YabHelium vs Firefox
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.
Firefox is Mozilla’s open-source browser on its own engine, Gecko, on every desktop and phone. Its AI is optional: a Smart Window beta and a sidebar chatbot, all behind one switch.
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 want an open-source browser that isn’t Chromium
- if you want AI off by default, or gone with one switch
- if you want a free browser VPN, where it is offered
- 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 Firefox, with Yab beside them for a Mac.
| What | Helium | Firefox | Yab |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | imput | Mozilla | 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; its built-in VPN is free up to 50 GB a month | Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan |
| AI | No AI | Chat about pages, on its own AI or yours | An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan |
| Driven by outside agents | No | MCP | MCP and a command line |
| Engine | Chromium | Gecko | WebKit |
| Tabs down the side | A setting | A setting | Yes |
| Spaces | No | No | Yes |
| Split View | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extensions | Chrome Web Store | Firefox add-ons | Chrome Web Store |
| Ad blocker | Built in | No | 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.
AIFirefox leads
Firefox has AI built in; Helium has less of it. Helium has no AI: Chromium’s Gemini features are taken out. Firefox’s Smart Window beta chats with tabs you share and groups them, and a sidebar chatbot can use Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Le Chat or Copilot; it can’t click or fill forms, and one switch turns all AI off.
Agents like Claude Code and CodexFirefox leads
Helium has no MCP server or command line for outside agents. Firefox can be driven over MCP, through Mozilla’s Firefox DevTools MCP, which starts its own Firefox.
Tabs and windowseven
Both have tabs down the side as a setting, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.
PriceFirefox leads
Helium: Free and open source. Firefox: Free; its built-in VPN is free up to 50 GB a month.
Where it runsFirefox leads
Helium runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Firefox runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. On a Mac, Helium needs macOS 13 or later and Firefox needs macOS 10.15 or later. Helium has no phone app: desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought. On the phone, Firefox: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.
Engine and extensionsa matter of taste
Helium is built on Chromium, as Chrome is; Firefox on Gecko, Firefox’s engine. Helium takes extensions from the Chrome Web Store, Firefox from Firefox’s add-ons.
Privacyeven
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. Firefox has a VPN and open code. Smart Window sends prompts and what you share through Mozilla’s servers to partner models; Mozilla says it keeps no chat logs without permission and doesn’t train on them.
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
Firefox
- Its Smart Window AI is a beta in the US, Canada and France and needs a Mozilla account
- Its AI can’t click, fill forms or buy for you
- The free VPN covers the browser only, up to 50 GB a month, in a few countries
- Firefox add-ons only, not the Chrome Web Store
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
- September 16, 2026Firefox: Smart Window beta expanded from the US and Canada to France
- March 24, 2026Firefox: Firefox 149 added split view and a free built-in VPN
- March 13, 2026Helium: Vertical tabs left experimental status (0.10.3)
- February 24, 2026Firefox: Firefox 148 added AI Controls with a switch that blocks all AI features
- February 15, 2026Helium: Vertical tabs layout added (0.9.1)
Questions
Is Helium free?
Yes. Free and open source.
Is Firefox free?
Yes. Free; its built-in VPN is free up to 50 GB a month.
Which has an AI agent, Helium or Firefox?
Neither has an agent that does tasks in your pages. Helium has no AI: Chromium’s Gemini features are taken out. Firefox’s Smart Window beta chats with tabs you share and groups them, and a sidebar chatbot can use Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Le Chat or Copilot; it can’t click or fill forms, and one switch turns all AI off.
Do Helium and Firefox run on Windows?
Yes, both. Helium runs on Mac, Windows and Linux; Firefox on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android.
Do Helium and Firefox have phone apps?
Firefox does. Helium has no phone app: desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought. On the phone, Firefox: iPhone, iPad and Android; syncs tabs, bookmarks, passwords and history.
Can I move from Firefox to Helium?
Yes: Helium’s own help says it brings in from Firefox.
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 that works in your signed-in tabs, 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
- Mozilla blog: Smart Window
- Mozilla Support: get started with Smart Window
- Mozilla Support: model choices in Smart Window
- Smart Window privacy notice
- Firefox.com: Smart Window
- Mozilla blog: window types (2026-09-24)
- Mozilla blog: AI on your terms (AI controls)
- Firefox 148 release notes
- Firefox 149 release notes (split view, VPN)
- Mozilla blog: free built-in VPN
- Firefox 136 release notes (vertical tabs)
- Firefox 138 release notes (tab groups)
- Bugzilla 1730066: tab unloading enabled on macOS (Firefox 95)
- Firefox system requirements
- Firefox ESR 115 release notes (import sources)
- Firefox DevTools MCP (Mozilla)
- Firefox.com: Firefox browser sync
- Firefox on the App Store (iPhone and iPad)
- Firefox on Google Play
- Mozilla Support: Sync Firefox data
- 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.