Yes, Chromium is free. It is an open-source web browser project.
Chromium serves as the foundation for several browsers, most notably Google Chrome. The crucial difference lies in licensing and branding. While Chromium itself is released under a permissive BSD license, making it free to use, distribute, and modify, Google Chrome includes proprietary additions such as:
- Branding: The Chrome name and logo are Google's trademarks.
- Proprietary Code: Chrome includes certain features and codecs that are not open source.
- Automatic Updates: Chrome benefits from Google's automatic update infrastructure.
Key Features of Chromium
- Open Source: Its source code is freely available and modifiable.
- Cross-Platform: Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android.
- Foundation for Chrome: Serves as the base for Google Chrome.
- Extensible: Supports extensions and themes.
- Developer-Friendly: Provides extensive developer tools.
Differences between Chromium and Google Chrome
| Feature | Chromium | Google Chrome |
|---|---|---|
| License | BSD License | Proprietary (with open-source components) |
| Branding | Lacks Google's branding | Features Google's branding |
| Proprietary Code | None | Includes some proprietary code and codecs |
| Automatic Updates | Generally requires manual updating | Automatic updates via Google's infrastructure |
| Default Plugins | Minimal default plugins | Includes more default plugins, like Flash |
Because Chromium is open source, other developers and companies can use it to create their own browsers. Brave, Microsoft Edge, and Opera are notable examples of browsers built on the Chromium engine.
In summary, Chromium is a completely free and open-source web browser project, which forms the basis for Google Chrome and several other popular browsers.
