imputnet/helium

Analysis updated 2026-06-24

★ 15,866C++Audience · generalComplexity · 4/5Setup · easy

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((helium))
    Inputs
      User browsing
      Filter lists
    Outputs
      Rendered web pages
      Blocked ads and trackers
    Use Cases
      Browse privately on macOS Linux Windows
      Replace mainstream browser
      Audit a chromium fork
    Tech Stack
      C++
      Chromium
      uBlock Origin

mindmap root((helium)) Inputs User browsing Filter lists Outputs Rendered web pages Blocked ads and trackers Use Cases Browse privately on macOS Linux Windows Replace mainstream browser Audit a chromium fork Tech Stack C++ Chromium uBlock Origin

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Install Helium as a daily browser on macOS, Linux, or Windows

USE CASE 2

Audit the patches Helium applies on top of ungoogled-chromium

USE CASE 3

Use Helium as a base for your own privacy-focused browser fork

What is it built with?

C++Chromium

How does it compare?

	imputnet/helium	game1024/openspeedy	wolfpld/tracy
Stars	15,866	15,860	15,942
Language	C++	C++	C++
Setup difficulty	easy	easy	hard
Complexity	4/5	3/5	4/5
Audience	general	general	developer

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Prebuilt installers are available from helium.computer, building from source needs a full Chromium toolchain.

In plain English

Helium is a web browser built for people who want privacy and a clean, no-extras browsing experience. It is based on Chromium (the open-source project that powers many popular browsers), but stripped down and modified with a privacy-first approach, including built-in ad-blocking that the README describes as "unbiased." Unlike many browsers that bundle extra features, notifications, or telemetry, Helium aims to be lightweight, "no bloat and no noise", and honest about what it does with your data. It comes with a custom fork of the uBlock Origin ad blocker baked in, and is itself fully open source, meaning anyone can inspect the code. Helium is currently in beta (an early release phase where bugs may still appear) and is available for macOS, Linux, and Windows. You can download it from helium.computer, which automatically picks the right version for your system, or directly from GitHub. The project is built on top of ungoogled-chromium (a version of Chromium with Google-specific code removed), with additional patches pulled from other privacy-oriented browser projects.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Compare imputnet/helium to Brave, LibreWolf, and plain ungoogled-chromium and tell me which fits a privacy first user

Prompt 2

Walk me through building Helium from source on Linux including the ungoogled-chromium patches

Prompt 3

Show me which uBlock Origin filter lists Helium ships with by default and how to add my own

Prompt 4

Explain how Helium differs from upstream Chromium in handling Google account sign-in and sync

Frequently asked questions

What is helium?

A privacy-focused open source web browser built on ungoogled-chromium with a forked uBlock Origin baked in and no telemetry or extra bundled features.

What language is helium written in?

Mainly C++. The stack also includes C++, Chromium.

How hard is helium to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is helium for?

Mainly general.

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