Five Reasons I Choose a Chromebook Over Windows or MacOS
As a tech journalist, I have a mix of Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS devices at home—not because I’m particularly rich, but because I’m constantly writing about all of these platforms —and I turn to my trusty Chromebook most often.
A common argument against Chromebooks is that they’re just Chrome browsers: Windows and macOS offer the same Chrome browser and far more features. However, sometimes less is more, and I’ll discuss that below.
Unfortunately, it seems Google isn’t as excited about Chromebooks as I am. Google’s last Pixelbook came out in 2019 , and now companies like Asus, Acer, HP, Samsung, and others are releasing new Chromebooks. If you’re reading this, Google, it’s high time we released a new Pixelbook.
Chromebooks eliminate clutter
There’s a perception that Windows and macOS offer the Chrome browser and a host of other features, but most of the time I don’t need these “extras”—except perhaps for detailed image editing or gaming. Almost everything I need works online.
There are far fewer software updates, background apps, app helpers, and system utilities to keep track of. While ChromeOS does update, most of them are installed automatically in the background and applied the next time you reboot your Chromebook.
Another task I don’t have to do regularly on my Chromebook is cleaning my desktop and local folders, since there’s essentially nothing to download, save, or sync there. The laptop’s file system and internal storage are tidier by default because I don’t use them.
Chromebook instantly saves all data
I do all my work on my Chromebook in the browser, usually in Google apps like Google Docs and Gmail. This means everything is saved instantly—even if there’s a power outage or a system crash, I don’t have to worry about losing my data.
I don’t have to check for open programs and files in the background that I might have forgotten about, and if I need to quickly jump up and do something else, I can just close my laptop and I’m done—I don’t have to scroll through dozens of save dialog boxes first.
Chromebook puts all data online
When you constantly work in web apps without the option to install local tools, syncing works seamlessly. For example, when working on a document that needs to be accessed from both Windows and macOS, I need to think about saving, syncing, and app compatibility.
When I work in Google Docs on my Chromebook, everything syncs automatically. I can even open a document simultaneously in ChromeOS, Windows, and macOS and switch between them as needed to make edits, which saves a lot of time.
Chromebooks are closely tied to the Google ecosystem.
I understand that Chromebooks may be less appealing if you don’t always use Gmail, Google Maps, Android, Google Docs, Chrome, and everything else Google makes, but for someone heavily invested in the Google ecosystem (like me), they make a lot of sense.
For example, if you have an Android phone, you can use it to set up your Chromebook, share files between both devices, reply to SMS messages from ChromeOS, and connect to a hotspot with a single click. This provides a level of integration not available on other platforms.
Chromebooks actually work as distraction-free devices.
Chromebooks are often criticized for being practically useless without an internet connection, but this is only partially true. Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and even Gmail now work perfectly without an internet connection.
When I’m traveling and there’s no reliable Wi-Fi, I happily use my Chromebook to unwind and write and reply to emails without constantly switching between tabs. When Wi-Fi returns, everything I do automatically syncs with the internet.
While we’re on the topic of ChromeOS being useless when it’s not connected to the internet, I think it’s fair to say that internet access is practically ubiquitous now (via public Wi-Fi or phone hotspots), and that Windows and macOS aren’t particularly useful when the internet is down either.