head to head · open source
Helium vs chathub
Helium has 20,739 GitHub stars, 579 forks, 490 open issues and last shipped yesterday. chathub has 10,652 stars, 1,116 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped 7 months ago. Helium leads on adoption by 95% (20,739 vs 10,652 stars). Helium is written in C++ under GPL-3.0; chathub is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. Helium has attracted 3% as many forks as stars, chathub 10%. Helium was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | chathub | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 21K | ★ 11K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-02-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 579 | ⑂ 1.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Helium if
- You weight community size — 21K 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 chathub if
- You want the chathub feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and chathub fits your workflow better
About Helium
Helium is an open source desktop web browser built around the Chromium project. It lives in the Chromium browser ecosystem and is published as a C++ project under the GPL 3.0 license, with imported code retaining its original license. The project describes itself as private, fast, and honest, and as a privacy first browser with ad blocking and no bloat.
read the full Helium overview →
About chathub
ChatHub is an open source browser extension that puts multiple AI chatbots inside one interface. Written in TypeScript under the GPL 3.0 license, it lives in the Chrome and Edge extension ecosystem, with a companion web app at chathub.gg. The repository has been active for roughly four years, has collected more than ten thousand stars and about eleven hundred forks, and carries a small number of open issues.
read the full chathub overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Helium or chathub more popular?
Helium has 20,739 GitHub stars and chathub has 10,652. Helium has the larger community by that measure.
Are Helium and chathub free?
Both are open source. Helium is licensed under GPL-3.0 and chathub under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Helium and chathub?
Helium is written in C++ and chathub in TypeScript. 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 chathub?
Choose Helium if you want the larger community (20,739 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose chathub if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.