I review Chromebooks for a living, and I install these 5 apps every time

Asus Chromebook Flip C434
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Setting up a Chromebook for the first time? I have some suggestions about which apps you should download right away to make it a more versatile, useful and just plain fun laptop.

I know because I've been reviewing them for years, so I've gone through the process of unboxing and setting up a new Chromebook dozens of times. Heck, I've been doing it long enough to remember when you could pick and choose between Chrome and Android apps, but since Google basically eliminated Chrome apps a few years ago, the Android apps in the Google Play Store are now your best choice for customizing your Chromebook.

Over the years I've noticed there's always a few Android apps I immediately gravitate to every time I'm setting up a new machine, because they help transform any  Chromebook from a glorified web browser into a more capable laptop that you can use to edit photos, watch movies, stream games and more.

And since I occasionally get questions from readers about how to do things like watch videos on a Chromebook or play games, I thought it would be helpful to just quickly run through the top 5 apps I install on every Chromebook I review in order to make it a more functional, capable laptop. 

These apps make even the best Chromebooks significantly better, in my experience, and I hope at least a few of them make your life on ChromeOS a little easier.

Adobe Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom is my go-to free app for quick, simple image editing on a Chromebook. (Image credit: Future)

As a working journalist I regularly need to edit and resize images for publication, so I need to have easy access to a decent image editing program. And when I'm on a Chromebook, my go-to is always Adobe Lightroom.

The reason is easy: it's free and good enough for basic tasks like cropping images and retouching photos, plus you can have some fun with silly filters. If you're willing to upgrade and pay Adobe a monthly fee you get a little more functionality out of it, like the ability to do light video editing and remove things from images using AI.

But frankly, I don't think it's a great idea to pay Adobe a monthly fee (because Adobe's all about subscriptions now) for this app—I recommend it because it's free and good enough, not because it's good enough to be worth paying for.

If you are willing to pay for a decent image editor on ChromeOS, I recommend Gimp—it's typically free to use on the web but you have to pay a nominal fee ($1.99 at time of publication) for the Android app. However, that's worth it if you think you might want to do some image editing while you're not able to access the Internet.

Discord

(Image credit: Discord)

There are lots of communication apps available on the Google Play Store, but for my money Discord is the most useful and the first I seek out.

Discord got its start as a messaging platform for video game fans, but it's grown into a versatile and useful tool for all sorts of communication. I've come to rely on Discord as a way to stay in touch with friends around the world as well as communities I'm engaged with and work I do, so it's become one of the first apps I download on every new Chromebook, MacBook and Windows 11 laptop.

While I wasn't the biggest fan of the app when it launched, the way Discord makes it easy to chat with friends, stay on top of multiple Discord servers at once, stream games and chat in voice channels all in the same app has made it a go-to download for me. 

Personally I like to use it to chat with pals about tabletop role-playing games and movies we're watching, but you can use it for anything you and your friends care to. It's also a common way for artists, game developers and musicians to manage their communities nowadays, so there's a good chance some of your favorite creators maintain fan Discords that you can hop into for free! 

GeForce Now

Acer Chromebook 516 GE on desk

The GeForce Now app enables you to stream your games from Steam, the Epic Game Store and more right to your Chromebook. (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

I love playing video games, so you better believe one of the first apps I put on any new Chromebook is something that lets me play the best PC games available. And right now, for me, that's Nvidia's GeForce Now game streaming service.

I'm not a huge fan of game streaming services in general, but they're valuable on a Chromebook because a) no Chromebook can natively run demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 and b) you're typically connected to the Internet, so it's no big sacrifice to click a button and stream a game for 30 minutes.

I like GeForce Now because it lets me play just about any game in my Steam library on a remote gaming PC, then stream the video to my Chromebook, creating the impression I'm gaming on a big rig while I've a little Chrome machine in my lap. 

Of course, the trade-off here is you're reliant on a good strong Internet connection for maximum playability. Some rare gaming-oriented Chromebooks (like the Acer Chromebook 516 GE) have dedicated Ethernet jacks you can use to plug into a wired connection for rock-solid game streaming, but even when you're relying on Wi-Fi you can generally get good performance on a strong connection.

If you're not familiar with the process, check out our quick guide to how to use GeForce Now on Chromebook to get started!

