Krypton
Free Windows browser on Helium Chromium: WinUI 3 sidebar, Workspaces, Glance, 4-way split, Boosts, routing.
Krypton is a free, GPL-3.0 browser for 64-bit Windows 10 and 11, published from one GitHub account (perpetus; the commits are credited to "Krypton Authors") and aimed at Arc and Zen users: its site has a "Krypton vs Arc" page and its installer imports from Arc. It runs Chromium 157 through Helium (ungoogled-chromium) and replaces Helium's browser window with KryptonUI, a native interface written in C++23 on WinUI 3. It has a sidebar with workspaces that each carry their own tabs, folders and colour theme (two-finger swipe to switch), Essentials shared across workspaces, folders nested five levels deep, Glance (Alt-click), split view of up to four pages, Boosts with Zap and Focus, workspace routing rules, a Library drawer for downloads, history, boosts, rules and media, sidebar media controls and the official uBlock Origin bundled. There is no account or sync. Widevine, Live Caption and search suggestions stay off until switched on. It installs from a web or offline setup with signed in-app updates; the installers carry no Authenticode signature, so SmartScreen warns. The public repositories are periodic snapshots; the release source zip is newer.
Built-in AI
No AI
Krypton adds no AI; Helium's disable-ai patch removes Chromium's Gemini and related AI features, and the optional-features list names none.
github.comBloat check
None found
No ads, wallet, feed, upsell or account. 0.21.3.6 adds crash reports to Sentry, sent only if you agree after a crash (default Ask); the privacy page still says crash uploads are off.
krypton.runAds, crypto, paid upsells, news feeds, default-on telemetry, required accounts.
Organization
| Feature | Krypton | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| SidebarVertical sidebarTabs live in a vertical sidebar that is the main tab UI and can be hidden. | ✓ | ✓ | Tabs live in a native WinUI sidebar (left or right, auto-hide, icon rail); compact mode and horizontal classic, compact and dynamic tab layouts are options.github.com |
| SpacesSeveral workspaces per window, each with its own pinned and open tabs, switched by swipe or shortcut. | ✓ | ✓ | Named workspaces with icon and colour, each with its own tabs, folders and theme; switch from the sidebar or with a two-finger touchpad swipe.github.com |
| ProfilesProfiles per Space (shareable)Each Space can use its own browser profile (separate cookies, logins, history), and one profile can be shared by several Spaces. | ✕ | ✓ | Workspaces are named groups inside one Chromium profile, so cookies, logins and extensions are shared by all of them.github.com |
| FavoritesGlobal favoritesPinned icons at the top of the sidebar shared by every Space (Zen calls them Essentials). | ✓ | ✓ | Essentials: a favorites grid at the top of the sidebar, shared by every workspace and kept as URLs in the profile.github.com |
| Pinned TabsPinned tabs & foldersPer-space pinned tabs that act like bookmarks, with nested folders. | ✓ | ✓ | Pinned tabs per workspace, and folders that nest five levels deep and hold pinned tabs; they can be renamed, collapsed or unpacked.github.com |
| Live foldersSidebar folders that fill and refresh themselves from an outside source, such as GitHub pull requests or an RSS feed. | ✕ | ✓ | Folders hold tabs only (name, icon, parent, order); no RSS or GitHub feed folders.github.com |
| ArchiveAuto-archive tabsUnpinned tabs close automatically after a set time and stay recoverable in an archive. | ◐ | ✓ | A Clear action closes the workspace's idle unpinned tabs, sparing playing, shared and the current tab; no timer closes tabs and there is no archive list.github.com |
| Theme pickerSpace themesPer-space colour or gradient themes. | ✓ | ✓ | Each workspace has its own theme: up to three colours with harmony modes, opacity, grain and a light, dark or system scheme.github.com |
Browsing
| Feature | Krypton | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Split ViewTwo or more tabs side by side in one window. | ✓ | ✓ | Splits of 2 to 4 pages in columns, rows or a grid (Ctrl+Alt+V, H, G; U undoes); drag dividers, or drop a tab on a page edge.github.com |
| PeekLink previewOpen a link in an overlay without leaving the current page (Zen calls it Glance). | ✓ | ✓ | Glance: Alt-click a link to open it over the page; Ctrl+O keeps it as a tab and Esc closes it.github.com |
| Little ArcMini windowA small, chrome-less window for links opened from other apps or a quick search. | ✕ | ✓ | No one-page window for links from other apps; none in the source (searched).github.com |
| Command barA ⌘T palette that searches tabs, history, bookmarks and browser commands. | ◐ | ✓ | The address bar suggests open tabs, history, bookmarks and searches; the source never produces command suggestions, so no browser commands.github.com |
| Air Traffic ControlLink routingRules that send links from other apps to a chosen space or profile. | ✓ | ✓ | Workspace routing rules (domain, contains, exact URL or regex) move a matching tab to a chosen workspace, optionally only for new tabs; edited in the Library.github.com |
| BoostsSite customizationPer-site custom CSS/JS, or zapping elements off a page. | ✓ | ✓ | Per-site Boosts: colours, fonts, size, case and CSS; Zap hides picked elements, Focus keeps one part, Share copies the boost as JSON. CSS only, no scripts.github.com |
