Brave vs Helium Browser (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Brave: it is second in our ranking of browsers, and it grades higher too, 3.8 against 3.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Brave grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. Helium Browser grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Brave
Open-source browser that blocks ads and trackers by default
Helium Browser
Free open source Chromium browser with privacy defaults and !bangs
Which one is for you
Pick Brave if
- Fits if you want ads and trackers gone without installing a single extension
- Works for people leaving Chrome who want to keep their Chrome Web Store extensions
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if a crypto wallet and rewards in your browser annoy you, since removing them for good means Brave Origin at $59.99
- Pricey if you want the VPN, Leo premium and Talk premium together, as each is its own subscription with no bundle
- Not for you if you expect a free VPN, because Brave's is $9.99 a month
- Tight if you lean on Leo, as free limits vary with traffic and more models mean $14.99 a month
- Watch out: some iPhone reviewers report a site or video player that only works with Shields turned off
Pick Helium Browser if
- Fits if you want a Chromium browser that collects nothing and you do not need sync
- Works for people who like !bangs and Chromium extensions
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you stream protected video, as there is no Widevine DRM
- Not for you if you want a password manager or sync across devices, as it has neither
- Watch out: the download page warns that unexpected issues may occur in beta
- Skip it if you want a phone browser, as there is no mobile version yet
How we grade them
| 3.8GPABraveExcellent | 3.0GPAHelium BrowserVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BThe browser costs nothing, which is the point. What's unusual in this category is how much sits outside it: Search premium $3 a month, Talk $7, the VPN $9.99, Leo premium $14.99, each its own subscription with no bundle. And Brave Origin, the build without the extras, is $59.99 unless you're on Linux. | AFree, with no paid upgrade, and the FAQ says there is no ad-supported tier. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with Shields, encrypted sync, Brave Search, Brave Talk calls and a tier of Leo that works without an account. Leo's free limits shift with traffic, and the VPN, Leo premium and Talk premium each start with a 7-day trial. | AThe whole browser is free, with no paid tier or ad-supported tier. |
| Features | AShields stop ads, trackers, fingerprinting and cookie notices on every site, YouTube video ads too. Then Brave's own search index, private windows routed through Tor, fingerprint randomization, Leo on your own model if you like, vertical tabs, and MV2 extensions still working. | CPrivacy defaults, Chromium extensions, tab tools and !bangs. The listing shows no password manager, no sync and no DRM, and it is still beta. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 660,000 App Store ratings. The blocking is on from the first launch, so there's nothing to configure. Some iPhone reviewers do report a site or video player that needs Shields turned off. | BNo store rating on record. Install and browse, with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWindows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone, with bookmarks, passwords and tabs synced encrypted between them. Chrome Web Store extensions work, so leaving Chrome costs you nothing you had installed. | CDesktop only: macOS, Windows and Linux. No mobile version yet. |
| Best for | blocking ads and trackers out of the box | a private Chromium browser with no tracking |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Brave and Helium Browser. How we grade
Price against what you get
Brave starts at $2.50 a month when paid by the year and scores 4.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Helium Browser has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
Brave scores higher, and starts $2.50 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other browsers on the chart, none scores higher than Brave for less, and none scores higher than Helium Browser for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Helium Browser is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Brave also covers password manager and video calls.
- Helium Browser also covers passkeys and ad and tracker blocking.
At a glance
| Brave | Helium Browser | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $3.00 per month, or $29.99 per year (Search premium) | Free |
| Free plan | The browser is free and fully supported, with Shields ad and tracker blocking, sync, Brave Search, Brave Talk and the free tier of Leo, which needs no account and has usage limits that vary with traffic. | The whole browser is free; the FAQ says there is no ad-supported free tier and no paid upgrade. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial on Brave VPN, Leo AI premium and Talk premium | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Brave Software, Inc. | imput LLC |
| Price read from | brave.com | helium.computer |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Brave
- The VPN is not part of the free browser: it is a subscription at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
- Free access to Leo varies with traffic and usage. Higher rate limits and more models need Leo AI premium at $14.99 per month.
