Every few months, a new browser claims it can finally replace Chrome. Most fade away quickly, but lately a new open-source browser called Helium has been getting a lot of attention. Users say it’s fast, lightweight, private, and comes with built-in features Chrome doesn’t offer.

So I decided to walk through the entire experience — from installation to testing features — to see whether Helium is worth trying. In this detailed dtptips-style guide, we’ll explore everything step-by-step so you get a complete picture of what this browser offers.

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🚀 1. What Is Helium Browser?

Let’s begin by understanding what Helium is trying to solve. According to its developers, Helium aims to deliver an “internet without interruptions” — meaning:

• No bloat
• No unnecessary distractions
• No aggressive ads
• No hidden tracking
• No clutter
• Fully open-source
• Lightweight and privacy-first

Helium is built on Chromium (the same engine Chrome uses), which means:

✔ You can install Chrome extensions
✔ Web compatibility is excellent
✔ Performance feels familiar
✔ UI layout resembles modern Chromium browsers

But unlike Chrome, Helium strips away Google tracking, bundles an ad blocker, and introduces features you normally only get through extensions.

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💻 2. Downloading and Installing Helium

Now let’s move to the installation process.

Download Link

Official site: https://heliumbrowser.com (or GitHub page linked on their website)

Helium supports:

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux

During installation, something interesting happens — the installer doesn’t pop up with a long setup wizard. Instead, Helium silently installs in seconds, and the icon appears instantly on your desktop.

Once launched, you’re greeted with a simple onboarding process.

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⚙️ 3. First-Time Setup & Onboarding

Helium walks you through a clean setup wizard. Before jumping ahead, here’s what each step means.

Select Helium Services

These services are optional but help with:

• Extension updates
• Proxy access
• Secure downloading
• Open-source syncing tools (self-hostable)

You can toggle everything on or off. For most users, leaving them enabled is fine.

Built-In Ad Blocker

Helium includes uBlock Origin, pre-installed and active by default.

This is a huge win because:

• No need to install it manually
• No ads on new installations
• No browser telemetry fighting the blocker
• Pages load much faster

Choose a Search Engine

Helium lets you choose:

• DuckDuckGo
• Google
• Brave
• Others depending on your region

This choice also applies to the new tab page if you configure it later.

Import Browser Data

You can import from:

• Chrome
• Edge
• Other Chromium browsers

Or simply start fresh.

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🪟 4. Exploring the Helium Interface

After completing setup, Helium opens with a clean, distraction-free interface.

A few things immediately stand out:

• uBlock Origin icon appears in the toolbar
• Split View button is built in (unlike Chrome)
• Themes include Helium color palettes
• No unnecessary buttons or bloat

Everything feels slimmer and faster.

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🧩 5. Installing Extensions from the Chrome Web Store

Because Helium is Chromium-based, you can install ANY Chrome extension.

To test this, I installed some of the most common privacy and productivity extensions:

Extensions Installed

• New Tab Redirect
• Privacy Badger
• Decentraleyes
• uBlock Origin (pre-installed)

All installed correctly and worked flawlessly.

New Tab Redirect allowed me to set DuckDuckGo as both:

• The new tab page
• The default search engine

And it responded instantly.

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🪟 6. Split View Feature: The Highlight of Helium

This is one of Helium’s best features.

What Split View Does

Split View allows you to:

• Open two websites side-by-side
• Resize each pane
• Work with both at the same time

This is incredibly useful for:

• Research
• Multitasking
• Watching a video while browsing
• Comparing information
• Reading documentation while coding
• Studying

Unlike Chrome, you don’t need third-party extensions for it.

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🎨 7. Customization Options

Helium offers several appearance options:

• Light / Dark / Device theme
• Custom color themes (e.g., yellow, blue, mint, etc.)
• Enable/disable shortcuts
• Customize toolbar with Home and Split View buttons

The UI changes instantly without reloads.

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🔒 8. Privacy & Security Features

Let’s move to the part many users care most about.

Inside Settings → Privacy & Security, Helium includes:

• Built-in tracker blocking
• Self-hostable services
• Optional proxy integration
• No Google login requirement
• Ability to disable all Helium cloud services
• No Chrome Sync or telemetry

Under Helium Services, the browser uses:

• Open-source extension updates
• Anonymous proxy services
• A “banks list” to protect against phishing websites

All toggles are user-controlled.

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⚡ 9. Performance, Memory Usage & Responsiveness

I opened 5 active tabs and checked Task Manager.

Helium used around 520 MB RAM, which is noticeably lower than Chrome for the same number of tabs.

Chrome often uses 700 MB – 1.2 GB for similar workloads.

Scrolling, loading, and interacting felt smooth, with almost no stuttering.

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🧪 10. Helium Browser: Early Beta Notes

Helium is still in beta, currently at version 0.6.x, which means:

• Some features may still evolve
• Occasional minor issues are possible
• The UI may get design refinements

However, during testing, everything worked smoothly — including extension compatibility and custom settings.

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🤔 11. Is Helium Worth Trying?

Here’s a quick summary of what makes it special:

✔ Pros

• No ads or tracking
• Built-in uBlock Origin
• Chrome Web Store support
• Split View built in
• Lightweight and fast
• Fully open-source
• Easy customization
• Privacy-focused
• No Google dependence
• Available on Windows, macOS, Linux

✖ Cons

• Still in beta
• No cloud sync yet
• Limited documentation (still growing)
• Not as battle-tested as Chrome

But overall, the experience feels promising — especially for privacy-focused users who want a Chrome-like browser without the Google ecosystem attached.

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❓ FAQs

1. Is Helium safer than Chrome?

Helium includes built-in ad blocking and avoids Google telemetry, making it more privacy-friendly by default.

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2. Does Helium support Chrome extensions?

Yes. The Chrome Web Store works perfectly.

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3. Is Helium faster than Chrome?

In most tests, Helium uses less RAM and loads websites quicker due to fewer background processes.

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4. Is Helium fully open-source?

Yes. Its source code is available on GitHub for public review.

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5. Can Helium replace Chrome?

For many users — especially privacy-conscious ones — yes. But if you rely heavily on Chrome Sync, Helium may feel limited.

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#HeliumBrowser #BrowserReview #ChromeAlternative #OpenSourceTech #PrivacyTools #DTPtips

Meera Joshi

Meera is a browser technology analyst with a background in QA testing for web applications. She writes detailed tutorials on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and experimental browsers, covering privacy tweaks, extension reviews, and performance testing. Her aim is to make browsing faster and safer for all.

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