| Auto PiPAuto picture-in-picturePlaying video pops out into picture-in-picture automatically when you switch tabs. | ✕ | ✓ | The sidebar media card has a manual picture-in-picture button; nothing pops a playing video out when you switch tabs (searched).github.com |
| Mini playerMedia still playing in a tab you left keeps play/pause controls in the sidebar. | ✓ | ✓ | A sidebar media card for tabs with media: play/pause, previous/next, mute, picture-in-picture, jump to the tab; camera and microphone mute when shared.github.com |
| Tab SwitcherRecent-tab switcherCtrl+Tab jumps back to the tab you used last and cycles in recently used order. | ✕ | ✓ | Ctrl+Tab keeps Chromium's tab order; no most-recently-used switcher in Krypton's source (searched).github.com |
| Super CopyClean link copyA shortcut (⌘⇧C) copies the page URL with tracking parameters removed. | ✕ | ✓ | The copy-link command is Chromium's CopyURLs: the address as is, with no tracker stripping.github.com |
| CaptureScreenshotsBuilt-in capture of a chosen area or element, and of the full page. | ◐ | ✓ | Take screenshot in the site menu opens Chromium's area-selection overlay; no element capture, and no full-page capture found.github.com |
Compatibility & migration
| Feature | Krypton | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arc importImports Arc spaces, pinned tabs and folders. | ◐ | – | Setup imports from Arc (bookmarks, history; Arc's sidebar bookmarks via Helium), Dia, Helium and Thorium; Spaces, pins and folders are not recreated.github.com |
| Chrome extensionsInstalls extensions from the Chrome Web Store. | ✓ | ✓ | Installs straight from the Chrome Web Store (Helium's proxy removed); MV3 extensions run, and MV2 ones do too.github.com |
| DRM streamingNetflix, Disney+, Spotify web and other DRM video/audio play, through Widevine or, on WebKit, FairPlay. Chromium forks need a Google Widevine licence; FairPlay counts once a major service is confirmed playing in the app. | ? | ✓ | Widevine is a Settings opt-in (off by default, then downloaded from Google); protected video won't play until then. No playback was tested and no service named. |
| PasskeysWebAuthn passkeys, Touch ID and the system/iCloud keychain. | ? | ✓ | Windows Hello passkeys would come from Chromium's own WebAuthn; no Krypton code touches them and no sign-in was tried. |
| SyncSpaces, pinned tabs and settings sync across devices. | ✕ | ✓ | No sync: the privacy policy says there is no Krypton account or server that receives tabs, history or settings.krypton.run |
| Mobile appiPhone, iPad or Android app that shares spaces with desktop. | ✕ | ◐ | Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit only; no phone or tablet app.krypton.run |
Extras
| Feature | Krypton | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in ad blockerAd and tracker blocking without installing an extension. | ✓ | ✓ | The official uBlock Origin 1.75.4 (full, not Lite) is bundled and on from the first page; its filter lists update themselves.github.com |
| Custom ShortcutsShortcut editorMost browser keyboard shortcuts can be remapped in Settings. | ✓ | ✓ | Settings has Helium's Keyboard shortcuts page to record and reset browser-command shortcuts; Krypton's own keys (split layouts, Glance) are fixed.github.com |
More Arc features
Arc features shown but not counted in the score, because almost no replacement has them or only a few people need them.
| Feature | Krypton | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| EaselsA shareable canvas of live page captures, notes and drawings. | ✕ | ◐ | No board or canvas feature in the README feature list or the source (searched).github.com |
| Shared CollectionsShared spaces & foldersShare a Space, folder or set of tabs as a link anyone can open, or another user can add to their sidebar. | ✕ | ✓ | Only a Boost can be shared, as JSON copied to the clipboard; workspaces, folders and splits can't be shared.github.com |
| PreviewsWeb app previewsHover a pinned Gmail, Calendar or other web app to glance at it; a pinned calendar shows the next meeting with Join. | ✕ | ✓ | Hovering a tab shows a preview of the page and its memory use; no live web-app previews or unread badges.krypton.run |
| Developer modeA developer view that turns on by itself for localhost: full URL, quick DevTools and dev tools in reach. | ✕ | ✓ | Only Chromium's DevTools; no localhost developer mode in the source (searched).github.com |
Extension support
Which extension formats and stores run, beyond the Chrome Web Store row above.
| Feature | Krypton | Arc | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manifest V2 extensionsThe older extension format Chrome removed in 2025. Needed for full uBlock Origin and other extensions that block requests. | ✓ | ✕ | Helium's patch stops disabling legacy MV2 extensions; the bundled official uBlock Origin is itself MV2.github.com |
| Manifest V3 extensionsThe current extension format used by the Chrome Web Store (and supported by Firefox and Safari). | ✓ | ✓ | Chromium 157 runs MV3 extensions from the Chrome Web Store, which Krypton queries directly.github.com |
| Firefox add-onsAdd-ons from addons.mozilla.org or .xpi files install and run. | ✕ | ✕ | Extensions come only from the Chrome Web Store; no Firefox add-on (.xpi) path.github.com |
| Safari extensionsSafari web extensions (the App Store extension apps Safari uses) install and run. | ✕ | ✕ | Windows build on Chromium; Safari web extensions are app extensions that only Safari loads.developer.apple.com |