Overview: Helium is a Chromium-based web browser designed for users who prioritize privacy, speed, and simplicity. Built on top of ungoogled-chromium, it removes Google’s telemetry, tracking, and proprietary services while preserving the full functionality of Chromium. Unlike mainstream browsers that collect user data or inject ads, Helium ships with unbiased ad-blocking and zero bloat—making it ideal for developers, privacy-conscious individuals, and anyone tired of surveillance capitalism in their web experience. It’s not just another fork; it’s a deliberate return to user-centric browsing with transparent, open-source foundations.
Helium is available for macOS, Linux (AppImage), and Windows, with all platform-specific code published in separate GitHub repositories. The project emphasizes honesty—acknowledging its reliance on ungoogled-chromium and Chromium itself—and provides clear, direct download links without third-party installers or bundled software. With its beta status clearly stated, Helium invites technically minded users to adopt a browser that respects their autonomy without compromising performance.
What You Get
- Google-free Chromium base - Built on ungoogled-chromium, Helium removes all Google services including telemetry, sync, crash reporting, and DNS prefetching—ensuring no data leaves your device unless you explicitly allow it.
- Unbiased ad-blocking - Comes with uBlock Origin pre-integrated, blocking ads and trackers without aggressive or biased filtering lists that favor certain companies.
- No bloat, no noise - No unnecessary toolbars, promotional content, or forced updates; Helium provides a clean, minimal interface focused solely on browsing.
- Cross-platform support - Native builds for macOS, Linux (AppImage), and Windows with source code publicly available on dedicated GitHub repositories.
- Transparent licensing - All Helium-specific code is licensed under GPL-3.0, while upstream components retain their original licenses (e.g., BSD 3-Clause for ungoogled-chromium), ensuring legal clarity and community trust.
Common Use Cases
- Building a privacy-first development workflow - Developers who need to test websites without Google tracking interference use Helium to ensure accurate, unaltered rendering and analytics behavior.
- Creating a clean browsing environment for sensitive research - Journalists, activists, and researchers use Helium to browse without leaving digital footprints or being tracked by advertising networks.
- Problem: Chrome is slow and invasive → Solution: Helium - Users frustrated by Chrome’s memory leaks, telemetry, and forced sync can switch to Helium for a faster, lighter experience with identical extension compatibility.
- Team/workflow scenario: DevOps teams managing browser-based testing - Teams deploying automated web tests across environments use Helium’s AppImage on Linux for consistent, reproducible browser behavior without requiring system-level Chrome installations.
Under The Hood
Imputnet Helium is a customized Chromium-based browser distribution designed with a strong emphasis on privacy, extensibility, and user control. It achieves this through extensive patching and configuration management that allows fine-grained customization without forking the entire Chromium codebase.
Architecture
The project adopts a monolithic architecture with a modular approach to patching and customization. It is structured around core modules for patch management, devutils for validation, and specific directories for behavioral changes.
- The architecture leverages layered modifications to integrate external tools and configurations seamlessly into the build process
- Design patterns such as strategy and template are applied to manage patch application and validation workflows effectively
- Component interactions rely heavily on configuration files, patch series, and utility scripts to maintain consistency across builds
- Clear separation of concerns is evident in how different aspects like importer behavior or flag configurations are handled independently
Tech Stack
The project is built primarily in C++ with Python serving as the automation and scripting backbone. It integrates deeply with Chromium’s ecosystem and relies on a suite of Python-based tools for development and validation.
- The primary languages are C++ for core functionality and Python for patch handling, linting, and utility scripts
- Key dependencies include unidiff for parsing patches, pathlib and subprocess for file operations, and standard libraries for system integration
- Build and development tools incorporate GN, quilt, and Nix to support patch management and environment consistency
- Testing is conducted using pytest and custom linting scripts, focusing on validating configuration and patch integrity
Code Quality
The codebase reflects a moderate level of quality with an emphasis on automation and validation through utility scripts. While linting and consistency are enforced, some inconsistencies and technical debt persist.
- Testing is primarily focused on validation utilities rather than comprehensive test suites or coverage
- Error handling is present but not uniformly applied across all modules, leading to some reliability gaps
- Code style is enforced through linting tools, though inconsistencies are visible in certain areas
- Technical debt is evident in the complexity of patch management and reliance on external dependencies
What Makes It Unique
Imputnet Helium distinguishes itself through a highly modular and patch-based approach to browser customization, integrating multiple upstream projects into a cohesive distribution.
- The use of patch-based customization enables targeted modifications without full codebase forks, supporting rapid iteration and feature additions
- It uniquely combines elements from Brave, Bromite, and Debian into a single distribution through systematic patching strategies
- Innovative developer tooling includes automated validation and linting scripts that ensure quality and consistency across contributions
- A strong focus on privacy and user control is maintained through comprehensive flag management, ad-blocking integration, and telemetry removal