Chromium is the Open Source part of the Google Chrome browser basically. It is a standalone browser that runs very well on its own, and some users prefer to use it for a variety of reasons.
To name some: it gets updates first before they are added to the four Google Browser versions canary, dev, beta and stable. Another aspect is that it is completely Open Source without proprietary code, which means that all the things that Google has added to Chrome, are not found in Chromium.
One problem that users who work with Chromium experience is the inability to update from within the browser.
Unlike Google Chrome, which comes with built-in updating options, Chromium offers no such option which makes it hard to update the browser, especially since it is usually updated several times a day.
Chromium Update Programs overview
The following programs are designed to automate the process, or make it more comfortable at the very least.
chrlauncher
The free program ships with a highly configurable ini file. It will download the latest version of Chromium by default, or update it if it is already available.
The program supports several different builds of Chromium, and several advanced features which you configure all using the ini file.
Chromium Updater
Chromium Updater is a Windows only application that can update an installed version of the Chromium browser. The software detects the installed version automatically, and downloads the latest available snapshot from the official Chromium server.
If Chromium is not installed it will install the latest version on the computer, and update it from then on in consecutive runs. Chromium Updater is available at the project website at Google Code.
Note: The program website is no longer available. We have uploaded the latest working version of the program to our own server. The program runs fine at the time of writing this update (March 2017).
Please note that we don’t support the program in any way. You can download it with a click on the following link: chromium-updater.zip
JChromium Updater
The updater is just a few days old and an early version has been released by the developer. The Java based application is compatible with all operating systems that Chromium is compatible with. It currently seems to only work with installed versions of the browser as it fails to update portable versions even if the right installation directory is selected. It will place the downloaded browser in the selected folder so that it is possible to update the browser manually.
The software detects the operating system automatically and selects the latest Chromium build for download and updating. The project is actively developed and one to look out for. Downloads are available at the project website.
Chromium Nightly Updater
Another Windows only application that can scan the official release server for the latest version and download it from the official server as a zip archive or executable installer. It will not update the Chromium version on the other hand, leaving that task to the user.
Chromium Nightly Updater is available at DCmembers, a Donation coder service website.
Mulder Chromium Updater
This is a simple Windows program, also available as source code, that will update Chromium if found on the system. If not, it will download the latest version of Chromium to the computer system, and update it from that moment on.
Did we miss an option to update Chromium? If so, let us know in the comments.
Abandoned Projects
The following projects are no longer maintained.
Chromium Updater
Chromium Update extension
Chromium Updater is an extension for Chromium that offers to download the latest zip or executable build from the official Chromium server. While it is not able to update the browser, it is the only option to check for new versions with a browser control.
Chromium Updater can be installed in all versions of Chromium that support extensions which means that it is another cross-platform option to download the latest update.
Other abandoned Chromium projects
- Chromium Updater — last updated in 2013, it is no longer maintained.
- Crupdater — last updated in 2016, the project has been abandoned.
Verdict
Which of the programs should you use? Chromium Updater appears to be the most mature one, but it is only available for Windows. If you use Windows, try this one out first.
If you do not mind using Java, then JChromium Updater is the next best choice, as you can use it to overwrite your current installation to update Chromium to the next version.
The other two programs will only download the program but not install it automatically.