What is the Difference Between Chrome and Chromium?

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Chrome and Chromium are both web browsers that share many similarities, but they have some key differences:

  1. Licensing and Open Source: Chromium is an open-source software project created by Google, while Chrome is a proprietary software developed by Google and built upon the Chromium source code.
  2. Features: Chrome includes additional features such as automatic updates, built-in PDF viewer, and Flash player, while Chromium does not have these features. Chrome also provides more stability and is considered more user-friendly than Chromium.
  3. Privacy: Chromium does not track your browsing data, which provides more privacy compared to Chrome.
  4. Digital Rights Management (DRM): Chrome has built-in support for DRM components to play copyrighted content, while Chromium does not provide this feature.
  5. Media Codecs: Chrome has in-built support for Flash and media codecs, while Chromium does not.

In summary, Chrome is a more feature-rich and stable browser, while Chromium is a more privacy-focused and open-source alternative. Chromium serves as the foundation for Chrome, and many other popular browsers are also built using Chromium's source code.

Comparative Table: Chrome vs Chromium

Here is a table comparing the differences between Chrome and Chromium:

Feature Chrome Chromium
Developer Google Open-source project, managed by The Chromium Project
Licensing Proprietary software Free and open-source
Flash Player Built-in Adobe Flash Player (H.264 support for HTML5 video) Does not have built-in Adobe Flash Player, but can be installed separately
Media Codecs In-built support for media codecs Does not have in-built support for media codecs
Auto-update Automatic updates Updates need to be manually installed
PDF Viewer Built-in PDF viewer Does not have a built-in PDF viewer
Use Case Designed for everyday browsing Geared towards development and lacks some user-centric features

In summary, Chrome is a proprietary web browser developed by Google, with features like automatic updates, built-in PDF viewer, and Flash player. Chromium, on the other hand, is an open-source project that serves as the basis for Chrome and other browsers. While Chrome is designed for everyday browsing, Chromium is geared towards development and lacks some user-centric features.