Best Chromium Based Browser
What is the Chromium project?
Chromium is an open-source project behind Google Chrome and many other browsers like Opera, Comodo Icedragon, Yandex Browser, Baidu Browser, Slimjet Browser and many more. Every now & then we think of switching from your Chrome browser but, what are the best options?
Chromium based browsers are simple, speedy and can be customized for better usage.
Chromium Browser
Chromium is the open source web browser project from which all the browsers listed above draw their source code. Chromium aims to build a safer and a stable way for all internet users to surf efficiently. Chromium shares resources for developers, for testers to test and build something better.
So, which is the Best Chromium Based Browser?
We are going to go through list of Chromium browsers with Pros & Cons followed by comparison & concluding which is the Best Chromium Browser
1. Google Chrome
Google Chrome is no doubt a powerful browser. It claims speed, simplicity & compatibility. A vast extension store for more customization and easy surfing. One account all settings sync capability.
Pros:
- Fast browsing performance
- More control over your tabs
- More dynamic home page for common used search engines and bookmarks
- Built in support for Flash and PDF files
- Has sync capabilities that allows us to access our customized browser anywhere
- Excellent Task Manager option
Cons:
- Minor site incompatibilities
- Graphics hardware acceleration doesn’t work with all graphics cards
- Crash Errors for a lot of users
2. Opera Browser
Opera is another chromium browser with a lot of unique features. It's mobile version is very popular with the name opera mini. Opera also has sync on the go capability, includes capability of compressing pages if on a slow connection and has a simple interface. Rediscover news and other content with restyled intuitive list of categories. Visual bookmarks & enhanced privacy options.
Pros:
- Opera Turbo
- Crash Recovery Feature
- Rewind feature
- Bit Torrent integration
- Thumbnail Previews
- Customize skins
Cons:
- Site incompatibilities
- Less Widgets & add ons
3. Slimjet Browser
Slimjet is a fast reliable web browser with a lot of unique features. It is compatible with all Chrome extensions which makes it easily customizable. Slimjet pre loads useful security features & integrated features. Ad Blocker, download manager, social sharing, photo compression and a lot of unique features.
Pros:
- Integrated Ad blocker
- Disable WebRTC/ Canvas fingerprinting feature
- Fast startup & interface
- Security features
- Turbocharged download manager
Cons:
- No auto update feature
4. SRWare Iron
SRware Iron is another chromium browser which inherits most of the design and features from Chrome. SRware Iron is exactly a replica of Google Chrome but with enhanced security features. Many chrome functions have been disabled to make SRware Iron different & efficient from Chrome. These functions include, Client-ID, Timestamp, Alternate Error Pages, Google Updater & Url Tracker.
Pros:
- Security Features
- No Google Tracking
Cons:
- Javascript problems
- Average Extensions
5. Torch Web Browser
Torch Browser is a popular alternative to those who like to stick with Google chrome. Packs faster internet experience & unique features according to users. Has built in torrent Client, download accelerator and more useful features. Media grabber allows download of media with one click, use torch player to play videos even before full download. Torch music & facelift features to listen to your favorite tracks and customize design skins easily.
Pros:
- Share pages from browser itself
- Media Grabber- Download videos
- Torch Music
- Drag & drop share
Cons:
- Some features do not work all the time
- Cluttered & Complicated compared to chromium browsers
- All Chrome extensions do not work
6. Comodo Dragon Browser
Another Chrome variant with minor changes. It sports a slightly refurbished interface & a few security changes under the roof. It has domain verification technology and ensures privacy by preventing all browser download tracking.
Pros:
- Secure DNS feature
- Better Security options compared to chrome
Cons:
- Less developer updates
- slow compared to other chromium browsers
7. Rockmelt Browser
Acquired by Internet Giant Yahoo, Rockmelt is often called a Social Browser. It is a remixed browser version of chrome tightly themed with facebook & twitter. Once you login to your social accounts when prompted, you will surf alonside all the updates in front of your eyes.
Pros:
- Social Access features
- Integrated facebook chat & updates
- Tweets right from the browser
Cons:
- Slow speed
- Not much support for users
- Chrome add ons do not work
8. Coolnovo Browser
Coolnovo was formerly called Chrome Plus. It flaunts itself as an enhanced version of Chrome some new features. The plus features part adds Mouse Gestures, Super Drag, a Download Manager, enhanced bookmarks, an IE tab, and more.
Pros:
- Mouse gestures
- Ability to run Internet Explorer in a tab
Cons:
- Slow speed
- Poorly executed features
- Less support
9. Yandex Browser
Developed by the popular Yandex corporation which runs the Yandex Search Engine as well. A lot of user interface related changes are evident in this browser like progress indicator, default empty tab not only shows you recent websites but downloads & extensions as well.
Pros:
- Animation effects
- Fast loading Speed
Cons:
- cannot open multiple new tabs
- Enabling extension first downloads them
10. Vivaldi Browser
Vivaldi browser was developed by former CEO of Opera. An adaptive interface, navigation through tabs using arrow keys, integrated Email Client and much more features. It is still in an initial mode of testing so a lot more surprises to come with this browser.
Pros:
- Adaptive Interface
- Spatial Navigation
- Easy Customization
Cons:
- Adons slow the browser
- Less extensions
Let us now compare the features of these browsers side by side.
Above comparison and this table tells us which is the Best Chromium Browser.
| Features | Chrome | Opera | Slimjet | SRWare Iron | Torch | Comodo | Rockmelt | Coolnovo | yandex | Vivaldi |
| Tabbed Browsing | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Add ons | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Automatic Updates | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Ad blocker | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ |
| Download Accelerator | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| Bookmarks Sidebar | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Conclusion
Although different users have different opinions based on their experiences and browser performances, in this article we have tried to compare chromium browsers to make out which may be the Best Chromium based Browser. Having tested all these chromium browsers for their speed, stability, performance, privacy and other useful features we can conclude following details.
Chrome is fast and has vast network of extensions and support but sometimes it becomes very slow and crashes because of one reason or other.
Similarly Opera is not as dependable as chrome and with other browsers flaunting awesome features Opera is just not the choice.
Slimjet is powerful and very close to what experience one would want in a browser.
Rockmelt is as good as social networking, Torch is reliable and powerful with great features, Vivaldi is still in test phase so something solid cannot be concluded as of now although the browser shows a lot of promise. Yandex and Coolnovo are good alternate browsers but for powerful performance and more feature rich usage you may have to keep a main browser.
If you are satisfied with your current browser you should stick to it. If you are one of those who are more complex users, love to have feature browsers and are not afraid to test out something new, try out Slimjet, SR ware Iron, Vivaldi or Torch browser and find out which works best for you.
For us Slimjet or Torch browser are the clear winners as Best Chromium based Browsers when compared for speed, stability, features and privacy.