Helium Browser Review 2026: Will It Work for Fingerprint Masking?

If you’re tired of browsers that feel like they’re working for a data conglomerate instead of you, you’re not alone. We’ve seen a surge in “privacy-first” browsers lately, but most of them come with their own baggage—crypto wallets, sponsored news feeds, or “acceptable ads” programs. Then there’s Helium Browser (helium.computer).

Helium is a chromium browser that strips away the noise and focuses on one thing: letting you browse the internet without interruptions. It’s fast, it’s open-source, and it’s refreshingly honest about what it does. It’s built by a small team under the “imput” organization, known for their zero-telemetry philosophy.

In this review, we’re going to look under the hood of the helium web browser. We’ll talk about its features, its safety, and how it stacks up against the big players. We’ll also clear up some common confusion between this browser and other “Helium” branded tools.

What we’re covering in this deep dive:

• What exactly is Helium Browser and how does it differ from Chrome?
• A detailed breakdown of helium browser features like split view and native !bangs.
• The truth about helium browser safety and its “zero web requests” promise.
• How to get the helium browser download for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
• A direct comparison: fluid browser vs helium.
• A massive FAQ section covering everything from the helium 10 browser extension to helium browser reddit discussions.

What is Helium Browser? The De-Googled Chromium

Let’s get the basics out of the way. Helium Browser is a private, fast, and honest web browser built on the Chromium engine. If you’ve used Chrome or Edge, you’ll feel right at home with the layout, but you’ll notice something immediately: it’s incredibly light.

The developers built Helium with a “people first” philosophy. This means no adware, no bloat, and no tracking. While other browsers try to monetize your attention, Helium just gets out of your way. It’s essentially what Brave should have been before it got cluttered with crypto and rewards programs.

Helium is a minimal, privacy-first Chromium fork. It strips out Google telemetry, ships with uBlock Origin enabled by default, and aims for a “no-noise” experience. It’s fully open source, with all repositories for the core, platform packaging, and ancillary services available for public inspection. This level of transparency is rare and gives users genuine control over their browsing environment.

Key Features and Technical Deep Dive

For a “minimalist” browser, Helium packs some serious punch. It doesn’t just remove things; it adds features that actually make you more productive.

1. Privacy by Default: The Zero-Request Promise

This is Helium’s core selling point. Unlike almost every other browser, Helium makes zero web requests on first launch unless you explicitly act. There are no background network calls, no telemetry being sent to Google, and no “phoning home” to the developers.

• Built-in uBlock Origin: It ships with uBlock Origin pre-installed and enabled. This means community lists block ads, trackers, and crypto miners right out of the box.
• Cookie Blocking: Third-party cookies are blocked by default.
• Chrome Web Store Anonymization: When you install extensions, the traffic is proxied via Helium services. This means Google can’t correlate your extension installs with your IP or profile, a unique privacy feature no other browser offers.

For another in-depth browser review, check out our Mullvad Browser Review 2026

2. Native !Bangs: The Productivity Shortcut

If you’ve used DuckDuckGo, you know about bangs. They are shortcuts that let you search specific sites directly from your address bar. Helium brings this natively to the browser.

• Offline Resolution: The best part? Helium resolves these bangs locally. Your query doesn’t get leaked to a third-party server first.
• Examples: Want to search Wikipedia? Type !w [your query]. Need a quick answer from an AI provider? Use !chatgpt. With over 10,000 bangs available, it’s the fastest and most private way to navigate the web.

3. Split View: The Multitasking Game-Changer

This is a game-changer for multitasking. Helium allows you to open pages side-by-side within a single window.

• Use Case: No more tiling windows manually or switching tabs constantly. It’s perfect for developers who need to see code and documentation at the same time, or for anyone who likes to watch a video while they work.
• Efficiency: Paired with the compact UI, split view maximizes your screen real estate, making you more efficient.

4. Compact and Respectful UI

The helium browser windows and tabs are designed to be as small as possible without losing functionality. This gives you more vertical space for actual web content.

• No Annoyances: The browser is “respectful by design.” It doesn’t annoy you with unprovoked tabs about updates, sponsors, or persistent popups. It just works.
• Clean DevTools: For developers, the DevTools have been cleaned up and no longer nag you with anything, ensuring nothing gets in the way of your work.

5. Extension Support (Including MV2)

One of the biggest wins for Helium is its support for all Chromium extensions. While Google is pushing Manifest V3 (which limits ad-blockers), Helium has committed to supporting MV2 extensions for as long as possible. This keeps full uBlock Origin and many established add-ons viable for the foreseeable future.

