head to head · open source
Helium vs Betterfox
Helium has 22,283 GitHub stars, 680 forks, 490 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Betterfox has 10,964 stars, 258 forks, 5 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. Helium leads on adoption by 103% (22,283 vs 10,964 stars). Helium is written in C++ under GPL-3.0; Betterfox is written in JavaScript under MIT. Helium has attracted 3% as many forks as stars, Betterfox 2%. Helium was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (privacy, web-browser), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Helium | Betterfox | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 22K | ★ 11K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-07 |
| Forks | ⑂ 680 | ⑂ 258 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Helium if
- You weight community size — 22K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Betterfox if
- You want the Betterfox feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and Betterfox fits your workflow better
About Helium
Helium The Chromium based web browser made for people, with love. Privacy first with unbiased ad blocking. No bloat and no noise. helium.computer Downloads [!NOTE] Helium is currently in beta, so unexpected issues may occur. Please report them if they haven't already been reported. The easiest way to download Helium is helium.computer. It'll pick a compatible binary for your platform automatically. The same releases can also be downloaded from source on GitHub: Latest macOS release Latest Linux release Latest Windows release Helium repos All Helium packaging, tooling, services, and components are open source and…
read the full Helium overview →
About Betterfox
:warning: Do not trust sites that claim to be Betterfox. This page is the only official source. Betterfox about:config tweaks to enhance Mozilla Firefox. :new: Betterfox for Firefox 153 ESR is now available Made for everyday browsing Make Firefox more private and secure — without using third party code. Betterfox is an opinionated preference list inspired by the law of diminishing returns and the minimum effective dose. Required reading 0) Create a backup profile. 1) Download the user.js file here (Right click Save Link As… ). 2) Review both Common Overrides and Optional Hardening to make any necessary changes…
read the full Betterfox overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Helium or Betterfox more popular?
Helium has 22,283 GitHub stars and Betterfox has 10,964. Helium has the larger community by that measure.
Are Helium and Betterfox free?
Both are open source. Helium is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Betterfox under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Helium and Betterfox?
Helium is written in C++ and Betterfox in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Helium or Betterfox?
Choose Helium if you want the larger community (22,283 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Betterfox if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.