Yab

Yab vs Helium

We make Yab, so read it as our side.facts checked Oct 9 ↓

Yab, Yet Another Browser, is a free Mac browser that keeps everything from Arc (tabs down the side, spaces, folders, Split View) and gives your Claude or ChatGPT plan an agent that works in your signed-in tabs.

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.

The short answer

Pick 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
  • if you want Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to drive a real browser over MCP
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

At a glance

Yab and Helium, side by side.

Yab vs Helium
WhatYabHelium
Made bySerafim Korablevimput
StatusUpdatedUpdated
Runs onMacMac, Windows and Linux
Phone appNot yetNone; desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought
PriceFree; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT planFree and open source
AIAn agent that works in pages, on your Claude or ChatGPT planNo AI
Driven by outside agentsMCP and a command lineNo
EngineWebKitChromium
Tabs down the sideYesA setting
SpacesYesNo
Split ViewYesYes
ExtensionsChrome Web StoreChrome Web Store
Ad blockerBuilt inBuilt in
Open sourceNoYes

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.

AIYab leads

Only Yab has an agent that clicks, types and finishes tasks in your pages. Yab’s agent works in tabs of its own beside yours, signed in as you, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan; Send, Pay and Delete wait for your yes. Helium has no AI: Chromium’s Gemini features are taken out.

Agents like Claude Code and CodexYab leads

Yab can be driven over MCP and a command line, through yab mcp and the yab command, for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and any MCP client. Helium has no MCP server or command line for outside agents.

Tabs and windowsYab leads

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

PriceYab leads

Yab: Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan. Helium: Free and open source.

Where it runsHelium leads

Yab runs on Mac. Helium runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. On a Mac, Yab needs macOS 15.4 or later and Helium needs macOS 13 or later. Yab has no phone app yet. Helium has no phone app: desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought.

Engine and extensionsa matter of taste

Yab is built on WebKit, the engine Safari uses; Helium on Chromium, as Chrome is. Both take extensions from the Chrome Web Store.

PrivacyHelium leads

Yab has an ad blocker built in. Yab has no account and no server of ours between you and your sites; what your agent reads goes to Anthropic or OpenAI under your account. 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.

Where Helium is better

Helium comes out ahead on where it runs, privacy. It is also the better pick if you:

  • Want Chrome’s extensions without Google’s AI or telemetry
  • Want ads blocked from the first launch
  • Use Linux too

The catch with each

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

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 25, 2026Yab: First release
  • March 13, 2026Helium: Vertical tabs left experimental status (0.10.3)
  • February 15, 2026Helium: Vertical tabs layout added (0.9.1)

Moving from Helium to Yab

Yab brings Helium’s pinned and open tabs, passwords, cards, bookmarks, history, extensions and your sign-ins, from every profile. It reads Helium’s files on your Mac; nothing goes through a server, and Helium stays as it was.

How to move from HeliumBringing in, in the Manual

Questions

Is Yab free?

Yes. Free; its AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan.

Is Helium free?

Yes. Free and open source.

Which has an AI agent, Yab or Helium?

Yab. Yab’s agent works in tabs of its own beside yours, signed in as you, on your Claude or ChatGPT plan; Send, Pay and Delete wait for your yes. Helium has no AI: Chromium’s Gemini features are taken out.

Which runs on Windows, Yab or Helium?

Helium does. Yab runs on Mac.

Do Yab and Helium have phone apps?

Yab has no phone app yet. Helium has no phone app: desktop only. An iOS build teased in Aug 2026 is being rethought.

Can I move from Helium to Yab?

Yes. Yab brings Helium’s pinned and open tabs, passwords, cards, bookmarks, history, extensions and your sign-ins, from every profile.

More comparisons

Helium vs ChromeHelium vs SafariHelium vs EdgeHelium vs FirefoxHelium vs BraveHelium vs OperaHelium vs ArcHelium alternatives
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 HeliumDownload