🎉 Development Status Update
Update – Early November 2026: Thorium just picked up a point release! Collaborator gz83 (still temporarily running the project while Alex313031 is away) has shipped M156.0.8078.80, named “M156 Beta V1”. No milestone jump this time: it keeps Thorium on Chromium 156 and moves it from 156.0.8078.28 up to 156.0.8078.80, with a nice set of Thorium fixes on top. The release landed on Nov 9, 2026 with builds for Windows, Linux, macOS and Android. As before, the downloads live on gz83’s fork, and the matching release on the main repo is a notification only. gz83 says the current version is quite stable and still plans to submit his M156-Stable branch to Alex as a pull request for review.
Thorium is currently tracking recent Chromium milestones closely, with new rebases landing every few weeks. That means upstream security fixes reach Thorium much sooner than they used to. 💙
✅ What’s New in M156.0.8078.80 (Beta)
- 🚀 Updated from Chromium 156.0.8078.28 to 156.0.8078.80, a point release that pulls in the latest upstream security and stability patches
- 🧩 New Install CRX file option in chrome://extensions on desktop and Android. It needs developer mode, and installing third-party CRX files straight from downloads also needs the chrome://flags/#allow-offstore-extension-downloads flag (off by default). Signature checks, permission prompts and extension policies still apply
- 📱 Experimental Android extensions get setup guidance and a clearer disabled state (enable chrome://flags/#enable-extensions-android and relaunch to try them), plus fixes for extension menus, toolbar recreation and Incognito cleanup
- ⏱️ Chromium’s standard menu delays are back by default. If you prefer the old near-instant submenus, enable chrome://flags/#instant-menu-show
- 📥 New chrome://flags/#downloads-show-full-url flag to control whether the desktop Downloads page shows full URLs (still on by default)
- 🎨 Fixed the Thorium 2024 tab-strip gap above the toolbar (fullscreen included), corrected first-run branding, and –disable-thorium-icons now also covers the Incognito new-tab page icon and favicon
- 🔧 V8 snapshot generation fixed for macOS ARM64 builds cross-compiled on Linux, plus new native macOS smoke tests on the build side
- 🛡️ Chromium goodies: upstream security and memory-safety fixes, including stricter file-system access checks, cross-origin event isolation and HTTP range-response validation
- 🌐 More Chromium goodies: better rendering, media, WebAudio and WebRTC reliability, and a fix for Android extension-popup crashes with third-party autofill
- 🧪 Still marked beta until Alex313031 signs off, so please report any issues in the main Thorium repository
🔔 Never Miss an Update
We created ThoriumUpdate.com to help the community stay informed. Our extension caught the new M156.0.8078.80 release the moment it went live. Install it and get notified instantly! The extension is fully open source on GitHub, so feel free to inspect it, fork it and star it.
Previous updates: Oct 2026 (M156.0.8078.28, Chromium 156 rebase), Sep 2026 (M154.0.8037.45, Chromium 154 rebase), Aug 2026 (M152.0.7977.55, Chromium 152 rebase), Aug 2026 (M151.0.7922.72, Chromium 151 LTS rebase), Jul 2026 (M150.0.7871.47 & M150.0.7871.101 — Chromium 150 LTS rebase), Jun 2026 (M144.0.7559.254 beta — first gz83 release), Feb 2026 (M138.0.7204.303 — last stable LTS from Alex313031), Jan 2026 (M138.0.7204.300), Oct 2025 (development resumed after pause)
⚠️ IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER ⚠️
Thorium Browser is often a version or two behind the official release of Chrome. This is because Thorium is a modified version of Chromium (the open-source project that Chrome is based on) and each new Chromium milestone takes time to rebase, patch and build. Releases have been landing every few weeks lately, but there can still be a gap.
While this may result in some security vulnerabilities, the performance benefits may outweigh this concern for many users. Please consider this trade-off before switching to Thorium as your daily browser.
In today’s digital landscape, browser performance can make or break your web experience. At LXBStudio LLC, we’re always on the lookout for tools that can enhance productivity and browsing speed for our clients.
