Helium vs Zen

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.

Zen is a free, open-source browser built on Firefox that brings Arc’s layout, tabs down the side with spaces, folders and Split View, to Mac, Windows and Linux.

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 Zen

if you want Arc’s layout, free and open source
if you prefer Firefox’s engine and its add-ons
if you want no AI in your browser at all

Or Yabours

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 Zen, with Yab beside them for a Mac.

Helium vs Zen
What	Helium	Zen Browser	Yab
Made by	imput	Zen Browser team (open-source community project)	Serafim Korablev
Status	Updated	Updated	Updated
Runs on	Mac, Windows and Linux	Mac, Windows and Linux	Mac
Phone app	None; desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought	None; Zen says it has no plans for a mobile version	Not yet
Price	Free and open source	Free and open source	Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan
AI	No AI	No AI	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	Gecko	WebKit
Tabs down the side	A setting	Yes	Yes
Spaces	No	Yes	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.

AIeven

Neither has AI built in. Helium has no AI: Chromium’s Gemini features are taken out. Zen has no AI: Firefox’s AI features are switched off by default.

Tabs and windowsZen leads

Helium has tabs down the side as a setting, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep. Zen has tabs down the side, spaces, Split View, folders in the sidebar and tabs that sleep.

Priceeven

The same for both: free and open source.

Where it runseven

Both run on Mac, Windows and Linux. On a Mac, Helium needs macOS 13 or later and Zen needs macOS 10.15 or later. Helium has no phone app: desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought. Zen has no phone app: Zen says it has no plans for a mobile version.

Engine and extensionsa matter of taste

Helium is built on Chromium, as Chrome is; Zen on Gecko, Firefox’s engine. Helium takes extensions from the Chrome Web Store, Zen from Firefox’s add-ons.

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. Zen has open code. Zen sends no telemetry or crash reports, by its privacy policy; optional sync keeps encrypted data on Mozilla’s servers.

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

Zen Browser

Releases are still labeled beta
No phone app, and none planned
Firefox add-ons only, not the Chrome Web Store
No ad blocker of its own beyond Firefox’s tracking protection

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 5, 2026Zen: Spaces, folders and tabs sync between devices with a Mozilla account (1.22b)
March 13, 2026Helium: Vertical tabs left experimental status (0.10.3)
February 28, 2026Zen: Live folders for GitHub issues, pull requests and RSS (1.19b)
February 15, 2026Helium: Vertical tabs layout added (0.9.1)
August 27, 2025Zen: Tab folders added (1.15b)

Questions

Is Helium free?

Yes. Free and open source.

Is Zen Browser free?

Yes. Free and open source.

Which has an AI agent, Helium or Zen?

Neither has an agent that does tasks in your pages. Helium has no AI: Chromium’s Gemini features are taken out. Zen has no AI: Firefox’s AI features are switched off by default.

Do Helium and Zen run on Windows?

Yes, both. Helium runs on Mac, Windows and Linux; Zen on Mac, Windows and Linux.

Do Helium and Zen have phone apps?

Helium has no phone app: desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought. Zen has no phone app: Zen says it has no plans for a mobile version.

Can I move from Zen to Helium?

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

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 Zen; 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 vs Chrome Helium vs Safari Helium vs Edge Helium vs Firefox Helium vs Brave Helium vs Opera Helium vs Arc Helium alternatives Yab vs Helium Zen vs Arc Zen vs Vivaldi Orion vs Zen SigmaOS vs Zen Zen vs Chrome Zen vs Safari Zen vs Edge Zen alternatives Yab vs Zen

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