- VPN, Leo, Search and Talk premium are each sold as a separate subscription; the pricing page lists no bundle.
- Brave Origin, the version without Leo, News, Rewards, VPN or Wallet, is a $59.99 one-time purchase on every system except Linux.
Helium Browser
- It is in beta, and the download page warns that unexpected issues may occur.
- There is no Widevine DRM support, so some streaming services and protected media may not play.
- There is no built-in password manager and no data sync, and no mobile version yet.
- Automatic updates on macOS and Windows depend on Helium services being enabled.
Key features
Brave
- Shields ad and tracker blocking
- Shields block third-party ads, trackers, fingerprinting and cookie consent notices by default on every site, including video ads on YouTube. The settings can be customized or left alone.
- Leo AI assistant
- Leo summarizes webpages, PDFs and Google Docs, answers questions and drafts text with no account required. Chats are not retained or used for training, and Bring Your Own Model connects local or remote models.
- Brave Search
- The default search engine for most new Brave users serves results from Brave's own independent index of the web, offers AI answers and does not profile the people using it.
- Private Windows with Tor
- Tor integration in private windows proxies the IP address, and fingerprint randomization makes the browser look different to every site on each visit.
- Sync, vertical tabs and extensions
- Bookmarks, passwords and tabs sync encrypted across devices, tabs can be stacked vertically, and Chrome Web Store extensions work, including those that rely on MV2.
- Rewards, Wallet and Talk
- Brave Rewards pays BAT to people who opt in to privacy-preserving ads, Brave Wallet is a self-custody crypto wallet, and Brave Talk runs private video calls in the browser.
Helium Browser
- Privacy by default
- It blocks ads, trackers, cookie banners and third-party cookies, and adds noise to some web APIs to resist fingerprinting.
- No data collection
- The site says it makes no web requests on first launch and has no analytics; requests to Helium services must be approved by you.
- Chromium extensions
- All Chromium extensions are supported, and Chrome Web Store requests are anonymized through Helium services.
- Layout and tab tools
- Four layout options, a frameless mode, vertical tabs, split view, tab groups, MRU tabbing and tab hibernation.
- !bangs
- More than 13,000 bangs are processed locally and send you directly to a site, skipping the results page.
- Open source services
- Browser components and online services are open source on GitHub, and Helium services can be self-hosted.
Plans
Brave
Free$0
The full browser with Shields ad and tracker blocking, encrypted sync, the free tier of Leo, Brave Search and Brave Talk video calls.
Search premium$3.00
per month, or $29.99 per year
Ad-free Brave Search results and a cleaner view on all results pages.
Talk premium$7.00
per month, or $69.99 per year
Video calls with hundreds of people, call recordings, participant muting and passcodes. Includes a 7-day free trial.
Brave VPN$9.99
per month, or $99.99 per year
Whole-device VPN for up to 10 devices across desktop, Android and iOS, with speeds up to 500 Mbps. Includes a 7-day free trial.
Leo AI premium$14.99
per month, or $149.99 per year
More AI models, higher rate limits and early access to new Leo features. Includes a 7-day free trial.
Brave Origin$59.99
one-time purchase
A minimalist version of the browser that can switch off or remove Leo, News, Rewards, VPN, Wallet and other features. Free on Linux.
Helium Browser
Free$0
The full browser. Development is crowdfunded through user sponsorships, which the FAQ says are temporarily disabled.
Ways to pay less
Brave
- Annual discount
About 17% off with yearly billing
Each Brave premium subscription costs about 17% less when paid yearly: Brave VPN is $99.99 a year against $119.88 for twelve months at $9.99, and Leo AI premium is $149.99 against $179.88.
Helium Browser
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Brave or Helium Browser?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Helium Browser is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $2.50 a month when paid by the year for Brave. Brave starts at $3.00 per month, or $29.99 per year (Search premium), and Helium Browser is free.
Which has a free plan, Brave or Helium Browser?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Brave and Helium Browser have a free plan.
Which platforms do Brave and Helium Browser run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Brave lists iOS and Android apps. Both list macOS, Windows and Linux apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.