Today, we’re excited to introduce you to Thorium Browser – a lightning-fast Chromium-based browser that’s taking the web by storm.
🔥 What is Thorium Browser?
Thorium is an open-source browser based on Chromium named after radioactive element No. 90. It’s available for multiple platforms including Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, and even Raspberry Pi.
What sets Thorium apart from other browsers is its impressive speed optimizations, including compiler optimizations for SSE4.2, AVX, AES, various modifications to CFLAGS, LDFLAGS, thinLTO flags, and more.
⚡ Why Thorium Is Blazing Fast
Performance benchmarks show that Thorium consistently outperforms standard Chromium in various tests.
On a system running Ubuntu 22.04.1, Thorium showed a 38.3% performance gain in Speedometer v2.1, 9.1% in Octane v2.0, 8.9% in JetStream2, and 5.4% in Octane v1.0 compared to standard Chromium.
This translates to:
- 🚀 Faster page loading times
- 🚀 Smoother scrolling
- 🚀 Better performance with multiple tabs
- 🚀 Improved responsiveness for web applications
💾 Efficient Memory Management
One of Thorium’s most impressive features is its memory efficiency. When tested side by side with Chrome, Thorium used significantly less RAM to render the same pages.
In one test, while Chrome used 433MB to display two HD YouTube videos, Thorium only required 197MB – less than half the memory!
This memory optimization is particularly beneficial for:
- 💻 Situations where you need dozens of tabs open
- 💻 Older computers with limited RAM
- 💻 Systems running multiple applications simultaneously
- 💻 Laptops where battery efficiency is crucial
🔧 Key Features of Thorium Browser
1. High Performance
Thorium has built-in features that enhance the speed and performance of the browser, making it significantly faster than many competitors.
2. Wide Compatibility
Thorium ships builds for a wide range of hardware, including SSE3, SSE4, AVX, AVX2 and AVX512 variants on Windows and Linux, ARM64 builds for Windows, Linux and macOS, and Android APKs. Older CPUs that most modern browsers have left behind can still get a current build. Windows 7 support ended with the separate Thorium-Win7 project (last release M122 in 2024), so current builds need Windows 10 or newer. Since it’s Chromium-based, it works seamlessly with multiple sites and web applications.
3. Community Support
As an open-source project, Thorium benefits from community support with regular updates, bug fixes, and improvements happening in record time.
4. Familiar Chrome-like Interface
If you’re familiar with Chrome, you’ll feel right at home with Thorium. The interface is remarkably similar, making the transition nearly seamless for Chrome users.
5. Extension Compatibility
Thorium is compatible with Chrome extensions and can sync your Google account settings, including themes, bookmarks, and extensions, providing a familiar experience while benefiting from improved performance.
🔍 Is Thorium Right for You?
Perfect for:
- 👨💻 Power users who value performance above all
- 👨💻 Users with older hardware who need efficient browsers
- 👨💻 Developers looking for a faster Chromium experience
- 👨💻 Anyone who regularly keeps many tabs open
Consider Chrome instead if:
- 🛡️ Security updates are your top priority
- 🛡️ You need the absolute latest features
- 🛡️ You prefer official Google support
🌟 Our Verdict
Thorium is a solid browser that delivers excellent performance and memory efficiency. Its privacy features and compatibility with Chrome extensions make it a worthy alternative to mainstream browsers, particularly for users with older hardware or those who prioritize speed.
However, keep in mind the disclaimer at the top of this article: Thorium can lag a version or two behind Chrome between releases, which could leave you exposed to security vulnerabilities that have already been patched upstream.
🔽 How to Download Thorium
Ready to experience the speed of Thorium? Visit the official Thorium website to download the version appropriate for your operating system.
At LXBStudio LLC, we’re committed to bringing you insights on the latest tools that can enhance your digital experience. If you’re looking for expert web design, SEO, or marketing services, contact our team today!
Thorium is my daily driver, solid browser for sure. ehhh, may not be the most “updated” but its silky smooth ….. lolol