YabHelium vs SigmaOS
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.
SigmaOS is a Mac browser on WebKit that treats tabs like a to-do list, in workspaces down the side, with an AI assistant called Airis.
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 workspaces and tabs you mark done, on a Mac
- if you browse by keyboard, with single-key shortcuts
- if you prefer WebKit to Chromium and want spaces
- 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
At a glance
Helium and SigmaOS, with Yab beside them for a Mac.
| What | Helium | SigmaOS | Yab |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | imput | SigmaOS Inc. (London) | Serafim Korablev |
| Status | Updated | No release notes since February 2025 | Updated |
| Runs on | Mac, Windows and Linux | Mac | Mac |
| Phone app | None; desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought | None; Mac only. iOS has been on its roadmap since 2021 | Not yet |
| Price | Free and open source | Free; Personal Pro $20/month or Personal Max $30/month for more AI | Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan |
| AI | No AI | Chat about pages, on its own AI service | An agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan |
| Driven by outside agents | No | No | MCP and a command line |
| Engine | Chromium | WebKit | WebKit |
| Tabs down the side | A setting | Yes | Yes |
| Spaces | No | Yes | Yes |
| Split View | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extensions | Chrome Web Store | Chrome Web Store | Chrome Web Store |
| Ad blocker | Built in | Built in | 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.
AISigmaOS leads
SigmaOS has AI built in; Helium has less of it. Helium has no AI: Chromium’s Gemini features are taken out. Airis chats about the page you are on, sums it up, looks things up and translates; no agent.
Tabs and windowsSigmaOS leads
Helium has tabs down the side as a setting, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep. SigmaOS has tabs down the side, spaces and Split View.
PriceSigmaOS leads
Helium: Free and open source. SigmaOS: Free; Personal Pro $20/month or Personal Max $30/month for more AI.
Where it runsHelium leads
Helium runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. SigmaOS runs on Mac. On a Mac, Helium needs macOS 13 or later and SigmaOS needs macOS 12 or later. Helium has no phone app: desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought. SigmaOS has no phone app: Mac only. iOS has been on its roadmap since 2021.
Engine and extensionsa matter of taste
Helium is built on Chromium, as Chrome is; SigmaOS on WebKit, the engine Safari uses. 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. SigmaOS has an ad blocker built in. SigmaOS keeps history and cookies on your Mac unless you turn on sync, stored encrypted on AWS; its privacy policy doesn’t say where Airis requests go.
UpdatesHelium leads
Helium is updated as usual. SigmaOS: Still downloadable, with no public release notes since version 1.19 in February 2025.
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
SigmaOS
- Mac only
- No public release notes since version 1.19 in February 2025
- Chrome extensions only partly work, behind its WebKit+ option
- Its AI is an assistant, and regular use needs the $20 or $30 plans
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
- March 13, 2026Helium: Vertical tabs left experimental status (0.10.3)
- February 15, 2026Helium: Vertical tabs layout added (0.9.1)
- February 4, 2025SigmaOS: Version 1.19.0, a performance update, the last release with public notes
Questions
Is Helium free?
Yes. Free and open source.
Is SigmaOS free?
Yes, with limits on its AI. Free; Personal Pro $20/month or Personal Max $30/month for more AI.
Which has an AI agent, Helium or SigmaOS?
Neither has an agent that does tasks in your pages. Helium has no AI: Chromium’s Gemini features are taken out. Airis chats about the page you are on, sums it up, looks things up and translates; no agent.
Which runs on Windows, Helium or SigmaOS?
Helium does. SigmaOS runs on Mac.
Do Helium and SigmaOS have phone apps?
Helium has no phone app: desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought. SigmaOS has no phone app: Mac only. iOS has been on its roadmap since 2021.
Is SigmaOS still being updated?
Still downloadable, with no public release notes since version 1.19 in February 2025.
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 SigmaOS; 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
- SigmaOS home page
- SigmaOS upgrade (plans)
- SigmaOS download (macOS only)
- SigmaOS update feed (appcast)
- SigmaOS 1.19.0 update notes
- SigmaOS 1.17.0 update notes (password manager)
- SigmaOS common questions
- SigmaOS docs: ad blockers and WebKit+
- SigmaOS docs: migrating from Arc
- SigmaOS privacy policy
- TechCrunch: SigmaOS turns to AI features for monetization (2024-03-26)
- Launch HN (Aug 16, 2021): founder says iOS and iPadOS are on the roadmap
- 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.