Tubi

Tubi running on a Chromebook

(Image credit: Future)

All the best streaming services have Android apps you can use to stream TV and movies to your Chromebook, but for me the first one I always download is Tubi.

If you're not familiar, Tubi is a free (with ads) streaming service with an eclectic variety of content that's always changing. I really love it because it often has movies and TV shows I love that I haven't thought about in ages, and so every time I fire up the app and dive into the catalog I know I'm going to be surprised (and often delighted) by something new or unexpected.

Of course, another reason I love Tubi is that it's free, so I don't have to pay a streamer like Hulu or Netflix to watch some trashy TV when I'm on the road and having a hard time falling asleep. So while I recommend you download apps for whatever streaming services you like on your Chromebook, don't skip out on Tubi—it's one of my favorite streaming services (and the first I download) for a reason.

VLC

(Image credit: Videolabs)

If you have an actual video file you want to watch on your Chromebook instead of relying on a streaming service, there's a good chance the VLC media player Android app can handle it.

This has been my go-to media player for decades because it's simple, easy to use and supports a variety of formats and codecs that otherwise won't play on a freshly unboxed PC. 

That makes it awfully useful on a Windows or Mac PC, and even more valuable on a Chromebook because I don't know if you've noticed, but Chromebooks aren't the most versatile devices out of the box. But with the VLC app installed and a few videos saved to your Chromebook, you can count on having plenty to watch the next time you're somewhere without an Internet connection. 

Bottom line

Everyone has different needs and interests, so I understand if not everything on this list is up your alley. Shucks, depending on the week I may sometimes download the PBS Android app instead of Tubi, or skip VLC entirely if I'm not going to be using a Chromebook away from the Internet at all.

But more often than not these five apps are the first to get installed on any new Chromebook I unbox, and they do a lot to make a fresh ChromeOS install feel like home. 

Ultimately, having a strong, secure Internet connection is the best thing you can do to get the most out of your Chromebook. But once you've got that, it's time to load it up with all the apps you need and love to make it your own. Hopefully you discovered at least one cool new app to add to your Chrome repertoire, and I'd encourage folks to leave further suggestions in the comments below.

Alex Wawro
Senior Editor Computing

Alex Wawro is a lifelong tech and games enthusiast with more than a decade of experience covering both for outlets like Game Developer, Black Hat, and PC World magazine. A lifelong PC builder, he currently serves as a senior editor at Tom's Guide covering all things computing, from laptops and desktops to keyboards and mice. 

  • Toms_Reader1967
    The great thing about Chromebooks, then (when invented) and now (proven, robust) is that you almost never need specific apps, and the windowing system used in the browser (just a single click to switch tabs!) is nearly perfect.

    For example, I can open Google Docs in one tab, Microsoft 365 in another tab (almost fully-supported online edition, which can now even handle redlining), YouTube in another (not playing, just for a break), the NYTimes in another tab.

    Use the browser's hamburger menu, or F11, to maximize the viewable area, then slide the mouse pointer to the screen top to drop back down the tab. Switch tabs (which equals switching apps in this context) easily with a click. Even, with an external monitor, have two de facto app windows open side by side for easy visual draft comparisons. (11" screens work best in full-screen only mode)

    Apps, except for unsupported areas like video players (hence the Android version of VLC is loaded on my Chromebook), suck. No "tab switching", need to "switch" apps. Google is aso still wrestling with window sizing on Chromebooks for Android apps (it offers three sizing options - phone, tablet, and resizeable with a warning).

    My main browser window is the equivalent of "Workspace #1. If I need a second "workspace", just open a new browser window with different tabs. How simple is that?

    Thus my first choice is always run web browser-friendly "applications" just in a tabbed browser window. On Chromebooks browser memory seems better managed than on MSFT Windows.

    If I want the look and feel of an app without the risks of Android, the hamburger menu in the browser lets me break out a web page as a pseudo application, essentially hiding the "frame" of the underlying browser window. (PWA - do we still use that term - Progressive Web App?).

    I only resort to an actual Android app if the browser window or PWA conversion don't work. Hell, VLC.

