Chromium, like it or not, is the dominant platform when it comes to web browsers. Google Chrome, obviously, is the biggest player, but Microsoft Edge builds upon it nowadays, too.
Not just these two, either. Brave is based on Chromium, as are Opera and Vivaldi, and a number of other, less well-known projects.
So too is Helium, a Chromium-based browser that until recently had slipped my attention. It's cross-platform on Linux, Mac, and Windows, and while the latter is still labelled as an alpha, I'm impressed with what I'm seeing so far.
Helium is plain, basic browsing, with privacy and performance in mind
Web browsers want your attention. Microsoft will nag you shamelessly to use Edge and has been stuffing it with features. Google is no better. Some of these features are useful; some you wish weren't there.
In a world where everyone seems to be pushing an agenda — and of course, AI — Helium stands as a breath of fresh air.
While it's based on Chromium, that's about as far as the similarities go with the likes of Chrome and Edge. There's no account, no telemetry or tracking, no AI, and it has adblocking included by default.
What also makes Helium stand out is its commitment to keep popular Manifest V2 extensions alive for as long as possible. The big players have deprecated these, much to many users' chagrin.
There's no account, no telemetry or tracking, no AI, and it has adblocking included by default.
This stripped-back, privacy-first approach means the feature set is deliberately small. There is no password manager included, for example. Nor is there any form of sync. If you want to use Helium across multiple devices, you'll have to come up with your own way of doing this if you need it. Third-party cookies are also disabled by default.
To look at, Helium is fairly similar to other Chromium browsers. The address bar and bookmark bar are a little more compact, and if you like vertical tabs, it has those built in, too.
Helium also has a split view mode for snapping two different tabs side-by-side. It is limited to two tabs right now, but I'd say that's probably fine for most people.
You can still use your favorite browser extensions, but there are limitations
One of the biggest limitations to using Helium is that it doesn't have any support for protected content. That is, services such as Spotify or Netflix, because the browser doesn't have the correct DRM built into it.
This isn't necessarily a dealbreaker, since on Windows you can just go ahead and grab the standalone desktop apps for each. But it does highlight a potential roadblock to some user experiences.
But on the other side of the see-saw, you have complete access to any of your favorite Chromium browser extensions that you'd use on any other browser. Helium anonymizes your downloads of these using its own services package.
Helium services are designed to keep what you're using private and, besides extensions, also cover "!bangs" and downloading adblock filter updates. Helium services can be self-hosted if you'd prefer to have total control but not lose the functionality the browser offers.
But so far as extensions go, I've not come across anything from my own personal preferences that hasn't worked exactly the same in Helium as in Chrome or Edge.
A little on those !bangs, too. It's a nice touch that's designed to speed up your browsing. For example, by typing !gh followed by what you want to find on GitHub, you can go directly to the search results without having to first go to the homepage.
Helium might be in alpha but it's already a polished web browser
The likes of Google and Microsoft want you to use their browsers because you're the product. Our attention and our data are important to them. Helium is a different take, and I've seen comments around the web that say it's looking a lot like the browser Brave always promised to be.
With absolutely no syncing, accounts, or telemetry, you have more control over your data. That in itself might be enough for some to give it a try.
But even for the more casual user, there's promise. If you're tired of how bloated and full of stuff your regular browser is, Helium is the complete opposite. The same core experience without the fluff. You can still make it your own, but it's not going to nag for your attention, either. I like that.
Take the alpha for a spin yourself by downloading from the project's website, or check out its GitHub repo for more information.
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