Chromium

Chromium is the open source browser project that serves as the foundation for Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave and dozens of other browsers. It provides the same Blink rendering engine and V8 JavaScript engine as Chrome but without Google's proprietary services like account sync, automatic updates, crash reporting and usage telemetry baked in.

What it does

Chromium renders web pages using the same engine as Chrome, so website compatibility is virtually identical. You get the same DevTools for web development, the same extension support through the Chrome Web Store, and the same tab management you are accustomed to. Pages load at the same speed, and the interface looks nearly indistinguishable from Chrome at first glance.

The key difference is what Chromium leaves out. There is no built-in PDF viewer (Chromium uses an external handler), no Widevine DRM module for streaming services like Netflix, no automatic background updates, and no Google account integration for syncing bookmarks and passwords across devices. You get a clean browser that does not phone home, but you handle updates and plugin management yourself.

Who it is for

I use Chromium as my testing browser for web development because it gives me the same rendering engine as Chrome without any background services interfering with network analysis in DevTools. If you want a Chrome-compatible browser with no Google services attached, Chromium is the most direct option available. I would not recommend it as your only daily browser, though, because the lack of automatic updates means you need to stay on top of new builds yourself, and the missing DRM support will frustrate you if you stream video regularly.