- Oct 9, 2016
- 6,142
Is using it and Iridium now.
Ungoogled Chromium is actually a Chromium spin-off that offers you all of Chromium's capabilities but removes integration with Google services, thus providing you with a browser that is highly transparent in terms of privacy and control.
Even if you don't plan on associating a Google account with your Chromium browser, the browser still shelters a number of background services or features that communicate with Google servers. This program plans on reducing the amount of communications between Google and your browser, thus protecting your privacy and reducing data usage.
Additional features
Aside from cutting the hidden data exchange between your computer and Google servers, this application also substitutes various web domains in the source code, strips binaries from the source code, forces pop-ups into tabs, disables automatic URL formatting and disables WebRTC.
Furthermore, it disables Google-domain-related functionality such as Google Host Detector, Google Cloud Messaging, Google Hotwording or Google URL tracker.
For more details of Ungoogled Chromium you can refer here
GitHub - Eloston/ungoogled-chromium: Modifications to Google Chromium for removing Google integration and enhancing privacy, control, and transparency
A) Speed Test – Ungoogled Chromium vs Chrome(The Speed King)
I have 14 nos. of same extensions for Chrome and Ungoogled Chromium on the same tablet and all are working very well. With the same speed flag settings opening of web sites is faster for Ungoogled Chromium (using searX search engine) over Chrome (default search engine).
B) Ungoogled Chromium vs Iridium
1) Iridium – Like Chromium, it phones home to Google on start up
Ungoogle Chromium – Connects to Amazon(Germany) on start up
2) Iridium - Allows installation of extensions from chrome web store directly. It’s possible that such extensions collect data and phone home to Google.
Ungoogled Chromium – A bit troublesome as user needs to download the crx files using the ID of the extension and drag and drop to install them. No connection to Google here. Extensions are not automatically downloaded. User will need to check the extensions for updates.
3) Iridium – Faster to update. Now at v58.x vs stable Chromium at v59.x
Ungoogled Chromium – Very slow to update due to one man show. Now at stable v55.x. Can pose a security issue here. However, if lucky, we may see the release of v58.x
Releases · Eloston/ungoogled-chromium · GitHub
4) Iridium – Uses its own codes
Ungoogled Chromium – Borrows features from Debian, Inox patchset and Iridium browser
5) Iridium – Differences between Iridium and Chromium, here
Differences between Iridium and Chromium · iridium-browser/tracker Wiki · GitHub
Ungoogled Chromium – Features here
GitHub - Eloston/ungoogled-chromium: Modifications to Google Chromium for removing Google integration and enhancing privacy, control, and transparency
C) Summary - Ungoogled Chromium vs Iridium
Both use open source Chromium, fast and are very privacy-oriented browsers. And both require manual update for new versions. On the GUI both are almost the same as stable Chromium. Like Chromium you can also access their flags to make changes. It’s only under-the-hood that major changes in privacy settings take place.
IMO, for the privacy-conscious, Ungoogled Chromium is the choice as it and its extensions do NOT connect to Google.
It would be good if Ungoogled Chromium has its own web store, like Epic Privacy Browser, whereby some better extensions can be made available. It would be best if Ungoogled Chromium can update on par with stable Chromium release to avoid security issues in the browser, if any.
D) Alternatives to Ungoogled Chromium
The others are
1) Epic Privacy Browser
- On start up it connects to Digital Ocean(ISP) in Netherlands
- Do NOT allow the addition of extensions. Uses only those found in its web store
- Has its own web store with a handful of non-tracker/blocker extensions
- Uses encrypted proxy which is faster than not using it. However, it leaks your IP address
- It’s fast and can access the chrome flags but no Appcontainer flag
- Support plugins which can be disabled
- Cannot change search engine. Searches of built-in search engine are not so relevant
- Very minimal user settings
- It’s one(1) version behind stable Chromium release. Security of browser, if any, can be an issue
- Auto updates on its own
- An Indian company
2) Brave Browser
- Connects to Amazon on start up
- Do NOT allow addition of extensions
- Do NOT have its own web store
- Do NOT allow access to the chrome flags
- Can change search engine
- Its update is on par with the latest stable Chromium version
- Has an update feature
- Still in developmental stage. No stable release. Not suitable for touchscreen users
For the alternatives, it’s strongly advisable to use Adguard for Desktop and run the browsers sandboxed.
