Browsers
Helium privacy rating
Chromium-based desktop browser from imput built on ungoogled-chromium, with uBlock Origin built in, Google services removed and no telemetry.
Summary
Helium scores 90 out of 100 (grade A) on the browsers criteria. It meets 7 of 8 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, blocks trackers by default, fingerprinting protection, no calls to big-tech services and timely security updates. It does not meet independent audit.
Score 90 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
- Yes
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Yes
No trackers or telemetry Weight 3 of 3
Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default?
No third-party trackers. The browser collects no data, and the website's Plausible analytics are cookieless and aggregate-only.
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Yes
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
Crowdfunded by users. No browser ads and no data collection.
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No
Independent audit Weight 2 of 3
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
No independent audit is published.
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Yes
Blocks trackers by default Weight 3 of 3
Are third-party trackers blocked by default, without installing extensions?
Blocks ads, trackers, cookie banners and third-party cookies by default.
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Yes
Fingerprinting protection Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser defend against fingerprinting by default?
Adds noise to certain web APIs by default to resist fingerprinting.
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Yes
No calls to big-tech services Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser work without background connections to Google, Microsoft or Apple services?
All Google service dependencies are removed, and no background requests are made without consent.
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Yes
Timely security updates Weight 3 of 3
Are security fixes from the upstream engine shipped quickly and automatically?
Releases follow Chromium stable updates within days and install automatically on macOS and Windows.