GChrome is a free browser used for accessing the internet and running web-based applications. Google began working in Chrome as early as 2006 under the open source Chromium web browser project. Its first version was released in 2008, which was built with multiple free software tools from Apple’s WebKit and Mozilla’s Firefox.

Curiously, Google Chrome also acts as the main component of ChromeOS, the operating system developed by Google in 2009. It derives from the open-source project ChromiumOS and utilizes Google Chrome as the principal interface.

Although most of Chrome’s code comes from Chromium, which is open source, Google licensed Chrome as proprietary freeware. At the same time, Google forked (made a copy and built upon it) WebKit’s rendering engine, which Chrome previously utilized, and created the Blink engine, which it utilizes today.

Google Chrome is monetized in a very similar manner as Android. The product itself is free, but it indirectly fuels all of Google’s ecosystem. Its free nature and high quality user experience allows the browser to continuously capture customers and expose them to all of Google’s ecosystem. This makes Google Chrome an invaluable asset to Google.

“Search is an integral part of Google revenue. That's the biggest area. But it is more. When users have been using Chrome, it tends to drive Web usage up, so it's display ads too, not just search ads. And it's a driver of Google Apps. Google Docs offline works in Chrome. Both Chrome and Android bring together a lot of our services, so they have a huge business value for us.” Sundar Pichai, 2012 interview

The distinctions between Chrome and other browsers are kind of limited. Besides the typical features such as dark mode, what sets apart Google Chrome from other players is:

The second point stated is very relevant for user experience. Google Chrome search bar (which is based on GSearch) is much more resourceful than competitors, mainly due to how fed Google’s algorithm is. It allows things like math calculations, instant translation and it has a very smooth integration with products like Google Sheets and Google Docs.

Chrome’s usage had continuously trended upwards, and rapidly, ever since inception until 2021. On that year, it peaked at 3.2bn users and declined (according to estimates) by 16% in 2022.

Overall, in the period 2009-2022, Google Chrome has grown its users base at a 38% CAGR, going from 40M users in 2009 to 2.7bn in 2022.

After analyzing the product’s usage (its market share will be later discussed), the second indirect revenue stream can be spotted. Google Chrome saves the company multiple billions each year by capturing that many users, preventing Google from paying browsers and mobile manufacturers extra fees. As we discussed in GSearch’s bullet points, such deals can run up to the tens of billions of dollars. This, added to how much it boosts Google ecosystem, proves why Chrome is an invaluable asset to Alphabet.