Ungoogled Chromium is actually a Chromium spin-off that offers you all of Chromium's capabilities but removes integration with Google services, thus providing you with a browser that is highly transparent in terms of privacy and control.
Even if you don't plan on associating a Google account with your Chromium browser, the browser still shelters a number of background services or features that communicate with Google servers. This program plans on reducing the amount of communications between Google and your browser, thus protecting your privacy and reducing data usage.
Additional features
Aside from cutting the hidden data exchange between your computer and Google servers, this application also substitutes various web domains in the source code, strips binaries from the source code, forces pop-ups into tabs, disables automatic URL formatting and disables WebRTC.
Furthermore, it disables Google-domain-related functionality such as Google Host Detector, Google Cloud Messaging, Google Hotwording or Google URL tracker.
For more details of Ungoogled Chromium you can refer here
GitHub - Eloston/ungoogled-chromium: Modifications to Google Chromium for removing Google integration and enhancing privacy, control, and transparency
A) Speed Test – Ungoogled Chromium vs Chrome(The Speed King)
I have 14 nos. of same extensions for Chrome and Ungoogled Chromium on the same tablet and all are working very well. With the same speed flag settings opening of web sites is faster for Ungoogled Chromium (using searX search engine) over Chrome (default search engine).
B) Ungoogled Chromium vs Iridium
1) Iridium – Like Chromium, it phones home to Google on start up
Ungoogle Chromium – Connects to Amazon(Germany) on start up
2) Iridium - Allows installation of extensions from chrome web store directly. It’s possible that such extensions collect data and phone home to Google.
Ungoogled Chromium – A bit troublesome as user needs to download the crx files using the ID of the extension and drag and drop to install them. No connection to Google here. Extensions are not automatically downloaded. User will need to check the extensions for updates.
3) Iridium – Faster to update. Now at v58.x vs stable Chromium at v59.x
Ungoogled Chromium – Very slow to update due to one man show. Now at stable v55.x. Can pose a security issue here. However, if lucky, we may see the release of v58.x
Releases · Eloston/ungoogled-chromium · GitHub
4) Iridium – Uses its own codes
Ungoogled Chromium – Borrows features from Debian, Inox patchset and Iridium browser
5) Iridium – Differences between Iridium and Chromium, here
Differences between Iridium and Chromium · iridium-browser/tracker Wiki · GitHub
Ungoogled Chromium – Features here
GitHub - Eloston/ungoogled-chromium: Modifications to Google Chromium for removing Google integration and enhancing privacy, control, and transparency
C) Summary - Ungoogled Chromium vs Iridium
Both use open source Chromium, fast and are very privacy-oriented browsers. And both require manual update for new versions. On the GUI both are almost the same as stable Chromium. Like Chromium you can also access their flags to make changes. It’s only under-the-hood that major changes in privacy settings take place.
IMO, for the privacy-conscious, Ungoogled Chromium is the choice as it and its extensions do NOT connect to Google.
It would be good if Ungoogled Chromium has its own web store, like Epic Privacy Browser, whereby some better extensions can be made available. It would be best if Ungoogled Chromium can update on par with stable Chromium release to avoid security issues in the browser, if any.
D) Alternatives to Ungoogled Chromium
The others are
1) Epic Privacy Browser
- On start up it connects to Digital Ocean(ISP) in Netherlands
- Do NOT allow the addition of extensions. Uses only those found in its web store
- Has its own web store with a handful of non-tracker/blocker extensions
- Uses encrypted proxy which is faster than not using it. However, it leaks your IP address
- It’s fast and can access the chrome flags but no Appcontainer flag
- Support plugins which can be disabled
- Cannot change search engine. Searches of built-in search engine are not so relevant
- Very minimal user settings
- It’s one(1) version behind stable Chromium release. Security of browser, if any, can be an issue
- Auto updates on its own
- An Indian company
2) Brave Browser
- Connects to Amazon on start up
- Do NOT allow addition of extensions
- Do NOT have its own web store
- Do NOT allow access to the chrome flags
- Can change search engine
- Its update is on par with the latest stable Chromium version
- Has an update feature
- Still in developmental stage. No stable release. Not suitable for touchscreen users
For the alternatives, it’s strongly advisable to use Adguard for Desktop and run the browsers sandboxed.
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