YabBrowserOS vs Helium
BrowserOS is an open-source Chromium agent browser for Mac, Windows and Linux. Its agent runs on the AI you connect: an API key, a ChatGPT or Copilot plan, Claude Code or Codex, or a local model.
Helium is a free, open-source Chromium browser by imput, still in beta, with ads blocked by default and Google’s AI and telemetry taken out, on Mac, Windows and Linux.
The short answer
- if you want an open-source agent browser on your own AI keys or local models
- if you want Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to drive a signed-in browser over MCP
- if you use Linux
- if you want Chrome’s extensions without Google’s AI or telemetry
- if you want ads blocked from the first launch
- if you use Linux too
- if you miss Arc and want spaces, pins and folders kept, on a Mac
- if you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT and want it to work in your signed-in tabs
- if you want Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to drive a real browser over MCP
At a glance
BrowserOS and Helium, with Yab beside them for a Mac.
| What | BrowserOS | Helium | Yab |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | Felafax, Inc. | imput | Serafim Korablev |
| Status | Updated | Updated | Updated |
| Runs on | Mac, Windows and Linux | Mac, Windows and Linux | Mac |
| Phone app | None; desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026 | None; desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought | Not yet |
| Price | Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider | Free and open source | Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan |
| AI | An agent that works in pages, on its own AI or yours | No AI | An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan |
| Driven by outside agents | MCP and a command line | No | MCP and a command line |
| Engine | Chromium | Chromium | WebKit |
| Tabs down the side | Yes | A setting | Yes |
| Spaces | No | No | Yes |
| Split View | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extensions | Chrome Web Store | Chrome Web Store | Chrome Web Store |
| Ad blocker | No | Built in | Built in |
| Open source | Yes | Yes | No |
Checked October 9, 2026 on each maker’s own pages, linked under Sources. Prices are per month, in US dollars.
Where they differ
What separates them, area by area. Where one plainly has more, it says who; where it comes down to taste, it says so.
AIBrowserOS leads
Only BrowserOS has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks in your pages. BrowserOS’s agent, in the new tab and side panel, clicks, types, fills forms and pulls out data, on the AI you connect. Helium has no AI: Chromium’s Gemini features are taken out.
Agents like Claude Code and CodexBrowserOS leads
BrowserOS can be driven over MCP and a command line, through a built-in MCP server with one-click setup for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor, and a command line. Helium has no MCP server or command line for outside agents.
Tabs and windowsBrowserOS leads
BrowserOS has tabs down the side, Split View and folders in the sidebar. Helium has tabs down the side as a setting, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.
PriceBrowserOS leads
BrowserOS: Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider. Helium: Free and open source.
Where it runseven
Both run on Mac, Windows and Linux. On a Mac, Helium needs macOS 13 or later. BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. Helium has no phone app: desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought.
Engine and extensionsa matter of taste
Both are built on Chromium, as Chrome is, so sites work as they do in Chrome. Both take extensions from the Chrome Web Store.
PrivacyHelium leads
BrowserOS has open code. BrowserOS sends prompts and pages only to the AI you connect, or keeps them local with Ollama or LM Studio; it sends anonymous usage analytics. Helium has an ad blocker built in and open code. Helium makes no requests on first launch and has no analytics; updates, filter lists and extensions go through its services only once you approve.
What their pages don’t lead with
Real limits, from the makers’ own words and our own use.
BrowserOS
- No built-in model since version 0.51: connect a provider before the agent works
- Its own docs say local models are too weak for agent tasks
- Before 1.0 and changing fast: Skills and Memory were pulled in June 2026
- No phone apps
Helium
- Still in beta
- No password manager or sync yet
- No Widevine, so some streaming services won’t play
- No phone app yet
Yab, honestly
- Mac only: macOS 15.4 or later, no Windows, iPhone or Android
- New: first released in September 2026
- Its AI needs a Claude or ChatGPT plan; ChatGPT’s free plan may work with low limits
- WebKit, as in Safari: a site tested only in Chrome can misbehave
- Closed source
What changed lately
- October 5, 2026BrowserOS: Built-in model and account sign-in removed; Chromium 155 (0.51.0)
- June 17, 2026BrowserOS: Claude Code and Codex built into the agent; Skills and Memory removed (0.46.0)
- March 13, 2026Helium: Vertical tabs left experimental status (0.10.3)
- March 9, 2026BrowserOS: Vertical tabs became the default (0.42.0)
- February 15, 2026Helium: Vertical tabs layout added (0.9.1)
Questions
Is BrowserOS free?
Yes. Free and open source; you pay your own AI provider.
Is Helium free?
Yes. Free and open source.
Which has an AI agent, BrowserOS or Helium?
BrowserOS. BrowserOS’s agent, in the new tab and side panel, clicks, types, fills forms and pulls out data, on the AI you connect. Helium has no AI: Chromium’s Gemini features are taken out.
Do BrowserOS and Helium run on Windows?
Yes, both. BrowserOS runs on Mac, Windows and Linux; Helium on Mac, Windows and Linux.
Do BrowserOS and Helium have phone apps?
BrowserOS has no phone app: desktop only, and no Android plans as of May 2026. Helium has no phone app: desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought.
Is there a third option on a Mac?
Yab, Yet Another Browser, is free for the Mac: tabs down the side with spaces, folders and Split View, as in BrowserOS; an agent in your signed-in tabs like BrowserOS’s, on the Claude or ChatGPT plan you already pay for. Claude Code, Codex and any MCP client can drive it too. It runs on WebKit, the engine Safari uses, and takes Chrome extensions. It is Mac only, and new.
More comparisons
- BrowserOS GitHub repo (README)
- BrowserOS README (browser for humans)
- BrowserOS v0.51.0 release notes
- BrowserOS changelog
- BrowserOS docs: vertical tabs
- BrowserOS docs: ad blocking
- BrowserOS docs: getting started
- BrowserOS docs: MCP clients
- BrowserOS site FAQ
- BrowserOS privacy policy (updated 2026-03-13)
- BrowserOS site: macOS, Windows, Linux
- GitHub issue #1030 (May 25, 2026): maintainer says no plans to add Android support
- BrowserOS docs, Sync to Cloud: chats, model settings, schedules and profile sync between desktops
- Helium home page and FAQ
- Helium main repo (beta, GPL-3.0, ungoogled-chromium base, uBlock fork)
- Helium for macOS releases (arm64 and x86_64)
- Helium macOS update feed (minimum 13.0)
- Helium for Windows releases
- Helium for Linux releases
- Helium 0.9.1 release (vertical tabs)
- Helium 0.10.3 release (vertical tabs no longer experimental)
- Helium patch: Memory Saver on by default
- Helium patch: AI features disabled
- Helium patch: browser importers
- Helium patch: Zen importer
- Helium blog: transparency
- PiunikaWeb (Aug 18, 2026): developer teases an iOS build, says Helium targets all platforms
- Developer’s teaser on X (Aug 17, 2026)
- PiunikaWeb (Sep 11, 2026): developer says he dislikes the iOS build and may rethink mobile
- Developer’s follow-up on X
- Yab Manual: Bringing in from another browser
- Yab Manual: Connecting Claude or ChatGPT
- Yab Manual: Extensions
- Yab Manual: Yab’s tools over MCP
- Yab Manual: Privacy
Yab, Yet Another Browser.
Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.