The “Helium” Confusion

Before we go further, we need to address the elephant in the room. If you search for “Helium,” you’ll find a few different things.

• Helium Browser (helium.computer): The privacy-focused Chromium browser we’re reviewing here.
• Helium 10 Browser Extension: A popular tool for Amazon sellers. You can use the helium 10 chrome browser extension inside the Helium browser, but they are not made by the same people.
• Helium Floating Browser: An older, legacy project for macOS that allowed for transparent, floating windows. While the new Helium browser is a full-featured tool, it carries the spirit of being lightweight and unobtrusive.

Is Helium Browser Safe? A Security Deep Dive

The short answer: Yes. In fact, it’s probably safer than the browser you’re using right now.

Helium browser safety is built on its “zero web requests” policy and its de-googled Chromium core.

• Security Patches: Because it’s based on helium browser chromium, it receives security patches as soon as they are released. You get the security of the world’s most-tested browser engine without the privacy invasion of Google.
• No Cloud Sync/Password Manager: This is a feature, not a bug. Helium intentionally removes cloud-based history/data sync and the built-in password manager. Their philosophy is that passwords and browsing history should be separate from the browser itself, encouraging users to use dedicated, secure tools like Bitwarden or 1Password.
• IP and WebRTC Protection: Real-world tests confirm that Helium properly isolates WebRTC connections, meaning your real IP address isn’t exposed to sites using peer-to-peer communication—a common privacy leak in many browsers.

First Launch and Configuration

The first time you launch Helium, it stands out with its minimalist design and transparency. During setup, the browser shows a “Helium Services” screen. This is where you decide how the browser connects to the internet.

These options control privacy-related features like:

• Extension downloads through a proxy.
• Automatic updates (for macOS).
• uBlock Origin filter refreshes.
• The !bangs quick search list.

You can keep everything enabled for convenience or disable all connections for a completely offline setup. Advanced users can even route these services through their own self-hosted instance, ensuring maximum privacy and independence from third-party servers. This transparency is a huge win for user control.

Helium Browser Download & Compatibility

Getting started is easy. You can find the helium browser download directly at helium.computer.

• Helium Browser Windows: Available as a standard installer for Windows 10 and 11. Note that Windows builds currently require manual updates.
• Helium Browser Mac / MacOS: Fully supported on both Intel and Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) chips, with automatic updates.
• Helium Browser Linux: Distributed as an AppImage, making it easy to run on almost any distribution.

Fingerprinting Check Results

While Helium Browser impresses with speed, minimalism, and privacy-first features, independent tests from Pixelscan and WhoerIP reveal a critical limitation: it still cannot fully mask your fingerprint. Despite its zero-telemetry design and stripped-down Chromium engine, Helium leaves traces that sophisticated anti-detection tools can identify—meaning your browser profile can still be tracked across websites.

Pixelscan Fingerprint Check Results

WhoerIp.com Check Results

If your goal is true anonymity online—especially for managing multiple accounts or automating web tasks—you need a tool built specifically for this. Multilogin is an anti-detect browser designed to mask your fingerprint completely, offering:

• 55+ fingerprint parameters fully customizable for each profile
• Cloud phones for authentic Android environments and stable sessions
• Built-in residential proxies to prevent IP linking
• Scalable multi-account management without risking bans

Go to Website

Built-in Proxy

Yes

Team Collaboration

Yes

Supported Platforms

Windows, macOS, Linux

Fingerprint Masking

55+ parameters

Pricing

Starting Price

Trial for €1.99

Trial Available

Yes

Key Features

Advanced browser fingerprinting

Free residential proxy traffic in all plans

Full integration with Selenium, Puppeteer, Playwright, and Postman

Mobile profile emulation

In short: Helium is a clean, privacy-minded browser, but it’s not designed for fingerprint masking. For safe automation, multi-account workflows, and full browser isolation, Multilogin remains the industry standard.

User Feedback: What the Community Says

If you check helium browser reddit threads, the sentiment is overwhelmingly positive. Users love the “snappiness” of the interface and the fact that it doesn’t try to sell them anything.
The most common praise is for the helium browser automation potential. Because it’s clean Chromium, it works perfectly with tools like Selenium or Playwright without the overhead of Google’s tracking services. The community appreciates that the browser is built for people who value open-source transparency and control over their browsing environment.