    There is one way in which the ability to use Android apps shines, but only in relation to Android tablets with obscenely short support cycles. Chromebooks now, generally speaking, have a much longer support cycle than most Android tablets. Since all Chromebooks need to run Android apps is Google Play and the app itself, both of which get frequently updated by Google in the Play Store, it follows that we can securely run Android on our Chromebook much longer than on our Android tablets. That's a big plus...IF you prefer the Android app look and feel over the browser window look and feel in the first place.

    BTW Netflix will not run higher than 720p via the Android app, but resolution isn't capped in the Chromebook browser.
    Reply
  • rklrkl64
    Chromebooks can run Android, Linux (Debian) and ChromeOS apps out of the box, which is more than most laptops can do out of the box! The early weakness of ChromeOS on Chromebooks was its always-online nature, but this was resolved by local storage (Chromebooks now have reasonable local storage and many have a microSD card slot too) and the ability to run apps locally.

    I picked up a 2-in-1 Chromebook recently for £171 ($233 inc tax) and it's quite an impressive device for the money. I installed VLC (Android) and LibreOffice (Linux) for offline document/media use, Firefox (Linux) for more customisable browsing and some of my favourite Android apps (Fotmob's app for football scores is way better than their cut-down Web version). With a microSD card added for £27, I now have a total of 768GB of local storage, which should be more than enough for the potentially 9 more years of support the device has.

    Chromebooks in 2024 are great entry level laptops for basic tasks and there is a "Plus" range now with higher minimum specs (and a higher price to boot) should you want to do a bit more than the basics. ChromeOS is a lightweight OS compared to Windows, so a lower spec CPU and less RAM (8GB is fine - something you can't say about Windows 11!) still gives you a performant device. Now if only major OEMs would consider a full Linux distro pre-installed on similar hardware - that would be my dream laptop (no, I don't want ultra-expensive Linux laptops from Dell, Lenovo, System76 or Tuxedo).
    Reply
  • anscarlett
    rklrkl64 said:
    Chromebooks can run Android, Linux (Debian) and ChromeOS apps out of the box, which is more than most laptops can do out of the box
    wsl allows you to install any Linux distribution you choose. I'm currently running nixos via
    https://github.com/nix-community/NixOS-WSL
    Reply
  • anscarlett
    Toms_Reader1967 said:
    BTW Netflix will not run higher than 720p via the Android app, but resolution isn't capped in the Chromebook browser.
    Netflix runs in 4k hdr just fine on my rock5b running android12
    Reply
  • rklrkl64
    If you're absolutely stuck on Windows then, yes, WSL 2 is indeed a way to run Linux applications on Windows. However, you're still running the resource-intensive Windows underneath so it's really not going to run well on entry-level laptops. Personally, I'd use dual boot betwwen Linux and Windows or, if you rarely need to run Windows, single boot bare metal into Linux and then either try using Wine or Proton to run Windows apps/games or run a Windows VM in Linux (which can limit the CPU cores and RAM allocated to it).

    Chromebooks are refreshing to me in that they're the only PC devices released by major OEMs that explicitly don't ship with and don't support Windows, which I see as a major bonus. Now if only major OEMs could do the same with Linux pre-installed instead...
    Reply
  • CajunMoses
    The way that the author uses a laptop is very different from the way that I do. So, no, I wouldn't have any use for the first four of his recommendations, even though I'd concede that they're great Android apps. For example, if I'm going to watch Tubi or any other video streamer, I'm going to be sitting in front of an actual TV, not a Chromebook. VLC, though, is different. There are lots of video formats that Chromebooks can't open. VLC has never failed to open any file format that I've thrown at it. So it truly is indispensable in my opinion. Along with that, I need the Google Home and Google Nest apps. If given a choice between a Web app and Android app version, I'd always strongly recommend sticking with the Web app.
    Reply
  • MiddleEarthTR
    Toms_Reader1967 said:
    The great thing about Chromebooks, then (when invented) and now (proven, robust) is that you almost never need specific apps, and the windowing system used in the browser (just a single click to switch tabs!) is nearly perfect.

    For example, I can open Google Docs in one tab, Microsoft 365 in another tab (almost fully-supported online edition, which can now even handle redlining), YouTube in another (not playing, just for a break), the NYTimes in another tab.

