In order not to start another browser comparison thread I'm adding Ungoogled Chromium vs Helium vs Brave browsers. If mod/TS finds it needs another thread can move this
Below is my comparison. Nothing really new as the pointers are available on the net. They are not mainstream browsers so expect some sites might not work properly.
Summary
If you want an aggressive, minimal de-Googled Chromium with lower RAM use and no crypto or telemetry baggage, Helium currently looks the most user-friendly option; if you want out-of-the-box privacy tooling plus convenience features (Tor windows, sync, a built-in wallet and ad-earnings), Brave remains the polished mainstream pick; if you want the purest reduction of Google dependencies and are comfortable with manual updates and missing conveniences, Ungoogled Chromium is the most minimal, dev-oriented choice.
Ungoogled Chromium (UG)
Pros
- Ungoogled Chromium is a privacy-enhanced version of Google Chromium that removes deep integration with Google services and enhances user control and transparency. It aims to provide a web browsing experience focused on privacy and freedom from Google's tracking mechanisms.
- Of all the ungoogled chromium flavors UG (Eloston Github) is the best for a degoogled chromium browser.
- Allows the use of extensions to strengthen the browser’s privacy and security
- There’s zero telemetry to block from calling home
- No bloatware to remove
Use flags to set fingerprinting protection
- Canvas::measureText() fingerprint deception
- Canvas image data fingerprint deception
- ClientRects() fingerprint deception
Cons
- Release slower than Helium
- No built-in ads/trackers protection so reduced privacy
- Minimal built-in fingerprinting protection (minimal anonymity) with a few flag settings. Will need extra extensions to enhance its fingerprinting (anonymity) protection e.g. Font Fingerprinting Defender etc
- Extensions downloaded directly from Chrome Web Store are not proxied through any external server i.e. will be tracked by Google
- Use of extensions increases the attack surface, and compromised extensions are a risk
- Does not block ads on YouTube by default
- No built-in auto-update but can use a script e.g. from NeverDecaf repository
- When I clicked on a YT video in MWT forums it gives me Error 153 - Video player configuration error. I need to open the link externally for it to play.
- Still need Dark Reader extension to settle between showing alert icons clearly on MWT forums and displaying all web contents in dark mode for web pages. The two default dark mode flag settings cannot handle both issues at the same time
- No Android version
Helium
Pros
- Based on Ungoogled Chromium (Eloston Github) so is a privacy-enhanced browser that removes deep integration with Google services and enhances user control and transparency. It aims to provide a web browsing experience focused on privacy and freedom from Google's tracking mechanisms.
- Releases faster than Ungoogled Chromium
- There’s zero telemetry to block from calling home since it’s based on Ungoogled Chromium (Eloston Github)
- Allows the use of extensions to strengthen the browser’s privacy. Extensions from Chrome Web Store are proxied through their servers. No need to set flag “Handling of extension MIME type requests”
- Has the full uBlock Origin extension (not uBO Lite) built-in thus has ads/trackers protection
- Block YouTube ads using default filters
- Has slightly better fingerprinting protection through enabling flag settings (e.g. audiocontext, randomize number of CPU cores etc)
- Speed-wise I find it faster than UG
- No bloatware to remove
- Built-in auto-update…………still in progress
- The Android Helium Browser below on Github based on Helium and Vanadium looks promising with extensions support and built-in WebRTC Leak protection
Secure open-source Android browser with support for extensions - jqssun/android-helium-browser
github.com
Use flags to set fingerprinting protection
- Canvas::measureText() fingerprint deception
- ClientRects() fingerprint deception
- Canvas pixel noising
- Jitter audio context data
- Randomize number of CPU cores
Cons
- Will need extra extensions to enhance its fingerprinting (anonymity) protection e.g. Font Fingerprinting Defender etc
- Use of extensions increases the attack surface, and compromised extensions are a risk
- When I clicked on a YT video in MWT forums it gives me Error 153 - Video player configuration error. I need to open the link externally for it to play
- Still need Dark Reader extension to settle between showing alert icons clearly on MWT forums and displaying all web contents in dark mode for web pages. The two default dark mode flag settings cannot handle both issues at the same time
For both UG and Helium can add extensions to further enhance their fingerprinting protection like
- WebRTC Leak Shield
- WebGPU Fingerprint Defender
- Font Fingerprint Defender
- Disable Battery API (from Github)
Brave
Pros
- Rated as the best chromium browser for unmatched privacy and protection
- Has Degoogling but is not as great as UG.
- Brave has its own servers, and many Google endpoints are proxied through them e.g. SafeBrowsing
- Unless seriously needed (like enhancing privacy blocking of ads/trackers, special functionalities that Brave don’t provide, extensions like password manager etc.) otherwise it’s not required to add extra extensions/filter blocklists for the built-ins are adequate for normal use. Additional improvement in privacy through extra extensions/filter blocklists only cause the browser to be less anonymous from other Brave users.
- Has strong defense against fingerprinting thus better anonymity
- Blocks ads on YouTube by default
- Has auto update of browser
- No issue to play YT video inside MWT forums
- No issue with showing alert icons in MWT forums clearly and displaying web contents for webpages in dark mode using its default dark mode setting
- Has its Android version
Cons
- Has no extension web store of its own. Extensions from Chrome Web Store are not proxied through Brave servers thus using them will be tracked by Google
- Comes with some bloatware like Brave VPN, Wallet, Rewards, News, Talk, Sync, Tor, Leo AI Chat
- Brave has telemetry which calls home. Can block them for greater privacy though.
Some fingerprintings protected against by Brave are listed and shown below
Brave browser for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows. - brave/brave-browser
github.com
More fingerprint protection by Brave here
Brave's goal is to both be the best browser for protecting your privacy, and the best browser for day-to-day, full-featured Web use. This post describes new privacy features being developed in Brave to better protect user privacy, without breaking privacy-respecting, user-serving websites.
brave.com
