YabHelium vs Edge
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.
Edge is Microsoft’s Chromium browser on every desktop and phone, with Copilot built in. Since Copilot Mode was retired in May 2026, its agent, Browse with Copilot, comes with Microsoft 365 Premium in the US.
The short answer
- 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 use Microsoft 365 and want Copilot in the browser
- if you want tabs down the side, workspaces, split screen and sleeping tabs built in
- if you work on Windows with Edge set up by your company
- 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
Helium and Edge, with Yab beside them for a Mac.
| What | Helium | Microsoft Edge | Yab |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | imput | Microsoft | 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, favorites, passwords and history | Not yet |
| Price | Free and open source | Free, with Copilot; Browse with Copilot needs Microsoft 365 Premium $19.99/month (US) | 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 | Yes | 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.
AIEdge leads
Only Edge has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks in your pages. Helium has no AI: Chromium’s Gemini features are taken out. Copilot reads the page, your tabs and history and sums up videos and PDFs; Browse with Copilot scrolls and types in pages for you, signed in, on Microsoft 365 Premium in the US.
Agents like Claude Code and CodexEdge leads
Helium has no MCP server or command line for outside agents. Edge can be driven over MCP and a command line, through Microsoft’s Playwright MCP, which can launch Edge or attach to your running Edge.
Tabs and windowsEdge leads
Helium has tabs down the side as a setting, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep. Edge has tabs down the side as a setting, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.
PriceEdge leads
Helium: Free and open source. Edge: Free, with Copilot; Browse with Copilot needs Microsoft 365 Premium $19.99/month (US).
Where it runsEdge leads
Helium runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Edge runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Helium needs macOS 13 or later and Edge 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, Edge: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, favorites, 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. Edge has a VPN. Copilot may use your question, the page, your open tabs and history; Browse with Copilot keeps screenshots up to 30 days, not for training, Microsoft says.
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
Microsoft Edge
- Browse with Copilot needs Microsoft 365 Premium ($19.99 a month) and is US only
- Copilot reads pages, tabs and history unless you turn it off
- Workspaces lost sharing in 2026, and Collections were removed
- 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
- June 4, 2026Edge: Collections removed in Edge 149
- May 13, 2026Edge: Copilot Mode retired; its features moved into Edge, and Copilot Actions became Browse with Copilot for Microsoft 365 Premium (US)
- March 13, 2026Helium: Vertical tabs left experimental status (0.10.3)
- February 15, 2026Helium: Vertical tabs layout added (0.9.1)
Questions
Is Helium free?
Yes. Free and open source.
Is Microsoft Edge free?
Yes, with limits on its AI. Free, with Copilot; Browse with Copilot needs Microsoft 365 Premium $19.99/month (US).
Which has an AI agent, Helium or Edge?
Edge. Helium has no AI: Chromium’s Gemini features are taken out. Copilot reads the page, your tabs and history and sums up videos and PDFs; Browse with Copilot scrolls and types in pages for you, signed in, on Microsoft 365 Premium in the US.
Do Helium and Edge run on Windows?
Yes, both. Helium runs on Mac, Windows and Linux; Edge on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android.
Do Helium and Edge have phone apps?
Edge does. Helium has no phone app: desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought. On the phone, Edge: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, favorites, passwords and history.
Can I move from Edge to Helium?
Yes: Helium’s own help says it brings in from Edge.
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 Edge; an agent in your signed-in tabs like Edge’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 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
- Edge blog: new updates, Copilot Mode retired (2026-05-13)
- Microsoft Support: Browse with Copilot
- Edge policy: AllowBrowsingWithCopilot (macOS 148+)
- Microsoft Support: getting started with Copilot in Edge
- Copilot in Edge page (free limits, upgrade)
- Microsoft 365 plans compared (US prices)
- Edge supported operating systems
- Edge vertical tabs (Windows and macOS)
- Edge policy: SplitScreenEnabled (macOS 117+)
- Edge policy: SleepingTabsEnabled
- Microsoft Support: getting started with Edge Workspaces
- Microsoft Support: Collections retirement
- Edge Secure Network VPN
- Edge for Mac page (Secure Network, password management, sleeping tabs)
- Microsoft Support: Chrome extensions in Edge
- Microsoft Support: what’s imported to Edge (Chrome)
- Microsoft Support: import from Safari on macOS
- Microsoft Learn: Chrome DevTools MCP with Edge
- Playwright MCP (Microsoft, --browser msedge, --extension)
- Playwright CLI (Microsoft)
- Microsoft Support: Sign in to sync Microsoft Edge across devices
- Microsoft Learn: Configure Microsoft Edge enterprise sync
- Microsoft Edge on the App Store (iPhone and iPad)
- Microsoft Edge on Google Play
- 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.