When Google first launched Chrome in 2008, they also released the Chrome source code, which is an open source project based on that code. The open source code is maintained by the Chrome project, and Chrome itself is maintained by Google.

The biggest difference between the two browsers is that while Chrome is based on Chromium, Google has added some proprietary features to Chrome, such as automatic updates and support for other video formats. Google is taking a similar approach to Chromium OS, an open source project that lays the foundation for its Own Chrome OS, the operating system that runs on Chromebooks.

What does Chrome have that Chromium doesn’t

Chrome is based on Chromium, but Google has added some proprietary, closed source bits to the Chromium browser that Chromium lacks. Specifically, Google took Chromium and added the following:

  • AAC, H.264, and MP3 support: Chrome includes licensed codecs for these proprietary media formats, giving you access to a wider variety of media content – especially sites that use HTML5 video to deliver H.264 video. Both browsers include basic free codecs: Opus, Theora, Vorbis, VP8, VP9, and WAV.
  • Adobe Flash (PPAPI) : Chrome includes a Sandbox Pepper API (PPAPI) Flash plug-in that Google automatically updates with Chrome. This is the only way to get the latest version of Flash on Linux. Even on Windows and Mac, you’re better off using Chrome’s sandbox PPAPI Flash plugin rather than the older NPAPI Flash plugin provided on Adobe’s website. (You can actually get a Pepper Flash plugin from Chrome and install it and use it in Chromium if you want.)
  • Google Update: Windows and Mac Users of Chrome can get additional background apps that automatically keep Chrome up to date. Linux users use their standard software management tools.
  • Extension restrictions: For Chrome, Google will disable extensions that are not hosted in the Chrome Web Store.
  • Crashes and error reporting: Chrome users can choose to send statistics about crashes and errors to Google for analysis.
  • Safety sandbox : Google also points out that Chromium security sandbox may be disabled on some Linux distributions, so you’ll need to navigate to About: Sandbox in Chromium to make sure it’s enabled and working by default. This is one of the best features of Chromium (and Chrome).

To obtain the Chromium

On Linux, you can usually install Chromium directly from the Linux distribution’s software repository. For example, on Ubuntu Linux, you can install it by opening the Ubuntu Software Center, searching for Chromium, and then clicking Install. Chromium gets security updates through the Linux distribution’s software repository.

About spyware? (It’s not spyware.)

Google Chrome includes crash reporting that isn’t in Chromium. If you choose to enable crash reporting in Chrome, Google will be sent information about the crash. If you use Chromium, the crash reporter doesn’t exist and you have to track errors the old-fashioned way. Linux distributions may also modify the Chromium code before it is made available to you. If you want to solve some problems with Chrome, it’s better to use Chrome instead of Chromium.

Chromium also lacks usage tracking or “user metrics” features in Chrome. This is an optional feature that sends Information to Google about how you use different parts of your browser, giving them data they can use to make decisions. (This is the data Microsoft claims they used when they removed the Start menu because no one was using it, so maybe the geeks should start leaving these features behind.)

In the past, users worried that every Chrome browser came with a unique “client ID” and noticed that Chromium didn’t. Google stopped doing that in 2010.

However, Chromium does include a lot of functionality that relies on Google’s servers and is enabled by default. You’ll see these features on the Chromium Settings page. These include web services that help fix incorrectly typed urls, predictive services, and Google’s anti-phishing feature.

So which one should you use?

Chromium is great because it allows Linux distributions that require open source software to package a Web browser that is almost identical to Chrome and deliver it to users. Such Linux distributions can even use Chromium as their default Web browser instead of Firefox – some people do. If you like open source software and try to avoid using any closed source code, Chromium is a good choice for you.

However, many Linux users who aren’t keen on open-source software may want to install Chrome instead. If you use Flash and unlock a lot of media online, installing Chrome gives you a better Flash player. For example, Google Chrome on Linux can now stream Netflix videos. This requires H.264 to support HTML5 video, something Chromium doesn’t include.