FTC compliant

Mar 17

Zen Browser vs Chromium

Efficient at Embedded AI, User Experience, Tab Management, Performance Efficiency, and Data Protection

Comparison

Zen Browser

Chromium

Comparison Summary

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Zen Browser gives you a Firefox-based experience with a sidebar like Arc, but expect buggy sites and broken extensions compared to Chromium.

Only use Chromium if you really want to mess with the raw browser foundation; stick with Zen Browser for actual day-to-day use.

1
Zen Browser
2
Chromium

At a Glance

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See how Zen Browser and Chromium compare on the most important Browser criteria.

Embedded AI
Draw
User Experience
Draw
Tab Management
Draw
Performance Efficiency
Draw
Data Protection
Best

Editor's Verdict

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If you care about browser extensions actually working and having websites behave as expected, Chromium is the way to go. Almost every major browser runs on Chromium, which means your extensions transfer easily and sites are built with it in mind. That's why switching between Chrome, Edge, Arc, or Brave is painless, and everything just works.

Zen Browser, on the other hand, is built on Firefox, so most Chrome extensions won't work. If you depend on browser extensions, you'll be stuck, only 2 out of 29 extensions carried over in real use. You'll also run into more bugs on sites, since most are optimized for Chromium browsers.

Unless you're a die-hard Firefox fan who loves the idea of a sidebar and doesn't rely on extensions, Chromium is the better choice for compatibility and a smooth, hassle-free experience.

Comparison Video and Summaries

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Zen Browser

Chromium

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Zen Browser At a Glance

See how Zen Browser compares on the most important Browser criteria.

Embedded AI: 1/7
User Experience: 4/7
Tab Management: 4/7
Performance Efficiency: 3/7
Data Protection: 5/7

Zen Browser Editor's Verdict

What is Zen Browser?

Zen Browser is heavily inspired by Arc Browser, with one core difference. It was built for those who want a Chromium alternative, but love the idea of a modern browser with a powerful sidebar, like Arc.

That said, with it being built atop Firefox, if you're moving over to it from Google Chrome or Safari, you're most notably going to notice how many browser extensions you use that don't exist in Firefox more than anything:

Only 2 of 29 extensions ported over

It's also built by a much smaller team, so you really have to just be somebody that absolutely loves Firefox, and wants to use a modern spin on that. That said, if youwant an Arc-like experience without the bugs? Just use Arc instead.

Chromium At a Glance

See how Chromium compares on the most important Browser criteria.

Embedded AI: 1/7
User Experience: 2/7
Tab Management: 2/7
Performance Efficiency: 4/7
Data Protection: 3/7

Chromium Editor's Verdict

What is Chromium?

Chromium is something you're likely using right now without even realizing it. Are you using Arc Browser, Chrome, Brave, or even Microsoft Edge right now? Okay, then you're using Chromium.

You know those extensions you have in the top-right corner? Yep, those are Chromium extensions (often referred to as "Chrome Extensions"). Little do people know, Google built an open-source foundation to the browser, for which most of the top browsers on the market use as their foundation.

Competition

I mean you're not exactly looking at traditional competition here, but Apple does use a competing standard called Webkit. So if you're using Safari on your computer, that's running on Webkit instead of Chromium.

The super interesting part here though is if you're using iOS, any browser you're using is actually built atop Webkit—even Google Chrome. Apple requires Webkit be used on iOS regardless.

Why exactly? Well, Google pays Apple some $20bn per year to be the default search engine in Safari, so holding onto Webkit on iOS and iPad is probably one of their leverage points:

“At-least we still own the foundation of the browser for our products!”
-Apple (probably) 🤷

Final Verdict

This genuinely probably doesn't mean much to you, but you're probably using Chromium and you probably don't care.

Just know that it makes for switching between Chromium-based browsers far easier—from transferring bookmarks, to extensions, and everything inbetween.