium/ui/app-menu: remove vertical tabs & exit options (#1595)
- f5193786 ungoogled/disable-ai: remove prediction_model factory (#1593)
- bf15608b deps: update onboarding (#1588)
- 75b548a5 helium/core: add "close tabs to left" context menu action (#1570)
- 3e668c77 utils/downloads: remove deprecated args and SSL disabling (#1582)
- 8788c730 helium/ui/zen: reapply fix for division-by-zero (#1581)
- 3745a869 utils: add gperf to contingent paths (#1576)
- 9a9c3c92 merge: helium 0.12.0, chromium 148.0.7778.96 (#1546)
- a3939ad5 revision: reset to 0
- 373ca8ed helium/toolbar-layout: undo accidental whitespace removal
- 8eac4612 helium/irrelevant-flags: update for M148
- d1058826 helium/ui/layout: fix centered address bar popup flicker (#1560)
- b9c270aa helium/ui/vertical: fix ntb height, tab insets and collapsed state
- dd1a85ca helium/irrelevant-flags: clean up flags and add vts hover flag
- 86d91a9d helium/layout: rip out chromium expand on hover pref
- 1d57a4d9 helium/ui/context-menu: don"t add separator if not in vertical layout
- ec2279d7 helium/ui/vertical: migrate collapse state to chromium prefs
- 1ed00f0d patches: refresh for 148.0.7778.96
- 9619cf59 merge: update ungoogled-chromium to 148.0.7778.96
- a50bc6fd devutils/platform_patches: preserve generic series changes on unmerge (#1550)
- 24d8d010 i18n/hi: update owners file (#1558)
- 94267d33 Update to Chromium 148.0.7778.96
- e6eb81ca Fix Windows dictionary path in first-run-page.patch (#3761)
Download: Helium 64-bit | Portable 64-bit |~100.0 MB (Open Source)
Download: Helium ARM64 | Portable ARM64
Links: Helium Home Page | macOS | Linux | Screenshot
