Chromium is the open-source browser project behind Google Chrome; Chrome is Google's finished browser built on it. The difference most people feel is updates: Chrome builds auto-update, while Chromium builds don't and are released on a best-effort basis.
People ask this as if they're picking between two browsers. They're not, quite. According to the Chromium project's own site, as of Nov 2026, Chromium is the open-source project behind the Google Chrome browser, the same way ChromiumOS sits behind Google ChromeOS. So one is the source and the other is Google's finished product. The useful question isn't which is better. It's what you gain and lose when you take the source without Google's packaging, and the project's own download page is surprisingly blunt about that.
What each one is, in the project's own words
Chromium is described as an open-source browser project that aims to build a safer, faster and more stable way for all users to experience the web. The chromium.org site says it houses the documentation and code for the Chromium projects and is intended for developers who want to learn about and contribute to them. That tells you who the site is for. It's a developer hub, with design documents, architecture overviews, testing information and guides on how to get the code, build it and run it.
Outside the project's own pages, the relationship reads the same way: Chromium is a free and open-source web browser project, mainly developed by Google, and it provides most of the code in Google Chrome.
Chrome is the browser Google ships to everyone else. The Chromium projects page even carries a "Looking for Google Chrome?" line pointing ordinary visitors to the Chrome download, which is a fair hint about who each one is meant for.
What's in each, side by side
| Google Chrome | Chromium builds | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | Google's browser, built on the Chromium project | The open-source project's own builds |
| Auto-update | Yes, as new releases occur | No |
| Release channels | Stable, Beta, Dev and Canary | Snapshots from arbitrary revisions |
| Crash and bug infrastructure | The most, per the download page | Not stated |
| Debug symbols | Not stated for Chrome itself | None included |
| Old versions | Google doesn't offer them | Old Chromium builds can be found by branch position |
| Licence and media codecs | Not covered on chromium.org | Not covered on chromium.org |
Updates: the difference you'll notice first
This is the catch most comparisons skip. The Download Chromium page says Chrome builds auto-update as new releases occur, "which makes them a good choice for most uses". It then says Chromium builds don't auto-update and don't have symbols, and that this makes them most useful for checking whether a claimed fix works. So the project itself positions Chromium snapshots as a testing tool, not a daily browser.
It goes further. Chromium builds, the page says, are made available on a best-effort basis and are built from arbitrary revisions that don't necessarily map to user-facing Chrome releases. In plain terms, the build you grab today might sit between two Chrome versions, and it won't patch itself tomorrow. If you install one as your everyday browser, keeping it current is your job.
Chrome, on the other hand, comes in channels. Chrome Canary is available for Windows and Mac and auto-updates daily, and Dev and Beta channels are available too. There's also Chrome for Testing, a dedicated flavour of Chrome without auto-update, built into the Chrome release process and made available for every Chrome release across Stable, Beta, Dev and Canary. That one exists for automated testing, which is why it skips updates on purpose.
Old builds, branches and portable copies
Here Chromium has the edge, at least for developers. Google doesn't offer old builds of Chrome, because they don't have up-to-date security fixes. If you need, say, Chrome 44 for debugging, the page walks you through finding a Chromium 44 build that should mostly match that stable release, by looking up the branch position and pulling the matching snapshot. Snapshots are listed for Mac, Windows, Linux and ChromiumOS.
There's a warning attached. The page notes that some portable Chromium sites offer ready-made binaries, and due to security concerns the Chrome team doesn't recommend running them. If you want Chromium, get it from the project's own snapshot archive or build it yourself from source. And whichever one you settle on, it's worth a look at this rundown of the browser add-ons worth installing whichever way you go.
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What the Chromium site doesn't cover
You'll often read that Chrome and Chromium differ on licensing, built-in media codecs, account sync or usage reporting. The Chromium project's own pages don't set out any of that, so treat confident claims about it with care. The site's own content is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5, with code examples under the BSD License, but that's the documentation, not a statement about either browser's licence. If codecs or licence terms decide it for you, check Google's Chrome terms and your Chromium package's own notes.
The short verdict
For almost everyone, Chrome. The Chromium project says so itself: auto-updating Chrome builds are the good choice for most uses, and Chromium snapshots exist mainly for testing fixes. Pick Chromium if you're a developer who needs an exact older build, wants to study or contribute to the code, or needs a browser that won't change under you during a test. If you're curious how AI tools now sit inside the browser on top of that engine, this look at a Claude extension for Chrome shows where things are heading. Just don't run an old, unpatched snapshot as your main browser and assume you've got Chrome without Google. You haven't; you've got Chrome without the updates.
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Quick answers
Is Chromium the same as Chrome?
No. Chromium is the open-source project behind Google Chrome, and Chrome is Google's browser built from it.
Does Chromium update itself?
No. The Chromium download page says Chromium builds don't auto-update, while Chrome builds auto-update as new releases occur.
Can I get an old version of Chrome?
Google doesn't offer old Chrome builds because they lack up-to-date security fixes, but the Chromium site explains how to find an old Chromium build that should mostly match a past stable release.
Should I use portable Chromium downloads?
The Chrome team doesn't recommend running binaries from portable Chromium sites, citing security concerns.
