Google Chrome for Windows 8

Pros

• Fast and stable
• Google services are well-integrated
• Compatible with Windows 8 special features
• Chrome Web Store is arguably best browser extension library
• Almost all webpages are compatible with Chrome

Cons

• Windows 8 mode may not be ideal for those that want to run it side by side with other Windows 8 apps
• Some will prefer extension selection of Firefox
• Google services integration may annoy those who don't use them

Google Chrome is among the most popular web browsers and is now fully functional on Windows 8 and 8.1 operating systems. While Chrome is customized by Google, it is based on the open-source Chromium project and is highly regarded both by consumers and technology enthusiasts.

Chrome brought a new approach to the design of a web browser in several ways. The most important is that each tab that you use, along with each plugin within that browser (such as Adobe Flash Player), runs as a separate process. Unlike many other browsers, then, having one tab freeze up does not automatically mean the entire browser has to close and jeopardize your unfinished work. This also makes it run faster, since one slow-running process does not affect the others.

While it was not the first browser to offer extensions, Chrome offers a library of extensions that is just as or perhaps even more impressive than Mozilla Firefox, its primary competitor when it comes to browser extensions. More recently, Chrome has begun to offer desktop apps, which are a kind of Chrome Web App that runs completely separate from the browser just like a program you install to your computer.

On Windows 8 and 8.1, you can set Chrome as your default browser to enable use in the full-screen "Windows 8" or "Metro" mode. In Windows 8 mode, Chrome looks startlingly similar to Chrome OS, which runs on Chromebooks. You can open multiple Chrome windows within the Windows 8 Chrome application, and it even comes with a Windows-like task bar, which you can customize with bookmarks and apps. This can be a dream for those using Windows 8 tablets or people who use Google services heavily.

Pros

• Fast and stable
• Google services are well-integrated
• Compatible with Windows 8 special features
• Chrome Web Store is arguably best browser extension library
• Almost all webpages are compatible with Chrome

Cons

• Windows 8 mode may not be ideal for those that want to run it side by side with other Windows 8 apps
• Some will prefer extension selection of Firefox
• Google services integration may annoy those who don't use them