Chrome vs Chromium: What’s the Difference? (2026 Guide)

Chrome vs Chromium is a question many people ask when they spot “Chromium” on Linux or in a browser’s About page. Chromium is the free, open-source browser project that Google started in 2008, and Google Chrome is Google’s own branded browser built from that code, with extra Google features added on top. When we first wrote about Chromium the week Google launched Chrome, it was a brand-new project. Today Chromium powers most of the world’s browsers.

Quick answer: Chromium is the open-source code base; Chrome is Google’s browser built from it. Chrome adds automatic updates, Google account sync, licensed media codecs and DRM for streaming services, and crash and usage reporting. Most people should use Chrome or another maintained Chromium-based browser such as Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera or Vivaldi. Plain Chromium suits developers, testers and Linux users who want a fully open-source build.

What is Chromium?

Chromium is an open-source browser project released by Google in September 2008, under a permissive BSD-style licence. Anyone can read, change and ship the code. It includes the Blink rendering engine (which draws web pages) and the V8 JavaScript engine (which runs web apps). Google engineers write much of the code, but Microsoft, Opera, Samsung, Intel and many others also contribute.

Google explained in 2008 that it opened the code to help “drive the web forward”, following the lead of open projects like Firefox and WebKit. That decision is why so many browsers today share the same core.

Chrome vs Chromium: the main differences

Browsers built on Chromium

Because the code is open, many browsers start from Chromium and add their own features. Websites behave almost the same in all of them, and most Chrome extensions work too.

• Google Chrome (external site): the most used browser, with deep Google account integration.
• Microsoft Edge (external site): switched to Chromium in 2020 and ships with Windows. See how to make Google the default search engine in Edge.
• Brave (external site): blocks ads and trackers by default.
• Opera (external site): adds a built-in VPN-style proxy, sidebar apps and an AI assistant.
• Vivaldi (external site): highly customisable, with tab stacks, notes and a mail client.
• ungoogled-chromium (external site): a community build that strips out Google services for privacy-minded users.

Should you use Chrome or Chromium?

Choose Chrome if

• You want automatic security updates without thinking about it.
• You sync bookmarks and passwords across phone and computer with a Google account.
• You watch Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ or other DRM-protected streams in the browser.

Choose Chromium if

• You want a fully open-source browser, for example on Linux, where your distribution packages and updates it.
• You are a web developer testing a specific browser build.
• You don’t need Google sync or paid streaming.

One warning: the snapshot builds on the official Chromium download page (external site) do not update themselves. An outdated browser misses security fixes, so if you install one, update it yourself regularly, or pick a maintained browser instead. Testers can also use Google’s Chrome for Testing builds, described on the same page.

How to tell which browser you have

1. Type chrome://version in the address bar and press Enter.
2. The first line names the browser (Google Chrome, Chromium, Edge and so on) and its version number.
3. In Chrome you can also open the three-dot menu, then Help, then About Google Chrome, which checks for updates too.

Whichever Chromium browser you use, install add-ons with care: our guide on how to install Chrome extensions safely works for all of them. Mac users can follow our Google Chrome for Mac install guide.

What changed since 2008

Our original 2008 post covered Chromium’s launch: no extension system yet, NPAPI plugins like Flash and QuickTime, the new V8 JavaScript engine (external site), and a comic book Google used to explain the browser. Since then Chrome gained extensions (2009-2010), Chromium left Apple’s WebKit for its own Blink engine (2013), NPAPI plugins and Flash were retired, and Chromium became the base for Edge, Opera, Brave, Vivaldi and many more.

FAQ

Is Chromium the same as Chrome?

No. Chrome is built from Chromium’s code, but Google adds automatic updates, account sync, licensed codecs, Widevine DRM and its own branding.

Is Chromium safer than Chrome?

Not automatically. Chromium sends less data to Google, but an un-updated Chromium build is less safe than an up-to-date Chrome. Security depends mostly on getting updates quickly.

Is Chromium free?

Yes. Chromium is free and open source, and so is Chrome to download and use.

Do Chrome extensions work in Chromium?

Most do, and the same is true for Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi, since they share the same extension system.

Why won’t Netflix play in Chromium?

Many Chromium builds don’t include the Widevine DRM module that streaming services require. Chrome, Edge and most other mainstream Chromium-based browsers include it.