    Use the browser's hamburger menu, or F11, to maximize the viewable area, then slide the mouse pointer to the screen top to drop back down the tab. Switch tabs (which equals switching apps in this context) easily with a click. Even, with an external monitor, have two de facto app windows open side by side for easy visual draft comparisons. (11" screens work best in full-screen only mode)

    Apps, except for unsupported areas like video players (hence the Android version of VLC is loaded on my Chromebook), suck. No "tab switching", need to "switch" apps. Google is aso still wrestling with window sizing on Chromebooks for Android apps (it offers three sizing options - phone, tablet, and resizeable with a warning).

    My main browser window is the equivalent of "Workspace #1. If I need a second "workspace", just open a new browser window with different tabs. How simple is that?

    Thus my first choice is always run web browser-friendly "applications" just in a tabbed browser window. On Chromebooks browser memory seems better managed than on MSFT Windows.

    If I want the look and feel of an app without the risks of Android, the hamburger menu in the browser lets me break out a web page as a pseudo application, essentially hiding the "frame" of the underlying browser window. (PWA - do we still use that term - Progressive Web App?).

    I only resort to an actual Android app if the browser window or PWA conversion don't work. Hell, VLC.

    There is one way in which the ability to use Android apps shines, but only in relation to Android tablets with obscenely short support cycles. Chromebooks now, generally speaking, have a much longer support cycle than most Android tablets. Since all Chromebooks need to run Android apps is Google Play and the app itself, both of which get frequently updated by Google in the Play Store, it follows that we can securely run Android on our Chromebook much longer than on our Android tablets. That's a big plus...IF you prefer the Android app look and feel over the browser window look and feel in the first place.

    BTW Netflix will not run higher than 720p via the Android app, but resolution isn't capped in the Chromebook browser.
    I have owned three different Chromebooks, two Lenovo and one ASUS and all of them have performed very well for me EXCEPT with Android. I kept getting maximum RAM usage and could not figure out what was the problem. I found that after a lot of forum searching that turning off the Google Play Store my memory usage dropped considerably! I only use Chrome OS or Linux apps and get along just fine.
    Reply
  • Jj75
    VLC for Chromebook, even the latest version, is impossible to watch if you use subtitles, because it simply cannot process them, and instead overlays them on top of one another, so that there is this meaningless distracting mess at the bottom of the screen. This is more the shame because VLC colour rendering is so lovely compared with its competitors. But I watch with subtitles, partly because I can't follow the sound easily, partly as when I watch it's in noisy places, and most importantly because my partner's first language is not English, and that means no VLC. There are alternative apps which work but they have much duller colour rendering, and greyer blacks, as well as intrusive ads and even live Internet connection requirements (so no aeroplane watching for that one).

    VLC really ought to fix that. Because it's not a functioning app as far as I'm concerned.
    Reply
  • MiddleEarthTR
    Jj75 said:
    VLC for Chromebook, even the latest version, is impossible to watch if you use subtitles, because it simply cannot process them, and instead overlays them on top of one another, so that there is this meaningless distracting mess at the bottom of the screen. This is more the shame because VLC colour rendering is so lovely compared with its competitors. But I watch with subtitles, partly because I can't follow the sound easily, partly as when I watch it's in noisy places, and most importantly because my partner's first language is not English, and that means no VLC. There are alternative apps which work but they have much duller colour rendering, and greyer blacks, as well as intrusive ads and even live Internet connection requirements (so no aeroplane watching for that one).

    VLC really ought to fix that. Because it's not a functioning app as far as I'm concerned.
    Do you mean the Android version of VLC? I did not like it either so I use the Linux version (3.0.21 Vetinari) and it handles subtitles just fine. I can change sub position, size, color and font.
    Reply
  • Jj75
    MiddleEarthTR said:
    Do you mean the Android version of VLC? I did not like it either so I use the Linux version (3.0.21 Vetinari) and it handles subtitles just fine. I can change sub position, size, color and font.
    I believe it is the Android version - it's from the Play Store downloaded via my Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook 4GB. I believe there is no other version for ChromeOS.

    Thank you for the suggestion re Linux. Might you have any suggestion for a very low resource demanding Linux which someone without tech knowhow could install on a Chromebook with low ram please? My Duet 5 struggles with many tasks because of the low ram, even just running the system UI, so I don't think it can handle a virtual machine.
    Reply