head to head · open source
Helium vs Flow
Helium has 20,799 GitHub stars, 587 forks, 490 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Flow has 1,076 stars, 61 forks, 59 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. Helium leads on adoption by 1,833% (20,799 vs 1,076 stars). Helium is written in C++ under GPL-3.0; Flow is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. Helium has attracted 3% as many forks as stars, Flow 6%. Helium was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (browser, chromium), 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 | Flow | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 21K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-05-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 587 | ⑂ 61 |
| 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 Flow if
- You want the Flow 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 Flow 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 Flow
Flow Browser is a free, GPL 3.0 licensed desktop web browser built on Electron and Chromium, written in TypeScript, that runs Chrome extensions from the Chrome Web Store and is aimed at people who want a minimal, privacy focused alternative to mainstream browsers.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Helium or Flow more popular?
Helium has 20,799 GitHub stars and Flow has 1,076. Helium has the larger community by that measure.
Are Helium and Flow free?
Both are open source. Helium is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Flow under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Helium and Flow?
Helium is written in C++ and Flow 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 Flow?
Choose Helium if you want the larger community (20,799 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Flow if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.