Helium vs Chrome

We make Yab, the third column.facts checked Oct 9 ↓

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.

Chrome is Google’s browser on every desktop and phone, with Gemini built in. Its auto browse agent works in your own signed-in Chrome on a paid Google AI plan, in the US and India.

Helium is Chromium with Google’s AI and telemetry taken out and ads blocked from the first launch; Chrome extensions still work. It is in beta and has no password manager or sync yet.

The short answer

Pick Helium

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

Pick Chrome

if you live in Google’s apps and want Gemini across Gmail, Calendar and your tabs
if you pay for Google AI Pro and want an agent in your own signed-in browser
if you need the same browser on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android

Or Yabours

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

Helium and Chrome, with Yab beside them for a Mac.

Helium vs Chrome
What	Helium	Google Chrome	Yab
Made by	imput	Google	Serafim Korablev
Status	Updated	Updated	Updated
Runs on	Mac, Windows and Linux	Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android	Mac
Phone app	None; desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought	iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history	Not yet
Price	Free and open source	Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra	Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
AI	No AI	An agent that works in pages, on its own AI service	An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan
Driven by outside agents	No	MCP and a command line	MCP and a command line
Engine	Chromium	Chromium	WebKit
Tabs down the side	A setting	A setting	Yes
Spaces	No	No	Yes
Split View	Yes	Yes	Yes
Extensions	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store	Chrome Web Store
Ad blocker	Built in	No	Built in
Open source	Yes	No	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.

AIChrome leads

Only Chrome has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks in your pages. Helium has no AI: Chromium’s Gemini features are taken out. Gemini chats about your tabs and sums up pages and videos; auto browse clicks, types and fills forms in your own Chrome, on Google AI Pro or Ultra, in the US and India.

Agents like Claude Code and CodexChrome leads

Helium has no MCP server or command line for outside agents. Chrome can be driven over MCP and a command line, through Google’s Chrome DevTools MCP, which starts its own profile unless you let it attach to your Chrome.

Tabs and windowseven

Both have tabs down the side as a setting, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.

PriceChrome leads

Helium: Free and open source. Chrome: Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra.

Where it runsChrome leads

Helium runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Chrome runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Helium needs macOS 13 or later and Chrome needs macOS 13 or later. Helium has no phone app: desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought. On the phone, Chrome: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.

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

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. Chrome has no ad blocker of its own. Tabs you share with Gemini go to Google; with Keep Activity on, chats are kept 18 months by default and may be reviewed and used to train models.

What their pages don’t lead with

Real limits, from the makers’ own words and our own use.

Helium

Still in beta
No password manager or sync yet
No Widevine, so some streaming services won’t play
No phone app yet

Google Chrome

Auto browse needs Google AI Pro ($19.99 a month) or Ultra, in the US and India only
Gemini needs a signed-in Google account
With Keep Activity on, people may review your Gemini chats and Google may train on them
No ad blocker of its own

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

April 7, 2026Chrome: Vertical tabs began rolling out as an option
March 13, 2026Helium: Vertical tabs left experimental status (0.10.3)
February 19, 2026Chrome: Split view for two tabs in one window
February 15, 2026Helium: Vertical tabs layout added (0.9.1)
January 28, 2026Chrome: Auto browse agent launched in preview for Google AI Pro and Ultra in the US

Questions

Is Helium free?

Yes. Free and open source.

Is Google Chrome free?

Yes, with limits on its AI. Free, with Gemini; its auto browse agent needs Google AI Pro $19.99/month or Ultra.

Which has an AI agent, Helium or Chrome?

Chrome. Helium has no AI: Chromium’s Gemini features are taken out. Gemini chats about your tabs and sums up pages and videos; auto browse clicks, types and fills forms in your own Chrome, on Google AI Pro or Ultra, in the US and India.

Do Helium and Chrome run on Windows?

Yes, both. Helium runs on Mac, Windows and Linux; Chrome on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android.

Do Helium and Chrome have phone apps?

Chrome does. Helium has no phone app: desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought. On the phone, Chrome: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.

Can I move from Chrome to Helium?

Yes: Helium’s own help says it brings in from Chrome.

Is there a third option on a Mac?

Yab, Yet Another Browser, is free for the Mac: tabs down the side as in Arc, with spaces, folders and Split View; an agent in your signed-in tabs like Chrome’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

Helium vs Safari Helium vs Edge Helium vs Firefox Helium vs Brave Helium vs Opera Helium vs Arc Helium vs Dia Helium alternatives Yab vs Helium Safari vs Chrome Edge vs Chrome Firefox vs Chrome Brave vs Chrome Opera vs Chrome Arc vs Chrome Dia vs Chrome Chrome alternatives Yab vs Chrome

Sources, read October 9, 2026. Something out of date? Write to hello@serafimlabs.io and we fix it.

Yab, Yet Another Browser.

Free for the Mac. Arc’s sidebar, your own Claude or ChatGPT as the agent, Chrome extensions on WebKit.

it’s freeMove from Helium Download